Back to School with Lands’ End

Jenny’s kids are headed back to school today (in their adorable Lands’ End uniforms), and even though mine have another couple weeks at home (or rather, at Disney World), we are it total back-to-school mode at our house, and Lands’ End helped us out with a few outfits to get them ready.

Kate’s going into third grade, and she’s been dying for a more “grown up” messenger-style book bag. She’s thrilled with her new ClassMate bag!

This bag is the same outstanding quality I’d expect from a Lands’ End backpack, and I’m confident it will last Kate for years. I love the durability and practical design (a water-repellent finish, for example), and she loves the colors and the look.

She’s also got a new lunch box – the Kids’ Large Check MadBox 2-piece lunch box.

This lunch box is different than the ones she’s had in the past, in that it’s got an adjustable ice pack that divides the stuff that needs to stay cold from what doesn’t. It’s tested to keep lunches cold for 5 hours. I’m hopeful that this year Kate won’t come home and tell me about the warm turkey sandwich she had for lunch that day! It’s got plenty of room for her sandwich box, water bottle, and anything else she needs. Well, except for a mom who is good at packing school lunches. Not sure where she’s going to find that.

Of course, back to school is not complete without new clothes! Kate is all set for her first day with this cute outfit.

She’s wearing the Girls’ Denim Patchwork Skirt, the Girls’ Long Sleeve Knit Pintuck Henley Shirt, and the Girls’ Crochet Beret.

Kate is suuuuuuper picky about clothes – both about the way they look AND the way they feel. I must admit that when she picked out the denim skirt, I was a little nervous because she doesn’t like anything that’s tight or constricting, and sometimes denim can be both. However, this denim is really soft, and the adjustable waistband makes it comfortable for her. She loves it (in case you couldn’t tell by her cheesin’ in that picture!). The Knit Pintuck Henley is a hit as well. It’s Cotton Modal, just like my very favorite shirts in the world, which means it’s silky-soft. This is a great shirt for Kate to wear at school, too, because it’s long-sleeved but fairly light weight, which will be nice in the winter because her school building gets really hot. The cute Crochet Beret is the perfect way to make the outfit just a little more “Kate.”

Kate also tried out the Long Sleeve Eyelet Trim Friendship Graphic T-Shirt and the classic Lands’ End Sweat Pants.

I think I’m going to get Kate four more shirts and four more pairs of sweat pants just like this and call her wardrobe complete. They’re both so soft and comfortable, yet well-made and detailed so she looks put together. Andy and I have both decided we need a pair of those sweat pants too!

Ok, Kate’s all set for third grade – now let’s move on to Sam! He’s getting ready for his final year of Pre-K. He’s had the summer off with his dad, but he is excited to go back to school and see all his friends again. I am excited to dress him up in his new school clothes!

Just as an aside, I hear people say all the time that boys’ clothes aren’t any fun to pick out, girls’ clothes are so much cuter, etc. I must say – I could not disagree more! Maybe it’s because I’m not into ruffles and glitter, but I absolutely love picking out clothes for Sam.

Seriously – what could be cuter than this?

Sam’s wearing the Boys’ Long Sleeve Painted Stripe Rugby, the Classic Fit Iron Knee Jeans, and the Boys’ Alpine Trekker Boots. He is so cute I just want to eat him up. I love a good rugby, and this one is fantastic. It’s almost indestructible, as it’s made of heavyweight 100% cotton jersey, and has reinforced shoulder seams, a finished neck seam and rubber buttons. Perfect for a crazy boy like mine!

The Iron Knee Pants are awesome – Sam also has the Cadet Pants. The best part about these is that the reinforced knee is invisible – the patch is on the inside. Check them out:

Sam also needed a new back pack, so after looking at the sizing information on the Lands’ End website, I decided to go with the My First Gadgets Print Backpack.

Yes, it comes with an Ugly Doll! This back pack will be perfect for toting the things he needs for preschool this year, and because it’s made to the same exact standards as the other Lands’ End back packs, I know it’ll still be going strong for kindergarten next year.

Shew! Now all we need is for school to start!

How are your back-to-school preparations going? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!