Year: 2012

Guess what? Only 26 days until my big kids go back to school!  And I. Am. EXCITED!  Because you know, I’m that mom who likes it when their kids are in school.  This year, Joshua will be in third grade and Sophie will be in all-day KINDERGARTEN!  That’s right, two out of three kids in school all day!  I gotta tell you, I am REALLY looking forward to having some alone time with Jonah.  That kid has waited a long time to have mommy to himself!

For me, having two kids in school means having to kids in school UNIFORMS.  Of course, for these I turn to my trusted favorite, Lands’ End.  Now I will tell you a secret: because I am a frugal gal, I buy school uniforms ALL YEAR ROUND.  I wait for coupon codes and free shipping and penny embroidery and I strike when the iron is hot!  So my kids are pretty much set for the year!  However, one of the fun things about being a blogger is working with Lands’ End and getting to review some brand spankin’ new uniform designs to show you the best of the best.  Here’s what I chose for my kiddos:

 For my big kindergarten girl I chose this adorable, classic plaid jumper and short-sleeve feminine fit polo, as well as this oh-so-functional khaki chino skort and long-sleeve pink feminine fit polo.  I love the button detail and the pleats on the jumper, and also the fact that the bodice is lined with taffeta and doesn’t snag on clothes worn underneath.   My favorite thing about the skort is that there is elastic in the back and the adjustable waist is in the FRONT!  Such a great feature because adjusters on the side usually irritate Sophie’s waist.  The feminine-fit polos are awesome, just perfectly girly.  I love the way they look on Sophie!  For her backpack, I chose the Small Classmate.  The size is perfect for her, and I expect it to grow with her for two to three years.  I had her name embroidered on it and it’s adorable!  But beyond that, I know it’s also TOUGH!  Joshua’s small Classmate from last year is still going strong!  I got her the matching EZ-Wipe Lunch Box and I L-O-V-E it!  It’s got tons of space but it’s not too big for her to carry.  With an ice pack, it will keep food refrigerator-cold for five hours.  The sides are rigid to keep food from getting smushed, and the smooth inside is super-easy to wipe clean.   I think it’s a real winner!

Now, for my big boy!  Here’s what I chose for Joshua:

Lands’ End Iron-Knee uniform pants are my fave, so of course I chose these for Joshua!    They have a dressy pleat-front, are easy to clean & care for, and of course have the reinforced knees which is so important when they get worn day after day after day.  They also come in slim sizing AND have an adjustable waist which is super-important for my super-skinny guy. Love ’em!  For his shirts, I chose the soft yet sturdy long and short-sleeve interlock polos.  These are a little softer than the mesh but hold up just as well.  They look great with his school logo embroidered!  I also got him a pair of plain-front chino shorts. These are stain and wrinkle resistant and always look SO nice!  Perfect for the hot weather at the beginning and end of the school year.  Joshua didn’t need a new backpack, as I mentioned above, the one I reviewed last year is still going more-than-strong.  But he did need a new lunch box since his “character” one he had imploded half-way through the school year.   I let him choose which one he wanted and he chose the FeatherLight lunch box.  He loved the bright colors; I love the features.  It too keeps food cold for five hours with an ice pack and is very easy to wipe clean inside. It also has lots of pockets and room for other items that don’t need to be kept cold.  It’s a great lunch box and I know it will last us a long time!

The last item I got for my two kiddos is a school uniform half-zip fleece to keep them cozy all winter!  These are soooo good-lookng, and work great as jackets or as extra layers. Joshua’s last year was INDISPENSABLE and it’s one item I will for sure purchase every year. Here’s some more pictures of my kids in all their Lands’ End back-t0-school finery, including their fleeces!

Adorable, RIGHT!?? I know!  One thing I really enjoyed about shopping this year is that you can create a profile for each of your kids and add your school on LandsEnd.com so that all the approved and size-appropriate items you can choose from will automatically populate for you.  No more weeding out what isn’t part of your school’s code or doesn’t come in your kids’ size. It  made picking their clothes SO easy, and it’s saved in your Lands’ End account so you don’t need to re-enter the info every time. Score!   And, if your school is a part of their Preferred School Program, they earn money when you shop.  Win-win!

You all know I love Lands’ End, and these awesome, high-quality uniform items are just another reason that I do!  What’s your favorite Lands’ End uniform item?

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Lands’ End provided the above-mentioned items to facilitate my review. All opinions on them are my own.