I was asked to participate in the #CleanStart campaign, sponsored by Lysol® at Walgreens. Although I have been compensated, all opinions are my own.
It’s back-to-school time, y’all and the countdown is on! Both of my kids start their first day of their last year at their respective schools TOMORROW. This is it… Monkey is starting his last year of elementary and Princess her last year of Junior High.
Each year brings new lessons, different challenges, and busier schedules. We’re kicking this Fall off with two competitive cheer teams, one 8th grade cheerleader, and one on a 5th-grade football team. Add in school work, Nathan’s schedule, my subbing and food blogging and it’s a whirlwind of fun! Plus trying to schedule eventful weekends and weeknights that fit with everyone’s schedule means a lot of back and forth.
With our busy schedules, we rarely get to sit down and eat dinner all together and end up eating at different times. The kids usually do their chores after everyone has eaten, Princess does the dishes and loads the dishwasher, and Monkey is responsible for taking out the trash. My many years in the restaurant industry, and learning from health inspectors, will not let me leave dishes in the sink or dirty counters… EW… thank goodness for Lysol® and Finish!
What we do get… is breakfasts together. Every single one of us is up at breakfast time to gather in the kitchen and whether it’s Princess making breakfast while Monkey and I make lunches or some combination therein, it’s fun… it’s messy, it’s memorable, and aren’t some of our best memories messy and memorable
Both kids are capable of making their own breakfasts and lunches (raising independent kids for the win!), but I enjoy the kitchen time with them… talking, packing, planning, and cleaning up together. We get to laugh, talk about expectations for the day, hopes, things that happened the day before, and their dreams (both the night time kind and the future kind). It’s one of my favorite times of day and I love that when everyone leaves the house for whatever the day holds, I know that morning started together, that’s priceless.
Along with our traditional first day of school pictures, and our mandatory first day of school dinner together at the restaurant of the kids choosing, one of my favorite back-to-school traditions is thanking our amazing teachers with a special goodie basket on the last day of the first week of school.
This year, since finding out that Lysol® is the exclusive Household Cleaning Products Brand partner for Box Tops for Education™, I’m adding a little something extra to the traditional school supply treats that they get. I’m adding in a couple of classroom must haves!! Lysol® Disinfectant Wipes in Lemon and the Lysol® Disinfectant Spray in Crisp Linen As the child of a teacher, and a homeroom parent, volunteer, and substitute teacher, I have spent a lot of time in classrooms, and I know the messes that can happen, and the germs that can be spread!! Classrooms are incredible sources of learning and knowledge, but they’re often breeding grounds for germs, too! And don’t get me started on how dirty cell phones, iPods, and tablet surfaces are!!!!
Thank goodness for Lysol® products! Clean classrooms are healthy learning environments! Bonus!
I know teachers can use a helping hand in getting supplies for their classrooms so I always add a little gift card to the special goodie basket we give them. Whether it’s for an online retailer, a coffee shop, or a local restaurant/store, I like to be able to contribute to the people who make such an impact on my kids all year long. This year, I’m giving them Walgreens gift cards which are awesome for our favorite teachers and allow them to pick up more must-have classroom supplies, their favorite sweet treats, and stock up on more Lysol® products!
Please take this idea and use it to treat your favorite teacher! You can find all these goodies at Walgreens and help to support the school, one clean surface at a time!
PS: if your school doesn’t participate in Box Tops for Education™, you should definitely look into that! It’s basically free money for your school! Box Tops are literally at your fingertips everytime you’re at the store, and our schools have done fun things like coloring pages that the little ones can fill up and turn in, stuff the bag incentives, Race to the top classroom box top games, and we are pros at finding the bonus back to school Box Tops for Education™ products!!! Box Tops for Education™ are free money and the ways to make collecting them memorable and fun are only limited by your imaginations!
What do you do for your teachers? What are y’all’s favorite back-to-school memories or traditions?
Come talk all about it with us on August 22 at 7:00CST/8:00PM ET when I co-host the #CleanStart twitter party! School is almost in session and that means germy desks, countertops, and let’s not even start with the bathrooms! Let’s chat about ways to Support Your School, One Clean Surface at a time! There’s NO NEED TO RSVP for this party! By Participating you’re entered for a chance to win some seriously awesome prizes that you can keep for yourself, or pay forward!
Don’t Miss Out on Entering the #CleanStart Sweepstakes!! You can enter below.
Lysol® and Finish® at Walgreens #CleanStart Sweepstakes
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Lysol + Finish. The opinions and text are all mine.
