Back to School Cool

This post is sponsored by Kohl's.  I received the included back to school clothes and essentials as compensation.

As much as it pains me to write that phrase Back to School, there's no denying it's here.  I've been back at work for over a week now and today is our first official day with students.  And if you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw the boys' "first day of school" photos yesterday!  I have such a love/hate relationship with this time of year.  I love my job (for the most part) and it can be nice to get back into routine come August (plus, fall fashion, football, and pumpkin-everything!!!!😍), but if you know me and my love for summer (including my lack of showering on a regular basis), you probably aren't surprised to know I cry every year when I have to go back.  August also exhausts me.  One time, I almost fell asleep while waiting for a red stop light to turn green.  I wish I was kidding.  So yeah, back-to-school is basically the worst - yet best - of times.



( button down )

What I do look forward to - back to school shopping!  With any new season comes the need for new clothes for my kiddos.  I've mentioned this before, but I love shopping for my boys!  Brantley is to the age where he wants only "cool clothes" (athletic apparel), but Holden will still let me dress him in the trendy stuff, which is where Kohl's comes in handy because they have it all!  Nike and Under Armour, joggers and buffalo plaid!  (Which apparently I have a slight obsession with....stay tuned.)  And with great prices and constant sales, it's just a win-win for everyone!  We recently did a little online back-to-school shopping at Kohl's and scored some amazing deals!






( UA tee / / UA shorts )

As for the "cool clothes", I'll admit, it's growing on me.  But only a little.  And only when it matches.  I just can't believe how old it makes Brantley look!  Luckily, he will still dress nicely if I ask him bribe him with candy.  



( button down / / joggers )

And let's talk joggers.  I love them.  They are the perfect compromise for boys who hate jeans.  Most (these and these included) have elastic waste bands and come without the annoyance of zippers or buttons.  Plus, they're adorable.  (My husband disagrees, but I'm definitely the trendy one in the family.)  Kohl's definitely has you covered on joggers, as you can see from these photos!



And this top below is the third buffalo plaid top.  Apparently, when I like something, I really, really, really like it!



( button-down / / joggers )

We also ordered Brantley a new pair of sneakers.  I cringe at the thought of buying new tennies because quality, brand name shoes are so expensive, even those for toddlers!  However, the blow is a little less painful at Kohl's because of their sales. 🙌🙌


( Nike sneakers / / joggers )





( Nike tee / / joggers / / sneakers )



Have you gone back-to-school shopping or is that still on your to-do list?  Are your kids picky about what they wear (ahem, "cool clothes"), or will they wear anything?

For your shopping pleasure, I've linked most of these looks above!  You may also click here to access Kohl's back-to-school kids' clothing, here shop their back-to-school products in general, and here to access current Kohl's coupons.

Beginning today and lasting through August 20th, Kohl's is running their Friends and Family Sale.  Use the code SAVER for 20% off your order plus $10 off $50 worth of kids' and juniors' clothing and character backpacks with  promo code BTS10  

My blog may contain links to other websites.  I am not responsible for the privacy policies of those other websites.  When you click on a link, your information may be collected by those websites so I encourage you to read their privacy policies.

Affiliate links are not associated with Kohl's.

The Daily Dime / / August 2017

First things first.  Last month's edition of The Daily Dime was a total bust.  I was on vacay in Florida and though I had full intentions of documenting one of our days there (or travel days), it just didn't happen!  But I'm back and {hopefully} better than ever?! 😜   I kid.  In reality, I'm scrambling to write this post because tomorrow is both my students' and own kiddos' first day of school and I need to get to bed ASAP.

As a reminder, we want YOU to link up below!  All you have to do is write a day-in-the-life style post (the daily part) that includes ten photos (the dime part) and link-up using the widget below!  By linking up this month (open for two weeks), you will be automatically subscribed to our email list with reminders for our future DD link-ups!  (Next month's linkup is scheduled for September 13!)  And don't forget, if you post on Insta, use the hashtag #thedailydimelinkup.

Date: Tuesday, August 8, 2017 - my last day of summer!
 Brantley is 5 years + 1 month.
Holden is 3 years + almost 4 months old.
Rhett is 8 months old.
All photos were taken with my iPhone 6.

7:12am.  Rhett is awake.  I gave him a bottle in his crib, while I quickly and quietly got myself ready for the day.  Quite the change from the beginning of summer when I was getting up early and going for morning walks. 😉   I almost didn't include this picture because it's so grainy, but this was the first time ever I caught him standing in his crib so I had to!


An hour and a half later and we were in the van and headed to a local coffee shop to meet my friend, Erica.  I still can't believe I drive a minivan.  Most days, I feel like I'm still 22...until I climb into my van!!  But I do love it and its sliding doors, cup holders, and all. the. space. #minisFTW


This local coffee shop is only about eight minutes from our house and the cutest ever.  They have the best breakfast food, but my favorites are the breakfast burritos and homemade poptarts! The boys had already eaten breakfast at home, but I bribed them with a pastry for a photo.  #givingawaymysecrets



Back at home around 11am and playing a game of Hi Ho Cherry-O.  I actually hate this game and always have.  Even as a kid.  I prefer our recent game purchase. #waymorecompetitive #takessomeskill
(Shortly after this, Brantley got in trouble for kicking Rhett in the mouth...on purpose.  Boys.😩)


Around 1pm.  All three boys are down for naps.  Yes, Brantley still naps on a fairly regular basis!  We let him skip naps on weekends/special occasions and he takes "short naps" (an hour) when he does nap, but I'm going to stretch these "short naps" as long as physically possible!  Anyway, because it was my last day of freedom, I decided to lay down myself.  I should have written Rhett's 8-month blog post that is still not posted, but I just really didn't feel like it that day...or any day since!


The boys were all awake at 3:30 and I gave airplane rides for awhile.  I'm going to cheat here and post one photo of each boy (and call it one photo) because they are way too cute!




We had post-nap plans to celebrate our final day of summer by getting shaved ice with Vanessa and her crew.  Since our husbands were both busy with work commitments, shaved ice turned into dinner and drinks at a local bar and grill, The Blue Moose.  Our waiter most certainly thought we were crazy for dining with six kids five and under!  (Not pictures are the babies!)


Back at home and prepping for the next day, which happened to be Rhett's first day at his new daycare.  Only four more months of washing bottles - the end is near! 🙌🙌


Rhett went down for bed around 7pm and since the weather was gorgeous, I agreed to a quick game of Home Run Derby before bed.


8pm.  I love my kids, but I also love bedtime.  Scratch that, I hate bedtime.  I love what comes after bedtime - being able to sit and do next to nothing (aka scroll social media), usually with the Royals on in the background.  I'm pretty sure there were a few tears that night about having to go back to work the next day, but once that first tear fell, a kid yelled for something from upstairs and I quickly remembered that going back to work isn't so bad after all.


9:59pm.  The end of the day and the end of summer 2017.  It was a good one and though I look forward to another school year, I look forward to next summer with my boys even more!  Only 9.5 months to go!!


Thanks for following along!  (Nobody noticed my 11 photos, did they?!)  Don't forget to add your link below!

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 Kristin // Taz + Belly
Kristy // Seven Graces
Kerry // XO Kerry
Chelsea // Binkies and Baubles
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Guest Host this Month:
Stephanie // Wife Mommy Me

Stitch Fix #16 (and My Two N-Sale Purchases)

In an effort to make going back to work each August a little easier, I schedule myself a Stitch Fix and ask for work-appropriate clothing.  I'll be honest, I peeked online at the contents of my fix before it actually arrived and I was highly underwhelmed.  When my box arrived, I noticed my requested stylist (Raquel) was not the one to style this fix (she was on vacation) and I was even more disappointed.  But then I started trying on the pieces and much to my surprise, I loved it all!


Item #1
41 Hawthorn Keziah Shirt Dress
Medium / / $48




I really wanted to like this dress!  I love wearing dresses to work because quite honestly, they are more comfortable than pants.  But this dress was just a smidge too big on me.  I considered exchanging it for a size small, but I was afraid it would be too small.  It's hard writing on a whiteboard when your dress pulls.  So back it went.

Verdict: Returned


Item #2
Renee C Maybell Lace Detail Skirt
Medium / / $54






Next up, this skirt.  Immediately, I loved the pattern and the uniqueness of it.  This isn't necessarily something I would find at Target, which is always my Stitch Fix goal.  Once I put it on, I was sold.  The waistband has no buttons or zippers; it's just stretchy and pulls on and off so easily.  The A-line fit makes it super flattering.  Adding this to my "First week of school lineup"!

Verdict: Kept!


Item #3
Papermoon Tarah Crochet Back Top
Small / / $44





I liked this top a lot.  This color, the pattern, the lace detail on the back are all things that are very me.  However, it was just nothing special.  And I have plenty of sleeveless tops in my wardrobe, so I easily sent it back.

Verdict: Returned


Item #4
Brixon Ivy Sylvester Split Neck Blouse
Small / / $54






Once again, I have nothing against this top.  The color is pretty, the flowiness is on point, and the size was near perfect. However, it just didn't do anything extra special for me and besides, I have a few similar style tops in my closet already. 

Verdict: Returned


Item #5
Liverpool Harper Bootcut Pant
Size 6 / / $88





Initially, I was least excited about this pair of work pants.  But like all pairs of pants Stitch Fix has ever sent me, these fit like a dream!  I was tempted to keep them.  But a) I don't tend to wear work pants very often (leggings and skinny pants, yes, but true work pants, not so much) and b) they required either heals (which I also don't wear like I used to!) or hemming.  Just not worth the $88 in my opinion!  So although I like them a lot, I couldn't justify keeping them.

Verdict: Returned

So overall, I really liked my fix!  It could have easily been a five for five, even though I only kept one thing!

...


And as an added bonus, my two purchases from Nordstrom's Anniversary sale.  I'm not a regular Nordstrom shopper and I won't pretend to be just because its the cool thing to do.  Give me Target and Old Navy and I'm a happy camper!!  However, I enjoy seeing what the fashion bloggers recommend and had fun window shopping through the online pages of sale items.  I came away with two things, but I have yet to decide whether I'm keeping either.  Perhaps you can help me decide!

First, this bell sleeve fleece pullover.  It's not quite as flowy as it appeared in the pictures and although I like the sleeves, I feel like they might annoy me.



Next, this off shoulder top.  I wasn't crazy in love with it until I saw these pictures.  In person, I feel a  little frumpy in it; however, I don't think these pictures portray that at all.  I bought this as a potential piece for family photos this fall, but I just can't decide if I love it.  Thoughts??



That's all for this episode of "Sarah pretends to be a fashion blogger".  Until next time! 😉