If you are like me, you have probably noticed an increase in flyers, commercials, and radio advertisements lately…
It’s that time of the year once again…dun, dun, dun…
Back
To
School.
I find there are two main camps regarding Back To School:
Camp 1) No matter how old you are, simply hearing the words Back To School evokes fear, unease, apprehension, and a sudden breakout.
Camp 2) Back To School season (yes, it is a whole season) evokes joy, anticipation, shopping sprees, and a sudden urge to de-clutter, purchase new gadgets, notebooks, pens, and erasers. You are old school, and you love it.
Which camp are you?
Ok, I lied. There are more than 2 camps. I like to think of myself as part of the 3rd camp which is a combination of the first two.
Even though I am now entering my second year of ‘Back-To-School-without-actually-having-to-go-Back-To-School, all of the emotions still flood back to me during Back To School Season (BTSS).
In no particular order:
1) A strong urge to organize and de-clutter
Before: After:
- Closet cleaning
- Donating unwanted clothing items to charity
- Cleaning out my purse/wallet
2) A strong urge to organize and de-clutter my DESK area in particular
Before: After:
- Reading over every piece of paper and keeping what I truly need (i.e., 1% of the crap on my desk)
- I organize all of my scattered notes and to-do’s onto one new piece of paper and recycle the rest
- Clean desktop, keyboard, mouse, etc. Ewwwwwww. If you are like me, you wonder how you didn’t see that dust bunny in the back of your keyboard tray (seriously take a look at your own, you know you aren’t perfect either! lol)
- Cleaning my virtual desktop. One of my tasks today. Can you just believe how out of control this has gotten? It got really bad over the weekend when I was coding and re-doing the website.
Yes, I have cat treats at my desk. I bribe Sketchie to lay in my office during the day. ;)
3) Schedule every aspect of my life.
- I printed a new calendar for September. Ahhh, all fresh and ready to be filled in. I am making sure to write really ‘pretty’ so as to not ruin it like my current one.
Note: NOT pretty writing below:
4) Renew my healthy eating and fitness goals!
- I am planning out my fitness goals for Fall. The biggest of which is training for my half marathon on Sept. 27th. I also am planning on signing up for something that is so uncharacteristic of me. Any guesses? ;)
5) Pack lunches/Prep food
- Yesterday, Eric and I shopped for groceries and we bought him lots of lunch foods (sandwich stuff, fruit, etc) to pack his lunches (we slacked off a bit in the summer).
- This week I am making a couple bulk orders of food to save money. I am making my Buck Ten Spelt Tortillas and my 50 cent hummus (note that I didn’t buy any store-bought hummus or tortillas this last grocery trip!!!)
Personally, I see the Back To School Season as a fresh start. A time to re-organize and re-new our goals for the last part of the year. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely hate seeing summer go, but nothing beats my favourite month of all- September. :)
~~~~~~~
Are you going back to school this fall? What are you doing?
How do you feel about Back To School Season? Do you make resolutions? What camp are you with?
~~~~
Also, be sure to check out Green Monster Movement for the latest Green Monster recipes! Today’s bunch features a Peach Pie GM and a Green Colada GM- yum!
I’m really hoping my blender arrives today!!!!!
I am like you; I feel a bizarre urge to get organized right around this time of year. All of your work paid off- your house looks great!
i love the feeling of going back to school! im actually starting grad school next week to become a Registered Dietitian–I can’t wait!!
Girl you need to declutter your computer desktop! That is a lot of icons lol. Totally kidding with you of course.
I LOVED the beginning of a new school year. I couldn’t wait to get new school supplies (wow I’m a nerd).
both camps.
i’m a teacher so back to school for sure brings back feelings of apprehension.
however, this time of year is my last chance to go crazy canning peaches, salsa, preserving the harvest, and of course cleaning.
i also kinda go crazy trying to orgnaize my classroom as this is the only time of year it ever gets organized.
ah, i love to declutter. my entire house is in desperate need of a “back to school” cleaning. thanks for the inspiration!
i’m definitely in camp #2. i used to love getting all the new supplies, getting all my books and syllabi – i’m a nerd. i always think of this season as time for a fresh start though, even if i’ve been done with school for a while now!
I LOVE back to school. Especially this year because I will FINALLY graduate with my degree in Commerce. I find I always organize myself because once I get my binders in order and all the midterms and finals written down, I finally wrap my head around the fact that I’m Back to School.
Though I do miss being a kid and going to Staples for supplies (all the while trying to convince my mom that I needed new pencil crayons for the year…despite the fact that half of my pencil crayons from last year still hadn’t even been used).
I think I’m in camp 2! I just majorly clean and rearranged my room, boxed up my old textbooks and went through my closet to take out the clothes I don’t wear anymore. I don’t really need new supplies this year but usually I love going shopping for them, and obviously new fall clothes are a plus too!
I’m going back to school for my last semester of my undergrad! I’m really looking forward to my classes and my job this year so I can’t wait, and September 14th seems so far away still.
I finished my undergrad this spring, so this is my first fall working a real job and not going back to school. I don’t like it!! :P I’m definitely in Camp #2. I think my favourite part was always the scheduling aspect of going back to school, after a free and disorganized summer. I liked sitting down with my agenda and going over all my deadlines. I’m still using my campus gym (hoping to squeeze out another week with that student ID) and I’m already nostalgiac driving into that campus.
Of course, I miss it now. Come exam week in December, I’ll be lovin it ;)
i love fall but im not a super huge fan of the back to school feeling! im glad i only have three more years until i graduate architecture school!
i am in camp 2 … i love buying school supplies and i love office stores. i dont know why. i love school. i hate driving an hour to school but i love school and i love learning and i love school supplies! LOL.
i try to declutter often because it gives me anxiety.
i started back today an university of nebraska. i am studying nutrition and exercise (Double majoring!).
-muffy
I actually loved school growing up but am so grateful in my adult life that I’m not going back to school! Tests, studying, being over-scheduled…grateful that’s not my life right now!
Congrats on decluttering/purging/organizing. I am a HUGE donation and dejunking girl. If I havent worn it in a year, it doesnt matter how much I paid for it, how cute it was/is, how much I think I will wear it in the future…no. Off it goes to the Salvation Army or whatever thrift shop is on my route, I drop it off. Same with household nick nacks, kids stuff and toys, you name it, off it goes. I live in a fairly small, urban pad and if I didnt employ this strategy we would be living amongst clutter and seriously, clutter makes me nervous. Did I mention I am Type A? :)
Even though I’m not in school anymore (my husband is though) I do find myself wanting to be more organized. Maybe I’m feeling pressured by all the “Back to School” ness.
I made tortillas using your recipe last night! I had them with dinner last night, snack this morning and lunch today. Love them!
Oooh going now to check out the peach pie GM. Sounds so good!
The only thing back to school means to me is end of summer…sigh…
As I child I was giddy with excitement for back to school time. It probably has something to do with the fact that my birthday is in September and our local Fall fair happened at that time as well. It’s always been the time of year that I’ve loved the most. I’m not in school any more but my 5 year old is…so this time of year is once again getting the old “hip-hip horray” from me. ;)
I adore back to school season! I was a teacher, and now I’m a student, and I have a serious problem with school supplies. For me, the notebook, highlighter aisle is like the shoe store to most women! Plus, when I was younger I liked the idea of being able to start fresh; I wasn’t my 10th grade self any more, now I got to dress/talk/etc like my 11th grade self. I kind of miss that feeling :)
Yay back to school! I went back today :D
Ugh… fifth year as an undergrad makes you in a “let’s just get this over with” camp. LOL. I’m still pumped, but more just that I’m graduating this year!
-Megan
I miss back to school clothes shopping so much! The best part was my mom paid for all my gear! Now that I’m an adult with rent to pay I long for those days to return! ha. I guess I’ll have to splash out this fall and buy some new things for myself :O)
Wow.
I read that post twice today. Once when I woke up and once before I left to go shopping for back to school. I go away to school and live in an apartment with friend at school, I have the option to make my own food. I actually bought spelt flour to bring back to school so that I can make your tortillas!! Plus you have really inspired me to be looking forward to the cleaning and organizing I have ahead of me when I go back to school.
Thanks for being such an inspiration and for publishing a blog that really is helping people :)
My little boy started preschool today. I bought him a new lunch box and packed him a healthy lunch. I was a bit teary – but he was so excited for the new toys he pushed me away and never looked back. :(