This post is sponsored by Bright Star Kids.
My daughter starts school this year.
You might be sick of hearing it. I’ve already mentioned the school fees. And had a social media sob about my daughter growing up too fast. Look at these shoes. LOOK AT THEM!
All together now: nawwwww.
Getting ready for school is wonderful and difficult in lots of ways, and I could go on about it all day. But I’m going to focus on the stuff.
The itty bitty stuff. The t-shirts and shorts. The school dress that is the smallest size available and still swamps your little girl (don’t cry don’t cry don’t cry). The socks, shoes, sunhat and school bag.
The pencil case. The pencils. ALL OF THE PENCILS. So many pencils!
All so small. All so cute. All so easy to misplace.
Enter Bright Star Kids.
You might remember Bright Star Kids from such posts as Reno reveal – the stairwell landing (what a classic, huh?). It’s no secret I’m a big fan of their products, so when I needed new labels, I went straight to their website.
Image source – used with permission
There are quite a few options and value packs, but the School Labels Value Kit (pictured above) had everything we needed. And when we saw the personalised bag tags on offer, we decided to get one of those, too.
I gave my daughter full creative control of the labels and bag tag. She chose baby pink for the labels, because “my favourite colour is red but (little brother) has red labels and that would be confusing and pink is like red but pretty”. She chose a castle design for the labels, because “a fairy or a princess could live in there but probably a princess”.
And she chose a fairy design for her bag tag, because “there isn’t a princess design for the tag so I guess it’s a fairy that lives in the castle after all”.
Ordering the labels was a long, arduous process that went on for 40 minutes. But my daughter’s decision-making process accounted for 37 of those minutes.
The Bright Star Kids website made the rest of it simple and speedy. The proof popped up immediately (and I spent at least a minute checking it – imagine if this self-proclaimed word nerd misspelt her daughter’s name!), payment zipped through, and best of all, the labels themselves arrived three days later.
Hooray!
Focusing on the stuff? Ticking off the stuff. Stuff bought. Stuff labelled.
2016 school year, we are ready. Ish. (Don’t cry don’t cry don’t cry.)
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DISCOUNT CODE
The team at Bright Star Kids wants to help you get your children ready for school, too. Until the end of February, you can get 10% off your order of labels (where the order is $30 or more). Simply enter the code SCHOOLTEN at checkout to receive the discount.
And if you’d like the chance to win one of two $40 Bright Star Kids vouchers, head on over to visit my friend Renee at Mummy, Wife, Me. (It’s a game of skill. Feel free to share one of your major parenting fails here as a practice run!)
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Are you ready for the 2016 school year?
Thanks so much for the shout out, Em. Those labels are so sweet and as for the shoes!!! They are just adorable. We went for the Mary Janes too but ours are slightly different. I can’t believe we’re actually going to be school mums. How did that even happen? I don’t know if I’m ready yet and I sure as hell know that Miss Three is not ready to attend daycare without her sister. Could be interesting times ahead. Argh!!! xx
A pleasure! Always happy to point people towards competitions. I’m not ready to be home with little man without big sister. Not sure I can entertain him as well!
Big steps about to be taken in those little shoes! You are on the edge of the new life! Sad but glad times ahead. Loved her reason for choice of colour! What a lucky teacher hers will be to have a considerate & well-mannered student!
Best wishes! Denyse
Sad but so, so glad. She has been ready for a very long time. And thank you, Denyse – what a lovely thing to say.
I love the school labels, the thought of having to write my son’s name on dozens of pencils, textas, crayons and books – my hand is cramping at the thought.
But here’s a tip: place the labels around the texta or twist crayon as the label will come off over time if placed straight along the edge.
Thank you so much for the tip! Great one!
Not something I need to worry about but I can’t help but think how far we’ve come since I was a kid and covering my books in brown paper and awaiting women’s magazines that included school labels JUST IN TIME for school to start. If you were really lucky they featured TV / movie stars and not just boring animals!
I remember covering my books in Keanu Reeves pictures in year 8! And having to get new ones as a result. So naughty.
I’m a big fan of Bright Star Kids labels too. My youngest (and baby!) starts school too in a couple of weeks. I have her labels all ready to go but I’m still not ready. I’ve done it two times before but this is different as it’s my last time….I’m a bit sooky here at the moment!!!
Oh, I’ll be a big sook when little man starts too! But also fistpumping. Not gonna lie. x
Awww. My kids are starting new school journeys too. Not the BIG new school beginning you’re facing, but enough to make my heart constrict. My big girl is starting a new school for year 11 and my man starts high school this year. Eeeekkk! Slow down, slow down, slow down …
(PS I have always been really bad at labelling things for school)
Ooh, year 11 and year 7. Yep, that’d be enough to make my heart constrict too!
Those labels make everything so much easier don’t they?! Miss T is starting grade 1 this year and that means her first year in a proper school uniform. My heart melted when she tried on her school dress this week (major hemming needs to be done as it is too long) and I swear her school bag is as big as she is. She is so excited about being up in the big school and I’m excited for her. I may just have something in my eye when I drop her off for her first day 🙂
I am seriously in love with the labels! I know that makes me uncool, but hey, I’ve never been cool. The school dress try-on is KILLER. Hubster is taking the morning off on her first day, and I’m so glad. Both because he gets to be there, and because I’ll need the support!