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Home ยป Blog ยป Back To School Memories

Back To School Memories

by Sarah Turner Clover Lane

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(my sisters Katie and Elizabeth, I’m on the left…Katie look how tall you look-that didn’t last long ๐Ÿ™‚

Have I written this post?  I think I might have and that’s the trouble when you’ve been blogging for awhile.  You don’t remember what you’ve written about 3 years ago.  I could look it up of course, but please don’t make me.

I have always loved getting ready to go back to school.  I know for some that was the worst feeling, thinking, “Oh yuck school again!” but for me I just loved  the fresh start, a change, new things.

I went to a private Catholic school so I wore uniforms.  My mom would measure us and then order them from the Schoolbelles catalog, along with Peter Pan-collared blouses, and knee socks.  We would wait till we saw the UPS truck coming down our rural street, which was quite a rare occurrence, and the boxes would be delivered and ripped open.  Everything starched, stiff and itchy but brand new and all ours.

Next we would visit the local Buster Brown shoe store and be fitted for a good pair of school shoes along with a pair of shoes for gym.  I remember the little shoe store had these stamp booklets, and if you earned so many stamps you must have received some sort of discount.

We had oil cloth book bags with little canvas straps…no fancy back packs back then in the olden days.

I don’t remember my mom having to buy school supplies, at least while we were in elementary school.  The nuns would open up a big closet I think, on orientation night, and the first week of school, and we bought our supplies from them.  Basically pencils and notebooks and remember Golden Rod tablets?  (What I would do for a Golden Rod tablet right now.  I even searched for them on Ebay to no avail.)  We would take our change up to that closet and buy what we needed.

(my cute little brothers…that’s the kind of book bag we carried!)

Things have changed haven’t they?  I have long lists for each of my children and it sure doesn’t cost mere pennies.  I wonder why these kids need so many things now vs. what we needed back then.  Are they getting a way better education, learning more than I did back then with my pencils and Golden Rod? Oh, to be in an old-fashioned classroom where your mind was supposed to be the thing that was working.

Anyways, we had lunch boxes for awhile…till they weren’t cool anymore of course.  I remember one year my mom bought us white lunch boxes and stickers and we decorated our own.  Holly Hobby stickers were my choice.

And that night before school started…I was always a bundle of nerves, filled with excitement and worry…not sleeping a wink.

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August 10, 2011 ยท 25 Comments

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  1. marlowe says

    August 10, 2011 at 5:47 am

    Okay, your brother on the left looks so much like Patrick. And I love the fresh start too. My six year old exclaimed tonight in anticipation of tomorrow … "I love the first day of school but after that, I don't want to go."

    Reply
  2. Jennifer says

    August 10, 2011 at 7:21 am

    Oh my goodness, your pictures are so precious! Brings back some special memories of my own with my siblings. School days as a kid were such good times… innocent times. It's kind of sad how much our world has changed. My 3 brothers and I would always lay out our clothes the night before the first day of school and my mom would take our picture laying next to our brand new outfits. Then, the morning of our first day (every single year) we would do a picture of all four of us standing in front of the house. It was always so exciting to find out who our new teacher was and if any of our best friends were in our class. Yep, for the most part, great memories I will always cherish.

    Reply
  3. knit one, knit two says

    August 10, 2011 at 11:32 am

    I remember how excited I was when I got my first trapper keeper (neon purple of course). I felt so special. We had educator pads (we got one each semester in grade school; one per month in high school). I have a couple blank ones hoarded somewhere…

    I also had my picture taken the first day of school too, a tradition I continued with the boy.

    Reply
  4. Simply LKJ says

    August 10, 2011 at 12:15 pm

    Our youngest just started her Senior year in high school, and I was glad to see not everything has changed…it was still about that special outfit for the first day! And, the photo to see how much she's changed since last year.

    Reply
  5. Theresa says

    August 10, 2011 at 12:15 pm

    Like you, I loved the first week of school. The smell of the books, the smell of the new supplies. I also attended a private Catholic school and wore a uniform. The nuns wore habits. No one talked out of turn…those were the days!

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    August 10, 2011 at 12:50 pm

    I was home schooled, so there wasn't anything in the way of new uniforms or school supply lists, but I still loved starting school. Fall is my favorite season, and starting school meant the approach of crisp days. The first day of school meant my mom would have a big stack of interesting new books ready for us to plow through, and new family read alouds for the evenings.

    Reply
  7. luvnmy10 says

    August 10, 2011 at 12:51 pm

    Back to school brings happy memories for me, both as a child and now as a mother. I loved the smells- new pencils and a new binder, even new lined paper smells like school. I love that getting back to routine, even as a young girl I remember liking that routine and now as a mom it is a welcome change to the wonderful lazy hazy days of summer. I love fall and school and fall are intertwined. I love your pictures, thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  8. Ruth says

    August 10, 2011 at 1:49 pm

    I remember going to the Buster Brown Shoe Store! I was talking to my youngest (college freshman) about MY college days – NO backpacks! We just carried our books in our arms. I love Fall.

    Reply
  9. Shawna says

    August 10, 2011 at 2:02 pm

    Oh my gosh, can't believe you mentioned Holly Hobbie! I just found an old book of mine and was sharing it with my daughter and it looks so old fashioned. I used to have a big Holly Hobbie poster hanging on my bedroom wall.

    Reply
  10. Amy says

    August 10, 2011 at 2:14 pm

    I love back to school time. As a child, & even as an adult during college, the night before school or a new semester started I was to excited to sleep.

    Our oldest boy has been homeschooled for the past 3 years & is returning to public school this year. We all feel the excitement building up as we take care of last minute shopping.

    Reply
  11. Kim says

    August 10, 2011 at 3:29 pm

    I absolutely loved the first day of school. The rest I could do without but, the first was great! Oh, the possibilities a new composition book held! And all those brand new pencils… made me so happy then.

    I agree with your point on the cost of school supplies – what in the world??!! My kids attend a private Christian school and we pay for darn near everything. Down to the band-aods for the nurse and Ziplocs for the ice bags… just crazy!

    Reply
  12. Jenny says

    August 10, 2011 at 4:02 pm

    Sarah, your 1st day of school story is so idyllic! I wish it was that simple for kids today!
    I loved the first day/week/school in general. School was such a social place for me, I just wanted to get back so that I could see my friends every waking second!
    Now that I am all grown up, I'm a teacher. While I still get antsy for school to start, and still pick out my first day outfit, I do get a little nervous. We don't have our school groove yet at the beginning, and that is hard! I always read the book, "First Day Jitters" to my kids. Throughout the story, you find that the main character is too nervous for the first day, but you never see her… until the end of the book, when you find out it's the teacher! Love it!

    Reply
  13. Louise says

    August 10, 2011 at 6:53 pm

    I loved Back to School time too! New notebooks and pencils and a whole fresh start! I'm a teacher now…and love it just as much…a time to start fresh! It's awesome.

    Your brother looks just like Patrick! That's immediately what I thought when I saw that pick! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  14. Grace in my Heart says

    August 10, 2011 at 7:27 pm

    How sweet! You look adorable. I LOVED going back to school too! We had red and green jumpers with the same shirts you and your sisters are wearing. We had to wear black and white saddle shoes and I always loved that they were nice and white at the beginning of the year. LLBean bookbags were all the rage during my elementary days…I'm not sure if this is still the case. It was good everyone had their initials on them or we would have all gotten them mixed up. Have fun back to school shopping! I can't wait to do it with my little E in a few years!

    Reply
  15. SZM says

    August 10, 2011 at 7:31 pm

    What an entertaining post Sarah! I was all about Holly Hobby. I had the lunch box and a holly hobby peach pant suit. I wish my mom had taken a photo of that beauty!

    Reply
  16. Heather says

    August 10, 2011 at 7:46 pm

    I went to Catholic school too, and my skirt was very similar to the one you were wearing. But you didn't get a skirt until 4th or 5th grade. Before that they were jumpers in the same material. I LOVED going back to school! I LOVED school! MY daughter is starting Kindergarten a couple of weeks, and we're pretty excited!
    Oh, and my first lunch box was one of those metal ones that could knock a person out. It was The Muppets!

    Reply
  17. Jami Nato says

    August 10, 2011 at 8:47 pm

    these pics are too adorable. i went to catholic school as well and i don't remember buying school supplies either.

    on my sons school supply list is a pencil sharpener. why can't they all share one pencil sharpener??

    Reply
  18. teresa-bug says

    August 10, 2011 at 9:51 pm

    I had a Holly Hobby lunch box!! It was metal and had a matching thermos. I wish I still had it. This has nothing to do with school, but my mom made me a Holly Hobby doll and me a matching outfit.

    Reply
  19. Sarah says

    August 11, 2011 at 3:25 am

    I love this post. I always wanted to wear cute uniforms like the girls at Catholic school did. Alas, I am not Catholic, nor did I ever attend private school of any kind.

    Reply
  20. happeningsofourhome says

    August 11, 2011 at 3:28 am

    Love this post! I too, was a ball of excitement the night before school started. My favorite memory of starting a new school year was getting new school supplies {my husband thinks it's adorable that I STILL get all giddy over school supplies–even though it's been years since I've purchased any. I love to look at all of the colorful folders, the crisp sheets of paper, the pretty pens & pencils….Yah, I know. I'm a nut}. I would organize & reorganize my backpack a hundred times before the big day! I still get excited when a new school year rolls around. It always takes me back to my youth!

    Reply
  21. Meagan Kenney says

    August 11, 2011 at 5:03 am

    Oh my goodness! I had the SAME plaid skirt you were wearing when I was in high school at Xavier College Prep in Phoenix, AZ! And I know they still have that same blue and gray plaid skirt to this day…ahhh…some things never change!

    And I second you on the too many school supplies. My first grader needed 24 Elmer glue sticks. Really!? I mean, what child uses THAT much glue!?

    Reply
  22. Shawni says

    August 11, 2011 at 10:18 pm

    You have the best memory! I need to try to pry all those memories out of my brain some time. Love the pictures!

    Reply
  23. Kerri says

    August 12, 2011 at 7:58 am

    You made my heartache a little when you mentioned Buster Brown shoes. That's where I got my shoes every year too. It really was a simpler time. It seems like as kids we didn't really expect that much. The best our parents could do was good enough. I'm glad I got to live it and glad that you can put it into words! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  24. Michele says

    August 15, 2011 at 9:41 pm

    I am curious about why you and your sisters each had a different plaid. I went to Catholic school also. Grade School and High School. In Grade school we had the same brown plaid all eight years. The only change up was that we had jumpers K through 4 and then skirts and matching vests grades 5 through 8. In High School the Freshmen and Sophmores had a light blue plaid and the Juniors and Seniors had a red and navy plaid. We could not wait to get the red plaid! LOL

    Reply
  25. Beckey W says

    October 24, 2012 at 11:59 am

    Hi what is a golden rod, I'm 28 years old and have never heard of this school item.

    Thanks.

    SB3 mom of one 8 month old.

    P.S. I found your blog via Pinterest. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply

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When our first baby was placed in my arms I knew there was no place I wanted to be other than home with him every day. Twenty five years, and five more babies later, (six children, now ages 26-8), I still feel the same. I blog here about motherhood, how to make a house a home, easy recipes, and simple living. You can read more about me here.

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Nothing pretty, flashy, or spectacular. Just an o Nothing pretty, flashy, or spectacular.  Just an ordinary Monday morning breakfast counter after the kids leave for school.  Because ordinary gets the short hand in our culture but really it's extra special. 
It's a symbol of unselfishness, contentment, prudence and gratitude.  There is a certain peace about the ordinary.  It's the opposite of temporary-it holds the joy of contentment and gratitude and prudence all in one hand.  It's lends itself toward peace, and a settling in, not a constant search for more or less or anything.  Ordinary is authentic and good enough- in short it's a gem in disguise. ๐Ÿƒ
I love my home and I hope you do also. With all t I love my home and I hope you do also.  With all the imperfections and maintenance it requires, when I pull up and walk in I want to stay, to relax, to feel safe, for daily life to be easy, and to care for "home". I want simplicity, ease, convenience.  To me when my home is simple, without being filled to the brim of things that just take up space I love it best.  I hope if you've participated fully or even partially as time allowed in 40 Bags in 40 Days you've found that joy and pride in your home.  I plan to share more little challenges and tips as the year proceeds to trouble shoot areas and keep maintenance effortless and the house love flowing.  Daily life in our homes should bring us joy and ease while we care for our families, we should be thoughtful stewards of our money and of our time and simple living is the answer to that. 
Thank you for participating! ๐Ÿก
I think this is one of the best things about the 4 I think this is one of the best things about the 40 Bag decluttering process.  When I know what I have and have removed all that I don't, it cultivates more discretion and caution about what I bring back in.  I think there is also some realization of how much money is wasted on fads, or thoughtless purchases.  It's quite eye-opening.  I've become so much more careful, and find we all take better care of things, as do my children.
The final week of 40 Bags in 40 Days! I've tackle The final week of 40 Bags in 40 Days!  I've tackled all the areas of my home with exception of my oldest daughter's room (not the photo)- which she is excited to work on this week.
The simpler the room, the easier it is to clean an The simpler the room, the easier it is to clean and straighten up.  And then the more enjoyable it is to actually sit in that room.  It's not a hard equation, all it takes is ruthless purging-and not just little things but larger items also.  Functional furniture is the key and very few decorative pieces especially when children are in the home, makes life so much easier. 
๐Ÿƒ
As we head into the last week of the 40 Bags in 40 As we head into the last week of the 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge I'm hearing from so many of you what a difference it has made in your appreciation of your homes, a certain contentment, and at the same time a thrill of looking in on the organized kitchen, closet and living space.  I agree!  I love purging, cleaning and organizing a space and then going back later that day just to get that wonderful sense of accomplishment.  It makes such a difference! 
๐Ÿƒ
A lighter, fresher, calmer home is the result of de-cluttering.  I even had a participant who had been planning on listing her home, start 40 Days just to get her house ready to sell, and then was so ruthless in the process and also thrilled by the results that they decided to stay put in what seemed like a new home to them.  What a savings of time, money and energy. 
๐Ÿƒ
Next week I will be talking maintenance and answer all questions! โ˜€๏ธ
Tips For Shared Kids Rooms- This bedroom has seen Tips For Shared Kids Rooms-
This bedroom has seen every configuration possible.  With kids spread out 18 years apart, I've had to be creative over the years-which I think is the key to sharing rooms.  It is all possible-I consider it a rare luxury and privilege to not have to share a room although I know that is not the norm today. 
๐Ÿƒ
I like to create a simple look with white furniture (this ends up making room transitions easier also when moving someone out and someone else in.) I also like to match bedspreads for a cohesive look. 
๐Ÿƒ
Clip on bed lights save space. 
๐Ÿƒ
A simple shared book shelf can hold a child's special books and knick knacks and if necessary can be assigned per shelf.
๐Ÿƒ
When my kids were younger I had my dad build me a large wooden roll out box for under each bed.  This held each child's toys. 
๐Ÿƒ
All clothes are kept in a closet instead of dressers to save space.
I feel like I bailed on everyone following 40 Bags I feel like I bailed on everyone following 40 Bags progress and tips.  My excuse is the stomach flu ravaging us all here in the last week with me being the last to fall and the slowest to recover.  On top of that the weekend before I tried to roller blade (don't even ask how many steps I made it) and majorly bit it.  Thankfully I think I just sprained my arm. So I've been using one arm for nursing sick children back to health, and doing whatever cleaning and cooking and straightening I can do.  Alas, last week was a wash.  We have two weeks to go.  I'd like to continue and end on a high note.  How about you?  Even a little de-cluttering counts! Spring is in the air and I can't wait to throw open my windows and let fresh clean air circulate through my fresh clean orderly home. โ˜€๏ธ๐ŸŒท๐ŸŒฑ
Especially where kids are concerned- we tend to th Especially where kids are concerned- we tend to think that the more things they have the happier and more occupied and loved they will feel.  Nothing can replace human interaction and I've found that too many toys has the reverse affect.  They cause overwhelm-just like us - we'd rather sit in an orderly space than one filled with too many things to do and too much stuff.
โ˜€๏ธ
When it comes to kids closets here are some tips-
1. Hand me downs don't all have to be received.  Or received at all.  Be choosy and keep just what they will use and need.
2. When children are presented with too many choices, tension and acrimony can exist.  Being able to open a closet with a reasonable amount of outfits can create more peace.
3. Cultivating independence in care of clothes is easier when there is less and the space is simplified and organized. 
โ˜€๏ธ
More tips coming on the blog this week.  I am moving my blog platform so I can't make any promises - it's under construction and that's exciting!
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