Send Factor

Before we go shopping for school clothes, we always take an inventory of what clothes my children still have and what they will need for the next year.  This will vary from family to family, but with five kids, we only buy what we need.
Taking an inventory of your clothes is really helpful when you don’t want to spend more than you need to or you are working on a tight budget.  It’s also helpful when you are trying to cut down on the amount of clothes that your child has.  I’m sure every family has one child that empties their dresser drawers on the floor looking for a particular shirt.  Minimizing their clothing helps them to be more organized and you have less waste.
Our inventory begins with a fashion show, where the kids can try on all their clothes and make sure they have shirts that match everything that still fits.  I keep track of what they have and what they will need.  You can have a fashion show be as simple or as fancy as you want.  As you have your children try on their clothes, make sure they still fit and are not worn out.
When you are going through their clothes, don’t forget to pay attention to belts and accessories that they need for their outfits.  I also look for shirts and pants that can be mixed to make different outfits.
We decide how many pants and shirts each person needs.  My youngest daughter always has more clothes than everyone else.  When my kids don’t need anything, I let them pick out one new outfit and a few new shirts.
Taking inventory is a great help in finding a beginning spot when you go shopping.  It lets you know what your children have and the essentials that you need to make sure to pick up.

School can be impossible to deal with when your child hates to be there.  It can be a struggle every day to get your child off to school.  How do you deal with a problem like that?
You first need to find out the reason why your child is dreading school so much.  The problem might be something that is easily solved.  If there is another child at school who is causing problems for your son or daughter, you can talk to the teacher or principle to try to resolve it.  Moving your child’s desk away from the other child might alleviate the problem, or even switching teachers.  You, as a parent, have to decide if a change in your child’s attitude could help or if something else is needed.
If your child doesn’t have any friends at school it can be really difficult to go to school every day.  When your children are in elementary school you can be an influence on your children and arrange a play time for your children – inviting other kids over.      Becoming involved in their school day allows you to help volunteer and also see what is happening in the classroom.  This perspective could help you find the problem that your child is having and suggest some solutions to try.  If possible, volunteer your time to help the teacher.
If your child is struggling with a particular subject you can give them the help they need.  Whatever the cause is for their problem in school, find a way to help them to resolve it.  Turn school time into a positive experience so that they will enjoy going to school.  Children learn so much better when they enjoy what they are doing.

The kids have grown several inches, their pants are all worn out, their jacket sleeves reach just below their elbows, and their shoes have holes in them.  You have to go school shopping, but you want to stick to a budget – you’ve got other kids to buy for also.  As a family with five kids, we have this system worked out.
First, we have a fashion show before we begin shopping.  We pull out all the Fall clothes and try them on.  I keep a list of what each child has, and specific things they need, such as a shirt to go with their red plaid skirt.  Once we have taken inventory, we have a good idea of what we will need to buy.
Before the shopping excursion, we go get lunch.  This is a tradition with my girls, and as my boys grow, I’ll start one with them as well.  We chill at our favorite restaurant and fill up on the energy we’ll need to tackle the clothes shopping.  This year, their grandmother and aunt came too.
Once we hit the stores, I look to see what sales are being offered and focus on the clothes we need that fall in line with the sales.  If one store has a great sale on jeans, we’ll look there first.  Once we get the essentials, the girls can begin looking for other fashions that they want but don’t need.
We end it by finding some great shoes that will last throughout the year and be comfortable on their feet.  This is an area that I like to splurge a little more and get a good quality shoe.  They provide better cushion and support that my growing children need.