Back To School Items For The First Day

My daughter has returned to High School! She never knows what each teacher will want, so here's some of the things she makes sure she has on the first day. 

For starters, a backpack! She's all about aesthetics and loves the simple style of Day Owl backpacks. They come in a variety of colors and there's lots of compartments to put things. You can feel good about shopping at Day Owl because they build their products from recycled landfill-bound materials and their goal is to reduce waste. You'll find all sorts of sustainable items on their site. 

Day Owl also has The Pouch in different colors and it helps to hold all of Natalie's stuff. She brings a portable battery to school, a charger, lips gloss, etc...this helps keep everything together. 

See?

Pencils! It's good to have something to write with on the first day because you'll probably have to fill out paperwork about yourself. We find great deals on pencils at HEB.

Folders! Teachers pass out what they expect for class and this is when they'll explain other things that are needed, plus ways on how you can communicate with them. We found this cute one at Target.

Notebooks! Sometimes you need one for each class. Some teachers have you keep them in the classroom. And yes, some might have you take notes on day one. We find a bunch of fun ones at Walmart. 

A water bottle. It's hot in Texas so we always have a water bottle nearby. You can find a bunch of them at Owala. They also have tons of color choices. Plus neat superhero ones. 

Always show up with the basics and you can add on as needed! Sometimes you'll luck out and find a bunch of stuff on clearance. 

Here's to an amazing school year.

Hey, It's Okay

I got this idea from Glamour magazine. You can link up any day of the week. All you have to do is make a list of what you're okay about. Simple! Please do not link up a post that has nothing to do with Hey, It's Okay. It's rude and I'll delete the link.

HEY, IT'S OKAY....

.....to have picked up Tommy for lunch on Sunday. It was nice seeing him and he says college is going well. He's getting involved and even joined Film Club. He says his professors all seem nice!

.....to hope Natalie has a great first week of school. Waking up early is going to be tough for her. She usually doesn't leave the bed until noon. 

......to be getting Tommy on Friday for Labor Day weekend. We aren't doing anything. Well, we'll be eating. Tommy says he misses McDonald's so we'll get that, and probably take him to another spot. He just eats at the cafe at college. He can stay with us until Monday evening!

.....to need to go to Bojangles. Texas just got one and of course everyone had to go so it's been packed. I am waiting a bit for the hoopla to die down and then I'm stopping in. I had it years ago in North Carolina and liked it. Plus I need to try the Bo Berry biscuits. 

......to be glad Natalie survived her first day of school. She's at the grade where she's being asked about college plans and it stresses her out a bit. She's thinking of going the route Tommy did: go to community college and possibly transfer to a 4 year. She says she might be done with school after getting an Associate's Degree. 

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Lowe's Home Improvement Halloween Decor

 We love checking out Halloween decorations. I am ready for Halloween. I'd decorate now if the HOA allowed it--but you can't decorate unless it's 30 days before a holiday or some nonsense like that. So I'll settle for bringing some decor inside the house. 

Lowe's Home Improvement has all their Halloween decor out. If you're a fan of Disney, they have so many awesome things. They also have animatronics, many different inflatables, and much more. 

This little Grogu played music and walked around. We did get him because he was precious:

You can get other stuffies. If they had Maleficent or Cruella, it would have been tempting:

There were creepy dolls:

The animatronics were neat. They were kind of pricey and I'd worry that they'd get stolen. People are assholes in Texas and love to take lawn decor. 

This one played the drums with bones and was fun. Natalie was grooving to his beats. (And yes, it's 100 degrees outside but stores like to blast their A/C and it will freeze us so we have to wear jackets indoors.)

If you need pumpkin decor, they have so many different varieties:

I will have a video up on TikTok so you can see decor in action soon.

Are you aching to put up your Halloween decor as well? 

The Bridesmaids Fan Fest At Flix Brewhouse

I just love Flix Brewhouse. It's a movie theater that will show popular movies and they usually give away free stuff. Natalie and I went to see Bridesmaids and we got these nifty classes with the popular quote from the movie on them:

Flix Brewhouse has the comfiest seats that recline, plus their food is scrumptious. If you're a rewards member, you can earn free things such as popcorn. Plus your points add up and you can use that towards purchases. 

If you haven't seen Bridesmaids, you're missing out. It's a comedy about Annie (Kristen Wigg) who learns that her best friend of forever is getting married. She also learns her best friend has another best friend--the beautiful Helen. Hilarity ensues. Melissa McCarthy is also in the movie, and she's basically a comedic genius. 

There are so many quotes from the film that I say often. A top one these days after having a kid in college and another who is female is "Help me, I'm poor." The movie is on Netflix is you need a laugh.

The room was FULL because everyone loves Bridesmaids. Some ladies even dressed up. I did not, but my daughter did. I'm like that TikTok where the person is like "Adam Sandler, what are you doing here?" and it's usually with someone who likes to dress up and the other person who dresses for comfort. That's me. Hi. 

Before the movie, there was a game where you named the chick flicks. I missed 2. I thought #7 was Runaway Bride. It was Steel Magnolias. Dang it. 

I got the chicken quesadillas, which are always a win:

Plus the donut balls, and yes, we were immature and said things like, "Want a ball?" They came with chocolate and raspberry dipping sauces. 

If you have a Flix Brewhouse nearby, check them out! They are always showing the latest movies, plus they'll do Fan Fest nights with popular films. September they're showing a bunch of 80s flicks! 

Hey, It's Okay

I got this idea from Glamour magazine. You can link up any day of the week. All you have to do is make a list of what you're okay about. Simple! Please do not link up a post that has nothing to do with Hey, It's Okay. It's rude and I'll delete the link.

HEY, IT'S OKAY....

.....to miss Tommy but he seems to be doing well in college. His classes started this week so he'll be busy doing those and he has an internship. We'll see him Labor Day weekend!

.....to hope Natalie enjoys her last week of summer vacation. She returns to High School on August 28th. 

.....to be watching Big Brother and not have a favorite player yet. 

.....to also be watching Sister Wives and think Kody is a big butthole. It's no wonder most of his wives left him.

......to appreciate this box that Lancome sent me. I got so many incredible things. Top faves? The eyeshadow palette, the perfume, the serum (my wrinkles need help!), and the lip gloss. Everything is incredible though--I've always been impressed with Lancome! They go the extra mile with their packaging. This box was put together by their Global Makeup Artist. 

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Spirit Halloween Is Open

We're lucky. We have a Spirit Halloween not too far from us that opened earlier than most stores. (If you want to see if your local Spirit Halloween is opening soon or has already opened, click here and put in your zip code.)

I absolutely love Spirit Halloween. I am ready for Spooky Season. We've been dealing with 100 degree temps in Texas so I need the cooler weather and I need Halloween. 

Of course one of the coolest things about Spirit Halloween is the animatronics and cool walk throughs. I wish we could afford those. And honestly, even if we could, they'd probably be stolen because we live in San Antonio. 

I always like checking out the t-shirts:

And the Pennywise stuff. Look, clowns terrify me but for some reason I love Pennywise. Maybe because the actor who played him in the latest It movies is hot. Probably. Not that Tim Curry from the TV It isn't attractive--but the other guys is...you know..

I loved their Beetlejuice section. If I had extra money, I'd pick up a few things but at the moment we spent quite the amount on back to school shopping for one kid in college and the other is female in high school, enough said, so we're kinda skint at the moment. We just admired it all and pushed the buttons:

I loved this bowl! The Day-O scene is one of my favorites:

We thought this zombie baby was cute in its own way. I mean, the face reminded me of my own when I go to a restaurant and order Diet Coke and the waiter is like "Is Diet Pepsi okay?"

They had a fabulous Hocus Pocus selection too. I wanted this Billy:

Seriously, Spirit Halloween has it all. The only thing I wished the store had more of is the Barbie collection. They have costumes and items from the movie, but in the section where everything was supposed to be there was a sign saying that everything was on its way. It's basically sold out online. Maybe we'll get lucky and we'll find some items down the line.

The Haunted Mansion section was pretty neat as well. I haven't seen the latest movie but I love the ride:

If you need a mask, they have tons:

If you need a trick-or-treat bag, Spirit Halloween has many varieties:

Need a spooky tumbler? You'll find them at Spirit Halloween:

If you have someone obsessed with Halloween, be sure to look at all the items near check out. They'd make perfect stocking stuffers. This knife pen was neat:

The jewelry section was on point too:

We will be back to the store before Halloween is over, that's for sure. Also, for military peeps, they do offer a military discount! Not in the military? Follow Spirit Halloween on social media and they usually share some. 

Have you been to a Spirit Halloween yet? 

The Move To The College Dorm

First of all, it was hot. As in 100 degrees hot. And there was no elevator and Tommy was on the second floor. There was a lot of sweat happening.

I won't even mention how I was already a bundle of nerves. I worry about Tommy. Yes, he's 21. But he has autism and doesn't always grasp social situations. I don't want people taking advantage of him. 

Anyway.

We got a work out, which I guess is a plus since I eat a lot of junk food. Also, we just had a boy moving in and boys are much easier to move in than girls. I saw all the crap the girls were lugging in and it was like 4 more cartfuls of stuff than Tommy brought. 

Oh man. If Natalie goes to college it's going to be a pain in the ass. She's going to want the carpet and the curtains and the decorative pillows and the crystals.

Here's the stuff Tommy brought:

It easily fit in Tom's truck. Which by the way was running extra loud since someone stole his catalytic converter. He's getting it replaced this week, thank goodness, because riding in a vehicle without a catalytic converter is unpleasant. It reminds me of those cars your drive at Disney World on that Speedway ride. 

We got started helping him set up the room:

The way Tommy's dorm is set up is that he shares with 3 other people. Each have their own room and have a shared living space and kitchenette. Plus there's 2 bathrooms so 2 people share one. At least it's only 2 boys sharing at once. I shudder to think of what the bathroom would look like after 4 boys. 

I brought in plenty of cleaners as well. Will they be used? I don't know. I hope. I brought in hand soap. Will that be used? I don't know. I hope.

Here's the shared living space:

Here's the kitchenette:

And here's Tommy's dorm room. Eventually he'll hang some stuff on the walls:

Will he do laundry? I don't know. Will he keep his room clean? I hope. Will there be a smell when we bring him home for Labor Day weekend? Perhaps. You just never know with boys. 

We took him out to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. Then I went back with him to make sure everything was okay. We did meet the boy he'll be sharing a bathroom with. He seems nice The other 2 across the room hadn't arrived yet. I hope they are also nice. And not party animals. Tommy doesn't do well with excess noise. But it's college so...

...he at least has a fan to drown out the noise. 

Leaving him was weird. He's been with us for 21 years. I'm used to hearing him. I'm used to talking with him throughout the day. It'll be an adjustment. 

I'm going to miss him.