You know, I used to love to dress the boys alike. I would find a pair of shoes that I liked for one of them and think, "Hey, why not pick up a pair for all of them while I'm at it." The boys have since developed fashion senses of their own. Fashion senses that do not under any circumstances allow for matching outfits or even shoes. A few years ago though, it was a few pairs of matching shoes that quickly taught me I needed to be more organized when it came to being ready for back to school time.

{The Incident}

There are only 17 months between my oldest two boys, that doesn't leave a lot of room for a big visual difference in shoe sizes. I had back to school down that year. I had separated the supplies, made the lunches the night before and had even ironed their first day outfits, which if you know me, is a pretty big deal. I was rocking it out and on top of the mommy world. Well, the morning of the first day of school arrived and as usual, we were scrambling to get out the door on time. No matter how early you wake four boys up, I can promise you, you will always be scrambling not to be late.

So, when one of the boys complained that the shoes were hard to get on, I just chalked it up to them being new and told him to hurry up or he would be late. Yeah, way to go mom. As you can guess, I got a call about an hour into the school day that I needed to go back to the school. Why? Yep, you guessed it, the boys had accidentally put on the wrong pair of matching shoes that morning and had switched sizes. The smaller size was just small enough to give my oldest a case of squished toes. I learned the importance of labeling that day, and now that I have three boys all wearing the same size shorts, it is even more important this back to school season.

{Avoid Back to School Mix-ups}

Want to save yourself the embarrassment of heading to the school with a change of shoes, or having your child's backpack get mixed up with another identical one in the class? Do you know how many Cars backpacks there are in a Kindergarten classroom? Here are some tips to help you stay organized this back to school season.

1. Lay everything out the night before. By doing this, you make sure that everything is separated like it should be. This way, there is no rush for the door the next morning when mistakes could happen.

2. Label all of your child's belongings. As we learned from my shoe mishap, mix-ups can happen even in your own family. Just think about how many other kids are going to have backpacks, jackets and lunch boxes that are identical to your child's stuff. Labeling everything helps to clearly tell them and others what item is theirs.

3. Make a List. Lists really help keep my family organized. We have a to do list that ever kid knows to follow each morning, and it makes sure we avoid mishaps and stay on time!

Want to stay more organized and avoid mix-ups this school year? Bright Star Kids makes both iron on and stick on labels in a wide range of patterns and styles. Stick on labels are great for school supplies and shoes because they are waterproof and scratch proof. Iron on labels are perfect for easily application to clothes and last through the washer and dryer.  When you reply to this post, you can get a special offer for $5 off a $40 order on Bright Star Kids labels, plus there is free shipping!

Put a label on it! Kick off the school year right and prevent unnecessary mishaps. Reply below for $5 off your Bright Star Kids order.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Bright Star Kids. The opinions and text are all mine.