This past year was Charlie's first year of elementary school. I had this crazy idea I would be able to volunteer and really get involved in his Pre-K classroom. Apparently I forgot about Owen. At this stage of life, I'm not exactly able to hang out at school and help much at all. Honestly, I didn't make it to very many of the school events because of timing and trying to figure out what to do with Owen.

As moms, we just have to accept that we cannot be everywhere all the time. We just cannot do it all. I need to be home for Owen and that's perfectly okay for me right now. In a few more years, I'll be able to volunteer in both of their classrooms.

Right now though, there are some great ways I can help Charlie's school, without spending a lot of time or money.

Support School Fundraisers

We all know the kids are going to come home with flyers of things to buy. Some of them are great, some of them not-so-great. I do usually try to purchase something though because I know that it's going to my child's school.

Our school has a lot of fundraiser nights are local restaurants. We always love participating in these! It means no fussing over dinner and we're supporting the school's fundraiser!

Join the PTA

Whether it's the PTA, the PTO, or another acronym, join it! It's just a couple of dollars and it goes towards events throughout the school  year. The meetings are usually held in the evening, making it easier for most parents to be able to attend (Dad is off work by then in our house). These meetings are usually monthly and last an hour or so.

This is a great way to really get involved in the school and it's not just writing a check for donation!

Extra School Supplies

There are so many things that teachers need throughout the year. I can buy extra school supplies and send them in as needed. Of course, I try to buy when all the awesome Back-to-School sales are happening and just store them away for when the teacher actually needs them.

To make it even easier on me to help get our school some extra supplies, I try to buy items with Box Tops on them. Look for Box Tops on everyday items including:

• Reynolds® Parchment Paper
• Reynolds® Slow Cooker Liners
• Hefty® Strong Tall Kitchen Drawstring Trash Bags
• Hefty® Easy Grip® Cups
• Hefty® Deluxe™ Plates and Platters
• EZ Foil® by Hefty® Bakeware Pans

Honestly, they're the same things I was already purchasing anyway, but now I make sure I tear off the little Box Top and put it in our jar. When it's full, I put them in a little baggie and send them into school with Charlie. Each Box Top is worth .10 cents!

His school (like I believe most do) offer an incentive to the class that collects the most Box Tops. What kid doesn't want to win a prize with their entire class?!?

Speaking of winning… Be sure to enter the Hefty and Reynolds Box Tops for Education “School Supplied” sweepstakes and daily instant win game! They're giving away thousands of product prizes PLUS 10,000 eBoxTops to 5 lucky schools!

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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.