Back-to-School Syle with #CookiesKids

Sigh… vacation seems like just yesterday.  It’s now Back To School prep time around the Lemonade House.  Preschool starts up for the kids in just a few {way too short} weeks, and I’d prefer to spend less time running around checking off lists and more time running barefoot through the sprinkler, building sandcastles, and eating popsicles.

That means I need to be as efficient as possible to prepare for going back to school.  How do you get ready, clothing wise?  For my family, I start by taking a quick inventory of what they already have to see what still fits.  My friend Kris also taught me a great trick for getting the most out of summer shirts:

Simple idea?  Yes.  But considering my kids often wear short sleeves through September, that trick is a genius way to expand their wardrobe.  Now I stock up on short sleeved shirts that are a little big and they can wear them through winter and next summer, too!

I was like a kid in a candy store browsing Cookie’s Kids for back-to-school outfits.  It was especially easy to find what I needed because they categorized by gender and size– now I didn’t need to fall in love with something only to discover it’s a size 5.  Notice the shipping costs– just $5 every day, no matter how much you buy.  Looks like our to-do list can be done online, guilt-free.

What type of “style” do your kids like to wear?  Here’s a peek at the type of clothes I buy for Bee and Noodle.  I put together a kids style set on Polyvore with Back to School clothing from Cookies Kids for my preschooler son:

And a Back to School set for girls:

As you can see from my Google + album and Polyvore sets, I had a little too much fun shopping at Cookie’s kids.  In the end, I narrowed it down to just three things (!!!) that I know will work well for us.

First up, I couldn’t resist the Hello Kitty “I Love School” shirt for a certain preschool girl.  In fact, they have a bunch of Hello Kitty clothing and backpacks if you have any HK fans in your house.

Also in my cart was a long sleeved white shirt from French Toast for only $4.99– perfect for wearing under short sleeved tees and getting a few more months of wear out of them.

I fell in love with this 2-piece hoodie and jean set from American Hawk for Bee (seen here enjoying an end-of-summer popsicle).  It was only $12.99 for both pieces.  Affordable and stylish… though, I’m wondering where my little boy went?  Who’s the preschooler in the big boy clothes?

I LOVE the details on the hoodie– the number, the stripes, even the logo.

The stitching on the back pockets of the jeans is super cute.

Aren’t the clothes great?  Though I’m afraid I created a modeling monster.

Work it, Tyra Junior!

And how is it fair that little boys can have eyelashes like these?

Though I wish we could live in a state of perpetual summer, it’s time.  Time to embrace the cooler air and scheduled days that autumn will soon bring!

Keep up with Cookies Kids and the latest kids fashion ideas on Facebook, Twitter, and searching the #CookiesKids hashtag on your favorite social media sites.  It’s also interesting to note that Cookies Kids has a great history– it was founded 40 years ago in Queens by two brothers in a 1600 foot space.  Thanks to expanding into several NYC locations and then launching a huge school uniform inventory online, Cookie’s has grown into the retail and online empire it is today.  Now that’s the American Dream!