Woman in Real Life

On June 14th, it will be five years since I wrote this post about my domestically gifted grandmother, thus launching the little blog that I have come to love. I created Woman in Real Life at a time of significant change in my life. Having just quit a full-time job that I held for over 14 years, I was unsure of what was next for me career-wise. I knew only a few things for sure. I knew I needed a break. A break from nasty bosses and work that lacked creativity. I knew that I've always been a writer. (It's the only passion I've ever wanted to turn into a career.) And I knew I wanted to be a better, happier mom and human being.

As much as I hate to think about summer coming to an end, it's about time to start making those back-to-school purchases. While school starts for us on September 8th, in many other areas kids are already back to school. Like many people, we start each school year with fresh lunch bags and backpacks (unless the old ones are still clean and in good shape).

This year I did a lot of research to find eco-friendly and stylish options for lunch bags and backpacks that would suit our family. My daughter is 10 so she still likes the cute and fun options, but she also requires a certain level of "maturity" in her choices. My son is 13 so this in-denial mom has to be careful she doesn't go with styles that are too "little boy" for him.