Kicking Off The School Year

Do you know how certain summers have resinated, and always seem to stick out in your brain? For me, it was a summer when my family and I spent lots of time at the Jersey Shore. I can vividly recall my siblings and I laughing on the rides and playing the endless games on the boardwalk, our days on the beach when each one of us got a new boogie board to ride that year. I’m confident this summer will be one of those for my children. I can see how they are thriving, growing, learning, exploring, and experiencing new things, which has really been an incredible ride to watch.

Ryder has been working so hard with his tutor, and his routine trip to the eye doctor last week has us hopeful that he will be rid of prescription glasses by December. His reading has improved tremendously, and with plenty of time on the water, he was learned how to paddle board and even picked up new boogie boarding skills. Siella is shedding the last bits of toddlerhood as she has started swimming without swimmies and even learned how to paddle board. But Gemma, takes the prize. She is out of diapers except for bedtime, speaking full conversations, and has turned into our family comedian. 

With this progression and maturity comes major growth spurts, which has resulted in many of their summer threads no longer fitting. While I may be in denial that summer is almost over, I am actively gearing up for all three of my children to enter school come September.

I decided to try out Rack Room Shoes this school year when stocking up on cool kicks for the kids, because they carry some of my family’s favorites like Nike, Vans and Converse. They offer the latest trends in dressy, casual and athletic shoe categories. The great thing about shopping at Rack Room is their Rewards Program, which provides customers simple and instant savings on shoes. Some of the member’s only perks in their program include exclusive discounts, coupons, and rewards. This is perfect for our family of five as Jason and I even scored a few pairs for ourselves.

For the girls, I decided to go with a classic Converse All Star lo sneakers. Siella chose a light pink color, and Gemma picked out a purple shade. Ryder is all about hi tops, and fell in love with these cool two tone Mogan Mid 2 boys’ skate shoe by Nike. All three keep asking if they can wear their new kicks now, but I’m stowing these away until they start school in a few weeks.

This Back to School season, Rack Room Shoes is raising funds for families in need through their annual Shoes That Fit campaign, providing new shoes to at-risk children to start the school year. Every year, children head back to school with ill-fitting or damaged shoes, because they don’t have alternative options, and this program combats that issue. Over the last two years, Rack Room Shoes has donated more than $1 million to Shoes That Fit through their annual fundraiser, and companies that give back are always on my preferred list of vendors.

You too can make a difference by donating to Shoes That Fit here. My children are smitten with their new kicks from Rack Room, and they’re looking forward to heading back to school.