Guest Author - Cheryl Lewis

With school looming close at hand for many parents of young children, the worry all "back to school" encompasses, looms too. As the mother of four children I know this feeling well. Between clothes, shoes, pencils, pens and everything else on the list, I often wonder how I’ve managed this back to school routine for so long.

There are some tips and tricks to get you started in the right direction. The goal is to start the year off a lot of positivity. It takes some planning and some creativity but you can do it!

Preparing for school: Easy steps that help get you and your young kids started down the road to a positive attitude about going back to school.

School supplies: A generic list and some tips to help get school supplies early and cheap!

Clothes: Some tips and tricks to managing that big budget-sucking monster of back to school clothes.

Parent/Teacher Tips: The teacher/parent relationsip is almost as important as the teacher/child relationship and these are tips to help you have a positive experience with your child's teacher.

Bullies: Parents always worry about their child getting bullied at school. Unfortunately it does happen, and probably on a more regular basis than we would care to admit. These are tips to help your child and encourage discussion.

Homework Tips: Homework isn't something a lot of parents think about in the "back to school" stage, but a little preplanning can go a long way!