Here We Go... Again!

I am so sorry that I've been AWOL for so long. Things have been pretty bad around here, but I'm working hard to set things straight. Please don't take the following as a bunch of whining. I'm trying to figure out the best way to lay it out for you so you can understand without sounding as if it's the end of the world. It's not.But I want to be honest about this stuff, too. Just know that, while these things weigh on me every day, I won't let the bad dominate the good. Sometimes just acting cheerful can help bring up your spirits to where you're no longer acting.

If His Head Wasn't Attached... {Oliver's Labels}

My oldest's high school allows students to carry water bottles (with water only!)to class. This keeps students hydrated, especially in the dry winter months, and keeps down student requests for hall passes to get drinks from the water fountains. My son seems to always be thirsty, so having his water bottle in class is very important to him. Unfortunately, he loses everything. It doesn't matter if it's something as insignificant as a pencil or the memory stick containing all of his homework files - he'll lose it. And, often, lost items are never seen again. I think his stuff all ends up in the same place that lost socks and mittens go. So, it has been no surprise to learn that he's lost yet another water bottle. This year, his total is already up to 12 - that's more that one bottle every 2 weeks since school has started!

I had been casually looking around online for some name labels for his bottles that he'd not be embarrassed to use. Because, let's face it, many of the more affordable labels have icons that are meant for the 3 to 9-year-old crowd. The more sophisticated labels available are usually just to darn expensive for our budget. I was so happy to have the opportunity to try out Oliver's Labels.

London Primrose Design

Oliver's Labels has a wide array of label designs and styles. Designs range from trains and butterflies children, to roses and carnations for adults, to allergy labels - they have it all. They even offer labels with your own QR Code included, if you have a business or Web page that you'd like to direct others to check out. Their styles consist  the typical name labels in a variety of sizes to stick onto cups and pencils, photo labels, iron-on labels for clothing, show labels, and even wristbands. Oliver's Labels even offers easy packages of labels that include everything you need for going to camp, clothing, and preschool!

I chose the Crossbones design for my sample pack of labels for review and had my oldest's last name added. I received a variety of styles - Original Labels, Shoe Labels, Mini Labels, and Stick-eez™  Clothing Labels. I immediately put the original labels on his remaining water bottles. The mini labels were attached to his favorite mechanical pencil (he loves drawing with it!), and I put the show labels into his new track shoes. I love that they are all waterproof and don't fade! So far, they're all still in place and, no matter how hard I scrub those water bottles, how far he runs in those shoes, and how much he uses that pencil, those labels look as if I just put them on the items today. The clothing stickers are just wonderful, too. I was afraid that stickers would end up falling off in the washer, but they're steadfast! For a kid who loses stuff like my oldest, these are invaluable for getting his jackets returned and keeping his trunks and towels for swimming in his possession.

The biggest test was making sure he wouldn't be embarrassed to use the items that had these new labels attached. Because, really, what's the point of having the labels if he won't take the bottles to school? He loved them! In fact, he even had a few of his friends and even a couple of teachers ask where I got them.

It has been three weeks and he has left his water bottle on the school bus and in the lunch room. He even left one of his favorite hoodies on the city bus. So far, though, his forgetfulness hasn't resulted in yet another loss. Every time, the items have been returned. (I'm glad we live in a small enough town that the hoodie found its way back because someone knew who the name on the label belonged to!) I am considering getting a "Found-It" subscription for all of the things that my family loses (unfortunately, it's not just my oldest who has this problem!). Guess what - Oliver's Labels has an option to include the Found-It code on your labels. So, if I do end up subscribing, I'll be sure to check out Oliver's.

So, if you're in need of some good labels that look cool and can withstand the wear and tear that kids tend to put them through, go check out Oliver's Labels first. In addition to their Web site, you can also find them on their Blog and connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.