Woman in Real Life

Tony Hawk top and pants (with belt)

Although it has been many (many!) years since I was in school, I still get that back-to-school feeling each fall. Let's be honest, most of the excitement I felt about going back to school related to the outfit I would wear on the first day. Each year my parents generously allowed my sister and me to refresh our wardrobes in late summer and again at Easter time.

So, of course, it only makes sense that I repeat the tradition with my kids. Back-to-school wardrobe additions are exciting for my daughter, just as they were for me. My son, while he is happy to get new threads, would be happier if he could keep his old clothes and NOT go back to school!



When the kids were younger, clothes shopping was easy. My daughter liked pretty dresses and my son would wear whatever I chose. I didn't even take the kids shopping with me. Now, at the ages of 8 and 11, they are pickier about what they wear. Recently, our family of four took a trip to Sears with the sole purpose of finding the kids some clothing for school. Armed with a $100 gift card, I figured we would be lucky if we could get one basic outfit for each child.

In reality, we found that - with sales and clearance prices - we were able to find lots of clothes for $100. In fact, we came away with three pairs of pants, a sweater and 11 t-shirts, all for just over $100. I'm not even kidding!

My son loves to mess around with his longboard. He even follows pro skateboarder Tony Hawk on Instagram. So I knew that the line of Tony Hawk clothing for boys at Sears would be a natural fit for my guy. He thought so too. He picked out two pairs of Tony Hawk pants and some Tony Hawk tops, including the orange t-shirt above.


He also got a number of t-shirts from the clearance section, like his first choice, this Nevada bird tee, above. He's wearing it here with his second pair of Tony Hawk jeans. I didn't think he would go for a skinny fit or a vibrant colour, but he surprised me on both counts!


Having just hosted a Pink LemonAid stand for Because I am a Girl recently, my daughter was excited to see that Sears has a line of Girl Confidential Because I am a Girl clothing. Sears donates 1% of the net proceeds from this line towards the Because I am a Girl fund.

My daughter tried on a big pile of clothes. Her first must-have was these Girl Confidential floral jeans, which she paired with this Girl Confidential colourful t-shirt with a fun pink bow.


She also picked out items from the familiar Nevada line, like this pink stripe tee and this taupe sweater.


She also loves this purple, silky blouse. As you can see, she enjoys mixing and matching the various items she found.

One bonus when you shop at Sears is their KidVantage. This lifetime wear out warranty means that Sears will repair or replace an item of children's clothing or footwear if it wears out before your child outgrows it. I took advantage of the warranty myself once when the zipper broke on my son's coat. Sears repaired the zipper and it was as good as new. KidVantage covers apparel sizes from infant up to age 18.

Sears also has a price match guarantee on kids' clothes and footwear. They will match a competitor's advertised price on identical items within 30 days of purchase.

Enter the Sears "Back We Go" Contest on Facebook

I'm sure we could all use some extra help buying those necessary back-to-school items! Enter for a chance to win one of five weekly $500 Sears gift card prizes and 35 daily $50 Sears gift cards to put towards your back-to-school shopping! To enter, "like" the Sears Facebook page and click on the contest tab. Click on the entry form and enter your information. Good luck!

Did you get a new outfit for back-to-school time each year?



Disclosure: I am part of the Sears Back to School Blogger Campaign with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.