Happy Monday, friends!
I hope you all had a fantastic weekend!
‘Tis time for my annual little round up of AMAZON LATELY: BACK TO SCHOOL EDITION with a few bonus photos at the end because…I just decided to put them there 😉 .
If you are anything like me, circa 1990, your mom would take you to the office supply store the afternoon of the first day of school with your school supply list in hand…and you and the rest of your town would be there all at once painstakingly back to school shopping.
Fast forward to 2026 and THANK GOODNESS, my kids’ school supply lists are posted online weeks before the first day, and this mama gets 99% of it off the internet.
I am going to skip all the rulers, pencils, composition notebooks, highlighters and such that I bought (x4 children) and just share a few of the more interesting finds this school year…
This year, because she is a senior and finished with almost all of her “core” classes, Kensington is home by 12:30 each day and gets to eat lunch here. Ashby and Mades though are enjoying their lunches out of these BENTO BOXES.
All three of my girls have always really been into these boxes.
They like to create pretty/fun/aesthetic lunches 😉 .
They put their boxes in…
…Madeley picked out THIS LUNCHBOX and…
…Ashby picked out THIS ONE.
They both selected…
…THIS HYDRO JUG as their water bottle for school (in different colors!).
Spoiler alert: one kiddo left it in a class on Day #1, found it on Day #2 and then left it in Mrs. Erika’s car that afternoon. I am typing this sentence on Day #3 and am hoping she and her cup both make it home today. Agh!
Speaking of cups…
…Smith is still having his freezer meals each day for lunch. I’ve mentioned approximately 4 billion times, but he likes this rice and ground beef (or chicken or turkey) meal for the “fuel” each day. Andrew makes a bunch of them at a time, freezes them, and then we heat them up each morning before school and place them in a 46 oz Yeti.
Blog reader tip: Fill a thermos with boiling hot water and let it sit about 10 minutes or so before dumping out the water and then filling it with your hot food. This keeps food hotter much longer in a thermos.
All of that to say, this year, we needed a few REPLACEMENT LIDS for our large Yetis.
You can see photos and all the specifics on his lunch IN THIS POST!
Ashby picked out THIS PENCIL POUCH…
…and Mades picked out THIS PENCIL POUCH.
We all love and use this WRINKLE RELEASER around here.
You know me, I do a lot around my home, but I’ve never ever ever been one to iron. This stuff works really, really well!
I will swap out my scents for fall/holiday ones soon, but right now, I’m still re-ordering these PURA REFILLS because they smell so fresh!
It wouldn’t be Back to School season without…
…a fresh new DARTBOARD. Bahahaha!
Smith, Smith, Smith, Smith. The boy loves to throw darts. He bought himself a new board for his room.
A few more random, non-Amazon, things…
…so many of you have asked me to share more deets on what my kids are loving. I’m going to *try* and sprinkle things in more often. Kensington spent the week leading up to school doing all the “senior” things outside in the 400 degree weather. Should you need athleticwear too, you can find HER TANK and HER SHORTS, but my favorite part is HER JELLY SANDALS! They all come in many, many other colors!
And…
…she wore HER JELLY SANDALS again to school with THESE JEANS and THIS TOP.
Both Kensington and Ashby love these jeans!
And should your kiddos be looking at backpacks, here are the four my kids have for this school year…
And that’s my AMAZON LATELY: BACK TO SCHOOL EDITION!
Alrighty, I hope you all have the best best start to your week! I’ll see you back here tomorrow! xx
Diane Moore says
This is a fun list for us grandmothers, too!
Kensington is a good sport to be involved. She’s a lovely girl and it’s fun to see her style evolve.
This makes me want to buy supplies whether my grandchildren need them or not 😁
Laura Fuller says
The North Face Jester backpacks are awesome and last a few years. Honestly, I miss going to buy the four lists of supplies.
Elspeth Mizner says
I love the idea of the bento boxes!
Thanks for sharing!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Mary says
Didn’t you have a friend who made a wrinkle releaser that you recommended? I remember purchasing it at one time. Is that no longer available?
Mix and Match Mama says
I did have a sweet friend who made one. He passed away a few years ago.
Katie says
You can still purchase it. I still do, and love it!
Stacey says
Mary, I still buy it. Iron in a Bottle.
Deb says
Thank you sharing that! I asked that yesterday because I used mine up and couldn’t remember the name.
Brittni says
Can you share the freezer meals Andrew makes? Maybe take pics of his process and show us the final product. Its like “make your own Factor meals” and I’d love to know more! Thanks!
Mix and Match Mama says
Yes! It’s linked in today’s post. That post has the photos of the step by step process 🙂 .
Faith K says
You are going to love having the extra time with Kensington! She looks so tall! Love back to school items even if I don’t have any going. I always get myself a few new office supplies.
Beth says
Love the dart board! My college graduate moved out recently & I filled approximately 371 dart holes in his wall last week before painting. lol
There is something so fresh & (dare I say) exciting about back to school supplies!
Mix and Match Mama says
You would be HORRIFIED if you saw the wall around Smith’s dart board. It will be easier to just move out of the house than repair it one day 😉 .
Ruby Huling says
I bought decorative octagon shaped bulletin board tiles to place around the dartboard. No holes in the wall! Amazon has several colors to choose from.
Allison says
Aw! I love seeing Kensington with her cute outfits! (Just like you!) Wishing her an amazing senior year! Enjoy it ALL! xo
Lee Ann Vicary says
Bless Kensington and Ashby – I love those jeans but as a 66 year old grandma whose shape is a little rounder than it used to be… Of all the styles I have worn before in either Jr or Sr high I remember wearing jeans with the itty bitty zippers that I had to lay on my bed and wiggle to get into – and then wore them again when I was older and this go round I called them Brittney Spears jeans – but unless I either start eating better and or exercising more (truthfully both) they will not be making a third appearance in my closet. I also remember my daddy throwing a fit when I lived in Florida and bought new bathing suits, low cut jeans, crop tops and he didn’t understand how something with so little material cost so much money. (I’m the oldest child and my parents were raised in houses that didn’t have a lot of extra money.)
Lauren says
Ok, I have 4 little kids now and I often think to ask you this question hahahaha do you have a secret on keeping laundry soap in stock around the house? I feel like I am constantly going to Costco or Sams or Both in the same week to keep items in stock and there has to be a better way hahaha! I thought you would be the person to ask AND can you share what your favorite kind is 🙂 Thanks for being type A for me hahaha! I always wished I was type A, and ya know, im just not in most areas.
Mix and Match Mama says
I’m so glad you asked!! We switched to Laundry Sauce years and years ago, and I’m on their subscription program…BUT…I have two subscriptions so that instead of it arriving on my door step every month, I get it delivered every two weeks (because my subscriptions are staggered). They deliver the pods and the dryer sheets every two weeks, and we’re always good to go!
Paula Hobbs says
Awe…I love that K gets to come home for lunch. I foresee lots of mom & dad lunches with their senior this year!! Maybe you’ll have a cool work assistant as well…:)
Elspeth Mizner says
Hi Shay! I have a travel question for you! How do you go about organizing photos from your trips? I always take so many and don’t know how to pair down or choose the best ones! Any advice?
Mix and Match Mama says
Back in the day, I had a really good system (you can read it here: https://mixandmatchmama.com/2014/01/fifty-two-shades-of-shay-organizing/ ), but now, I’m lazy and have an iPhone and they just stay on my phone. I know this isn’t a great system, but it’s the one I’m currently using (and is why I have 179,459 photos on my phone…).
Gale says
Does Smith eat his lunch straight out the thermos? Or does he scoop some out into a separate container to eat?
Mix and Match Mama says
It’s my understanding (and based on the number of times I’ve cleaned it out/seen it in my sink) that he eats it straight out of the thermos.
Erin says
Does Smith use like an extra long utensil to get to the bottom of the yeti? Or does he pour the rice/beef into a separate bowl at school? Thanks!!
Mix and Match Mama says
You know…that’s a great question. I honest to goodness think he just uses a plastic fork from the cafeteria. He doesn’t take anything with him…so I don’t know. I can’t wait to ask him after school!
Kristy Moore says
I love back to school chopping time. Seeing al the brand new supplies on teh store shelves makes this girl happy. I also used to love when you used to post the Pottery barn backpacks that each of your kids used to pick out. They were so cute!
Mix and Match Mama says
Ugh, I miss those cute Pottery Barn backpacks!!
Mary Catherine Green says
What do you do with the old backpacks? I have a ton of old monogrammed LL Bean and Pottery Barn backpacks and don’t know what to do with them. I would donate but with the monograms and names, I’m just not sure. Thanks!!
Mix and Match Mama says
We keep the ones we can (that aren’t too disgusting) and use them when we travel. They make excellent carry on bags!
Debbie Ham says
A few years ago didn’t you recommend a wrinkle release by friends of yours? It had 2 names I think? I ordered some and ran out but I can’t remember the name. Tom and ?
Mix and Match Mama says
Tom and Sheri’s! Yes, yes. Unfortunately, my sweet friend who created it (and named it after his parents) passed away in 2023. Ownership in that company has shifted a lot and been sold and the last time I inquired, they weren’t making new bottles (just selling existing inventory). It’s all really sad. He was just the sweetest.
Deb says
Thank you! I’ll try it first to support a small business,
Jess says
I love bringing my son to pick up school supplies in person! He’s only 7, so maybe it will
change, but he writes out his list himself and then checks each item off after he’s selected it… lots of skill building! Grasping at straws in this increasingly digital world…
Karen in VA says
Hi Shay…how is it that Kensington gets to come home at 12:30 pm? Is she done for the day? When I was in high school, nobody got to go home early. And I don’t even think we were allowed to leave to go have lunch somewhere. But, we certainly were not allowed to go home early… Is that a new thing in high school these days?
Mix and Match Mama says
Yes, it’s very common for seniors to either go in later (many kids don’t start school until 3rd period) or leave early. She has cheer first period, so she leaves early. At this point, many of those seniors have almost all the credits they need to graduate, so they get to leave early/come later.
Bren says
I am using a sea salt Pura fragrance right now too. But…just added a fall scent for the weekend schedule so I can start bringing in some of my favorites of the year! I can’t wait! Kensington’s backpack is a lovely print! I am looking forward to seeing what else they have in that print. As always, thanks for sharing, Shay!