Join me every week for Win-It Wednesday. I’ll be posting 24-hour giveaways at 8 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET to give you plenty of chances to win!

A couple of weeks ago, my oldest daughter and I had the privilege of taking a trip to Bowling Green, Kentucky to meet the ultra-fabulous, award-winning kindergarten teacher, Patrice McCrary, and to participate in a fun day of crafts sponsored by Kleenex.

We had so much fun with these ladies and their kindergarten children:
- Ellen from Love that Max
- Becky from Nickles -n- Dimes
- Niri from Mommy Niri
- Jamie from Blonde Mom Blog
I can’t tell you what a treat this was for my daughter and me. She’s the middle child, and one-on-one time can be hard to come by, so we were particularly thrilled to spend some quality time together before she starts kindergarten in a few weeks. From being picked up at the airport in a white limo, to breakfast in bed, to learning about germs in a brilliant, fun, hands-on way, this is certainly an event she’s going to remember for years to come.

The theme for the day was learning about germs: what they are, how to prevent the spread of them, and how Kleenex’s new Sneeze Shield technology can help. My favorite activity was when Mrs. McCrary brought out the “germ juice,” which was really just a non-toxic lotion with glitter in it that shows up under a black light. After applying the “germ juice” to the kids’ hands, they were encouraged to touch various objects in the room. Mrs. McCrary then brought out the black light to demonstrate how they’d left traces of their “germs” on all of the items. Brilliant!!!
It was quite apparent why Mrs. McCrary has won numerous awards as a teacher. She’s exactly the kind of teacher that you’d wish for your child to have — warm, patient, caring, and able to keep the kids in line and engaged. I was just amazed watching the interaction!
Patrice offers these Back To School tips:
- Two weeks prior to the beginning of school, start to ease back into a routine.
- Let your child be involved in the back-to-school shopping experience.
- Celebrate the new school year!
Plus you’ll want to check out these fabulous resources from Kleenex:
One lucky Deal Seeking Mom will win a month’s supply of Kleenex!
To enter, tell me what is the hardest part of getting your kids ready to go back to school.
Every reader has four methods available to enter this contest. Choose one each of any combination of method one, two, three, or four for up to a total of 4 entries!!!
If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please CLICK HERE to visit the original blog post to enter. Email entries will not be counted.
Methods of entry:
1. Leave a comment. What’s the hardest part of the back-to-school preparation for you?
2. Join the Kleenex community on Facebook. Come back and leave a separate comment letting me know you’ve done so!
3. Join the Deal Seeking Mom Forums to chat about your great finds, special coupon codes, and chances to win exclusive giveaways. Come back and leave a separate comment letting me know you’ve joined or that you’re already a registered user!
4. Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email. You must confirm your email subscription for it to be a valid entry! Leave a separate comment letting me know you have done so. If you’re already a subscriber, simply leave a separate comment letting me know you’re already subscribed. Lovin’ my subscribers! You guys make this all possible.
Prize:
(1) Month’s supply of Kleenex
This giveaway ends at 2:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, August 5th and is open to all U.S. residents 18 years or older. I’ll use Comment Contest to select the winning comment. Winner will be notified by email and listed on my Giveaway Winners page. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize. Good luck!
While you’re in a contest entering mood, don’t forget to check out the Giveaway Gathering for a variety of contests being hosted on Deal Seeking Mom readers’ blogs!


Melissa A.
I’m an e-mail subscriber!
Melissa A.
Getting my kids out of bed!
Colleen
The hardest part for us is getting back on the get-up-early schedule!
ahande
Getting them to go to bed earlier is the hardest part.
ahande
I am an email subscriber
ahande
I am a forum member
Sue
I love reading your posts via RSS!
Kellyann
I am a fan of Kleenex on Facebook!
Trina
i subscribe to email
Trina
The hardest part for me will be getting them and myself back on an early morning schedule YIKES!!!! I’m not a morning person at all.
megan
Joined the Kleenex community. Thanks.
Jennifer
Adjusting to waking up early again!
Lynette
I subscribe in Google
Lynette
The hardest part–four kids, four lists, finding shoes etc. to work for everyone!
Jennifer
That the shorter days are soon to be here.
Thanksf or the opportunity.
Amy
Packing lunches – boo!
Jesse
The hardest part of the back to school season for me, is getting everyone’s sleep schedule straightened out and back on track after a long summer.
Carolyn
Packing lunches
Marcie
Shopping for clothes
Margaret
Getting supplies and changing our schedules!
Marcie
facebook fan
Noel
Definitely the lunch prep!
Carol
Picking out shoes…kids hate it!
Jennifer@HomeMatters
getting back into the routine of early bedtimes and waking up early is the hardest thing for us to do with back-to-school
Carol
google reader subscriber
Beth
Definitely preparing for class with pens and pencils
Will
Trying to get the kids to agree on breakfast choices that are quick
anne
email subscriber
Margaret
I subscribe via RSS feed.
Kim
Homework TIME!