Vera Bradley backpacks hold up very well. My middle schooler had hers for 3 years without it getting too beat up.

We have taken first day of school and last day of school pics on the front step with each kid holding their own sign. It's the same every year. My high schooler isn't too thrilled with the idea of doing it this year but will have to suffer through it. I plan to make them each a printed photo book of each year's pics when they graduate high school as a keepsake.

Our district handles all of the supplies and charges each family a supply fee that is included in the book/curriculum fee for the year. It makes it super easy not having to shop, but my kids usually don't like some of the supplies provided so we end up picking up special pencils, pens, etc anyway.

We have a weekly dry erase calendar hanging by the door so everyone can easily check for after school activities, practices, social plans, appointments, etc each day as they come and go- everyone in the family is color coded so they can see their specific obligations easily.

We have a designated spot in the house for school library books to be kept so they don't get lost when they are at home. When the kids are finished reading the book, they go back to the spot and are ready for their weekly return date.

I wipe down the baseboards then go over them with a dryer sheet - this keeps dust and pet hair from collecting on them. Only need to wipe them down every couple months.

We found it helpful to include a "We've been boo'd" sign that the recipient can hang on their door or front window so they don't continue to get boo'd over and over again :)

We love this tradition! We did ours this week...the kids had so much fun "hiding" and watching the reactions of their friends. We decided we were going to get some more stuff and boo some more friends this weekend too!

When they were younger, toys and books were at the top of the list as great gifts to receive. Now that my kids are both older and aren't playing with toys much anymore (sad), experiences, books and clothes are definitely what they want most! Annual memberships to the zoo or museums, tickets to performances or classes are always great too!

I usually only share wish lists when family and friends ask. I'm always one to ask - especially for my children's friend's birthday parties...because I want to get them something they will enjoy versus something they'll have to go through the hassle of exchanging/returning or not end up using.

My daughter started needing it when being active around 10 years old and needing it daily around her 11th birthday.

We did the same with both of our kids - my daughter was 2 and my son was 3. We used a full size mattress and pushed one side against a wall and had a collapsible rail on the other side that slid between the mattress and box springs so it was not permanent. Worked great for both of our kiddos!

Sometimes it seems like it's all I do! Putting it away is the worst!

I was able to reuse my older kid's costumes when my youngest was still a baby and into the toddler years. I have a girl and a boy so a lot of the costumes my daughter wore don't interest my son. We think it's important to let them choose how they want to dress up each year (within reason) so my son hasn't wanted to use what his sister has. Luckily, we have a bunch of younger nieces we can hand her costumes down to.

It really depends on the activity or event. We have a lot of things close to us but have been known to drive an hour or two for a special event/outing....just depends on how important the event or activity is to our family.

Lucky! I wish mine were better eaters - my oldest is getting more adventurous with vegetables so there's hope yet :)

We wait until October 1 to put up Halloween specific decorations but start putting up fall themed decor in mid September.

Both of my kids help pack their own lunches on days they choose not to buy hot lunch at school. I often help them with "smarter" food choices but for the most part, they both do a great job of packing their own lunch.

We get our kids separate year books because their schools have a big yearbook signing party on the last day of school. I also want them to have their own as a keepsake - I still have all of mine from elementary through high school and we all get a kick out of looking through them together!

We did the same years ago...a little bit of everything but Milicon was our #1 go to!