Black kids playing


Thank you Kohl’s for sponsoring this post.

Back to School season is my own personal hell mouth. I wish I could be all rainbows and unicorns about this, but oh my gosh, the going of shopping, the spending of money, the complaining of children – all peak not fun experiences for Mom.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of shopping, of selecting super cute outfits for my mini me and her brother to slay the life runway in, but oh my goodness it’s a complete chore.

Heed my advice: form a plan and start early. Don’t show up at the stores a week or two before school starts and think it’s going to be smooth sailing.

Black kids playing


Game Plan Please

Think head to toe, let’s start with hair.

This past weekend I deep conditioned my son and daughter’s hair and after, I tried some new hair styles. For my daughter, jumbo boxed braids and for my son, a sharper and higher volume fro-hawk.

Kids Black Hair Styles

I'd never braided my daughter’s hair with weave before. Never attempted box braids. But the results were half way decent and she loved it so much I was forced to watch her whip her hair back and forth to every pop song on rotation on my #Momlife iTunes playlist.

Hurley Kids

Box Braids for Little Girls

Since a few people asked after seeing my Insta-stories, I deep condition bi-weekly by:

  • first cleansing with a moisturizing (dry hair) or clarifying (summer or issues with build-up) shampoo 
  • then saturate hair with a mix of conditioner with either olive and coconut oil and 
  • cover hair with a plastic cap or plastic bag for about an hour and rinse out with warm water. 
  • I end by sealing in moisture with avocado or coconut oil before styling. 


Prepare to Slay the Life Runway

Make the most of your dollars. Pick your budget and stick to it. Pick durable pieces that represent your kid’s personality and can survive your kid’s personality. My daughter is kind to her clothes, my son is not and I keep this in mind when I am picking pieces for the school year.

Kids playing


Since I opt to shop in bits and pieces in the weeks leading up to the school year, I am able to take advantage of random summer sales and avoid the crowds. This past weekend, while shopping at Kohl’s, I was able to pick out some high quality pieces for epic brands like Hurley and Carter’s for a price because they were on sale. Kohl’s has an abundance of variety to choose from for boys, girls and even Mom.

At Kohl’s I landed this bomb belted Carter’s shirt dress. It was both chic and age appropriate. Pretty enough to take a picture of and versatile enough to play in. My son is a wild one. He’s all belly laughs and car wheels. He’s bold and jovial. He love’s dirt and is no stranger to cuts and scrapes. So with him, it’s about finding clothing that is durable, clothing that can survive his personality.

Back to School Fashion

Girl's Converse Shoes

For him I found this bold Hurley graphic tank top and these really well made Hurley shorts in a bright beautiful color. The quality is amazing and I could tell they could endure the many washes and stain treatments in their near future.

Kid's Hurley

Back to School Fashion

Don’t Forget the Kicks

Let’s talk shoes. I found three great pair. Two pairs of Converses (Kid’s Chuck Taylor All Stars in and Girl’s Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Print Double-Tongue Shoes) and a pair of oh so cute Candie's® Cosmos Women's Block-Heel Sandals for Mom.

Candie's® Cosmos Women's Block-Heel Sandals

The converses are great for the many days to come on the playground and they are, like, really cute.

Kid's Converses

The Key to Back to School (BTS) Slayage

Here are my secrets to surviving BTS season
  1. Have a plan, stick to it and look out for deals and steals (honor your budget)
  2. Start early (honor your time and avoid the long lines)
  3. Keep your kid’s personality and needs in mind (honor their personalities)
  4. Get yourself something nice (I honored myself with a whole new outfit)

Natural Hair Family



These are my tricks for winning at back to school prep. It’s just that simple.

To help you kick off your shopping use the code “FAMFRIENDS” to save 20% off site-wide at Kohls.com during the Friends and Family Sale from 7/27 to 7/30.

Kid's back to school fashion

Mom fashion

Pants: Juniors' SO® Color High Waist Ankle Jeggings


Yep, this post is sponsored but all opinions are mine and real, I’m not trying to play you folks.