Back to School with M-L: Essentials 2015

          Whassup y'all!

Today I am going at you with the first back to school post of the year, or second, since I wrote a post introducing back to school season. But whatever the case is, this post will be some things that you should consider having when it's back to school time. So, essentials! This post may or may not be long, so get something to eat or drink, and enjoy. =)

For me, personally, my number one thing I need when I'm at school, is gum ^-^. Or mints, both are two thumbs up! I cannot go a day without chewing gum or eating a mint, so I stock on many packs of the refreshing treats, and I carry them in my backpack, pencil case, lunch bag, you name it! Once, I even carried a pack of gum in the pocket of my jacket...=P. It's great if you feel like you have bad breath, or you need a little pick me up, or you need to concentrate during class! I chew gum and suck on some mints for those three reasons mostly. I know some schools don't allow you to chew gum, so there's also mints as another option! Fortunately for me, a lot of my teachers are cool, so I can chew gum in their class, as long as I don't disrupt others ;).

My number two! I always need this when I'm at school, and it's hand sanitizer! You're at school, and you know how dirty us students can get, am I right? Hand sanitizers don't get rid of the dirty bacteria completely, but it's better than having really dirty hands! I also keep sanitizing wipes with me as well, so I have hand sanitizer with a fresh smell, or a simple wipe with a refreshing feel. I always keep one in my lunch bag, backpack, pencil case, just like my gum and mints! I always prefer the fresher scents rather than like, the sickly sweet smell because then it'll just give me a headache. Some of my favourites from Bath and Body Works are the Fresh Picked Apples, the Aqua Blossom, the Wild Mango Mojito, and the Malibu Citrus. And another one of my favourites is the One Step hand sanitizer, with the cucumber melon smell! I recently got the Beautiful Day hand sanitizer from Bath and Body Works, and can we just take in the cuteness of the new packaging?!

Tissues! At this point, the order of the items I mention are completely random. Okay, personally for me, I barely use the tissues for me, but for other people who ask for it! I finish several packs of tissues during the school year because of my friends, haha. But when I'm having a little cold, and my nose is runny, I'll a pack some tissues in my pencil case so that I don't disrupt lessons when I get up to get a tissue, because that has happened before, heheh. It's perfect for emergencies, or little fix-me-ups. This particular design is by Kleenex. What I like about this design is that it's flatter than the bulky, smaller ones. This one might carry less tissues, but the size is more suitable for me.

My next essential is money! It's great for emergencies, like if you accidentally forgot your lunch at home, or even utensils. Maybe you need change for an unexpected bus ride, you never know! You can even help a friend out and offer a little change for them, if they need it! So it's great to keep a little amount of money in a little wallet. I keep my school money in this old little bag, so that it doesn't waste so much space in any of my bags, and so that no one steals it, because it looks a little bit gnarly, heheh.

I keep a whistle with me. Is that just me? But you how there are some key chains with the special whistle for emergencies? I don't have that, but I got an actual whistle on me instead! I walk home from school, so I always keep it in my backpack, just in case of any kind of emergency! 

For me, this is really optional, but keeping a little bottle of body lotion/hand cream is good. If you live in a cold area (cough cough, me...), or the weather is dry, there's a chance you'll get dry hands! Solution? Hand cream! At my school, there are actually some teachers who have hand creams on their desks for students! I recommend getting an unscented lotion, or one with a scent that won't annoy people too much. The one I bring is from Bath and Body Works, and it's the Wild Apple Daffodil. It's smells fruity sweet and refreshing, so it won't annoy others too much. But when in doubt, I recommend getting scents that smell more refreshing than anything else. 

I feel like I should add this to the list, even though this item might be unusual for some... but it's sunscreen! When you go back to school, it's still summer! The sun is still out there (depending on where you live), but even if it's cloudy, sun rays still penetrate through, so you need the protection. I know sunscreen is more of a summer essential, because hello, summer=sun, but for me, sunscreen is an all-time essential. Sometimes I even wear sunscreen during winter, hihi, and winter where I live can be pretty brutal. You just gotta cover up when you go out, and you'll have less risk of skin cancer, or sun burns. If this is too unconventional for some, then put on some sunscreen before going to school.

I think this should be an essential, even though I don't actually use it myself, heheh. I am determine to use it more often this year, and it is a planner! During the first day of school, teachers give you booklets of forms for your parents to sign! Well, it's like that at my school, at least. So bring a little planner, or at least a notebook, and write down all the forms the teachers give you, so that when you get home, you can scratch off every form your parents signed, and you'll be less stressed. I should've done this years ago, but now I finally realize how much easier it will be if I bring the planner/notebook! But don't just use the planner for that one day, try using it everyday, and looking at it everyday. 

Another essential of mine is a watch!! I never leave my house without some kind of clock, whether it be a wristwatch, or a necklace with a clock. Sometimes, or most of the time, I don't like looking up to look at the clock in the classroom, especially because sometimes I'm too far away from it, or it strains my neck. I like having my own clock. You can even check the time during lunch, so that you know how much time you have left before the bell rings. I really recommend investing in a watch, so that you have the time on you!

Band aids should be something you keep with you when you're at school. Even keeping one in your backpack may help you or anyone out. What if you accidentally fall, and you scrape your knee? What if? You don't want the bacteria to go in your wound, so keep some handy band aids with you! I remember one time in gym, we were doing high jumps in our track and field unit. I kept burning my elbow when I landed, and eventually there was only flesh, and it stung like cray. I didn't have a band aid at the time, so I had to ask my gym teacher, and the whole process was longer than if I had my own band aids. That's my little story in relevance with band aids, haha. I didn't include a picture of band aids, because I think we all know what they look like, right? =P

Cough drops, for when you're feeling under the weather! It's great if you don't feel so good at school, and you don't want to ask your teachers or the front office for cough drops, because you'll already have your own! You also don't want to disturb other students with your sniffling and coughing. I keep the Halls cough drops, most people do. A "stick" thing has just enough for when you need a little pick-me up. 

Okay, this is an additional essential, for girls! For yo' periods! Pads, and/or tampons if you wish. We girls all know that our periods come whenever they want, so we need to be prepared. Have one or two pads in your backpack just in case that time of the month comes unexpectedly, because if you don't, and your period comes, you need to walk with that, without protection. It's actually happened to one of my friends, and she didn't have a pad with her, so I helped her out with mine! But in brief, bring pads, or it's all bad news...


And there we have it! Here were my essentials to start off the school year with ease and confidence! I hope you enjoyed this post. What are some of your essentials?

Keep Smiling,
M-L