Every couple of years there is a new craze that hits the streets with kids.  The latest is the current Silly Bandz craze.    It started fall of 2009, escalated into 2010 and is still going strong. 

What you may ask are Silly Bandz??  Nothing more than colored rubber bands, worn as bracelets.  The neat feature is that they are pre-shaped into everything ranging from simple animal shapes to cars, princesses even college and team logos!

They originally were solid colors, but now are found in Jelly translucent, glitter, tie dye, glow in the dark and scented.   They have expanded their size and are now also available as rings.  The newest development are necklaces so you can wear your entire collection on a string around your neck.

They are generally marketed in packs of twelve ranging in price from $2.99 to $7.99.  There are the collectible varieties such as the college teams and Disney to more generic styles.  But all have value to kids from ages 3 up to 15.  They  are collected, traded, hoarded and cause the most fun parents to cringe.

As you can imagine the are source of concern for teachers as well.  Many now make the kids remove the bands during class.  So what do they do with them while in class?  We have a solution to Silly Bandz Storage:

Our Personalized Silly Bandz Box:  A small plastic box, personalized for silly bandz storage is a great way for kids to keep up with their silly bandz, take them off, throw them into their backpack or locker and put back on after school.  It is also a way to keep up with their collectible silly bandz. 

If the small backpack sized box is not large enough, they can move up next to our Snack Cup that can be painted with the same design or then if that is still not large enough, then try our Pencil Box which should easily hold several hundred.  These will make perfect Stocking Stuffers this upcoming Christmas gift season.

So good luck with your Silly Bandz and let us help you keep them organized.

"My hair is washed, my sneakers squeak, I'm so excited, I can hardly speak!

New things to do, new friends to meet-- Hooray! It's the first day of school!"

Is this how your kids are feeling??  Maybe not, but there is definitely excitement in the air.   First day of school activities include a new classroom, desk assignment, roll call from a new teacher, new subject matter, making new friends and of course sizing up the kids around you....who's got what, who's cute and who's not. 

The school and teachers have prepared you with a list of needed school accessories, trying to make sure everyone is prepared and on equal footing, but you know you want your child to have the edge.   Not only are you concerned with whether their personalized backpack will hold up, but is it cool enough for them to be proud of how they look heading into class?  Don't fool yourself, these things are of great importance to kids of every age from kindergarten right on through High School.

For the parent, first day of school can be very emotional.  Your little one is heading off to begin the next phase of their life.  You are not able to be there to pick them up when they fall or make sure they are understood, you always know just what they mean, but will that new teacher?    Many parents would love to get to know the teacher from the start, but sometimes you are not able to meet them for more than a second and from this chance meeting decide if this person will be the best for your child.  Scary stuff for the first timer, but it will get easier.  You've given your child the tools they need, they know how to interact, they know how to behave (hopefully) and now it's up to them.  Of course, it never hurts to "get to know the teacher" by having a special teacher gift for this person who will become such a big part of their life.

At Anything Joe's we help parents select the bags and accessories they will need for the upcoming school year.  But we also help the parents find items to help build memories.  We have Grade School Memory Books and our First Day at School Frame is one you will cherish for years.

Best of luck to all Mom's and Dad's sending their little ones off to that very first day of school this year.  Remember that we are here to help you with your child's school needs whether it's personalize lunch boxes or personalized backpacks or just hanging on to the first day of school memories.

Back to school....dreaded, exciting, feared and anticipated.  The term means different things to all of us.   Back to school means one thing to a kid and another to their parent.  At Anything Joe's this is an important time of year to us...helping parents and their kids find the right school gear.

For the kids, a new grade, new teachers, new friends, new chance to start over each year.  To Moms and Dads it means expenses.  Buying backpacks, lunchbags, fees for teams, clubs and activities.  For many choosing school backpacks and lunch boxes is a summer long process.  It seems to begin the moment school is out for the summer.    Choosing backpacks for school  is an important part of preparing for the upcoming year.   It has to fit with back to school fashions and be durable to last the entire school year.

Since the pricing of school backpacks has increased, more and more Moms and Dads are taking a very close look at the construction and durability factor.  For the boys in the family it is less about find a "cute" bag that stands out and more about a "cool" backpack that will fit in.  For the girls, it is all about "trendy", cute and making a statement, "I'm girly, I'm not girly.  For girls the backpack and school gear is a little more revealing about their personality and maybe wanting to stand out.  For the guys, they just don't want to stand out at all, they just want to be one of the guys.

Here are some important tips when shopping for backpacks.