Back to school time is one of those moments that can be bitter sweet, exciting yet scary and quite often a little nerve racking. Getting kids off to school, especially sending them to a new school or putting them on the *gasp* bus for the first time can be as traumatic as it is exhilarating for both parents and kids.

To help get your back to school shopping going, we've found some fun items to help moms get organized, kids get packed and everyone get ready. See all of our 2010 back to school picks here.

There is one good thing about a cord. It will keep certain items in place. Unlike my cell and cordless phones, I will always know where my corded (yes they still exist) landline phone is. But letting go a little control in return for saving on energy costs as well as using an eco-friendly product is well worth it.

The Greenman lamp, which is made from eco-friendly bio-plastic corn and trimmed off with bamboo, is a fun and modern looking lamp that's cordless. It's solar powered so you power the lamp by flipping it over during the day. This has been a very tricky item to chase down a place to buy it. While I couldn't find a US distributor, I did find one that ships internationally. $54 (approx) @ MadeInDesign.Co.Uk

Here's a trick to make dinner time a little more exciting or add a fun kick to encourage picky eaters: Chopsticks!

Teach your tiny tot the art of eating with chopsticks with Chimpsticks. Chimpsticks are sturdy, easy to hold, easy to use chopsticks designed for kids. The tip features little hands to give an extra grip to picked up food. Go ahead, monkey around with your dinner!  $6.99 @ ModernLola.Com

Don't be alarmed next time your kiddo puts their hood up. This seemingly blue hooded sweatshirt has a scary little secret. But don't worry, these ferocious teeth and piercing eyes popping out from the Whale Bite MonsterHoodie wont hurt you.

MonsterHoodies, the new decorative line of kids hooded sweatshirts from BustedTees, are a funky twist on the usually hoodie. Made using an American Apparel hoodie and spruced up with whale teeth (not real whale teeth of course) and eyes, these fun full zip sweatshirts will get even the biggest anti-coat/sweatshirt kid wanting to wear one. Available for grown-ups too! $30 @ BustedTees.Com

SPECIAL DISCOUNT! Just for Posh Little readers, use code PoshLittle and get 10% off all orders from now until August 23, 2010!

CONTEST UPDATE: This contest is now closed. Congrats to our winner Sarah!

HOW TO ENTER:

DIY doesn't have to be scary even if the theme might be a touch on the menacing side. Throw a *dare we say cute* monster themed birthday party with this fun and custom printable monster themed party pack from Charlie lou designs.

WHAT'S INCLUDED:

1. Birthday Banner
2. Custom cupcake toppers/ tags/stickers/ napkin ring tops
3. 2 6 inch circles with your child's age on one, a green monster on the other.
4. Customized Invitation with your child's name and party details.
5.Customized treat bag toppers that have your child's name on there/ thank you cards.
6. Cupcake Wrappers 

This party pack is available for $45 @ CharlieLouDesigns.Etsy.Com

I heart functional decor. Especially when it's for the kids rooms and machine washable. The Gorgeous Giraffe Bean Bag chairs from Australia's Cocoon Couture are sweet, colorful and have a touch of vintage with the Circa 1970’s novelty printed cotton. $76.59-$90.11 (USD) @ ShopHouse.Com.Au

photo credit: Dan Magree

Headphones for kids! It's funny how even with simpler and sleeker options, we return to what's comfortable for us from our youth. While modern earbuds are great for jogging and being a little more discreet, smaller ears may not find them as accessible or comfortable.

These adjustable (for kids or adults) red/black ladybug earcup headphones from FunkyFonic sport a Reversible earcup design for easy single-sided monitoring and fold compactly for storage.

Picured above: 1. Red Black FunkyFonic Headphones ($28); 2. Pink Green FunkyFonic Headphones ($28); 3. Orange Blue FunkyFonic Headphones ($28); 4. Skulls FunkyFonic Headphones ($28).

We are pretty unbelievably excited about this amazing giveaway from organic & fabulous kate quinn organics! Launched in July 2006, kate quinn organics features stylish apparel made from the finest 100% certified organic fabrics. They've been featured in USA Today, Cookie, Parents and Pregnancy magazine (just to name a few).

SPECIAL DISCOUNT! Just for Posh Little readers, use code winit35 and get 35% off all orders (even clearance stuff) from now until July 30th, 2010!

CONTEST UPDATE: This contest is now closed. Congrats to our winner Deanna!

HOW TO ENTER:

• Comment on what you would like to purchase from kate quinn organics if they win!
• Tweet this (max once daily) + leave a comment (comment required)
• Contest ends August 4th, 2010 at midnight PST.  The (random) winner will be notified via email and posted here after they claim their prize.

If your a contest junkie or would just happen to really enjoy a $2,000 shopping spree @ NurseryCouture.com then you may want to stroll over (or frantically click over as fast as you can) to read more about Caden Lane's HUGE giveaway.

Up for grabs is a choice of 3 pretty fantastic prizes. The lucky winner will be have their choice of *gasp* one of the below:

• A $1000 Gift Certificate to Southwest Airlines
• A $2000 Shopping Spree at NurseryCouture.com
• A $3000 DONATION TO YOUR FAVORITE CHARITY!

You have till August 31st, 2010 to enter with many ways to enter. Visit CadenLane.Com for details on how to enter and official rules. Good luck!

A fresh coat of paint in a room  is a relatively inexpensive and quick project that will not only create the backdrop for your decor but also clean and freshen up a room. Obliterate all the ball point pen scribbles, Sharpie® "art" and other wall blemishes that the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser couldn't help (which is an amazing product if you are raising little Picasso/vandals like I am). A great place for color inspiration for nurseries, kid and play rooms are children's catalogs like The Land of Nod and Pottery Barn Kids. 

Love a wall color you see while flipping through the Land Of Nod catalog? Lucky you they've teamed with Mythic Paint to put together and offer online a collection of fresh, enduring colors for kids rooms. Every shade is non-toxic and free of VOCs with 4 oz. sample cans available for $6.99.

Land Of Nod swatches pictured below: 1. Olive You Too ($6.99 - $44.99); 2. Graham Cracker ($6.99 - $44.99); 3 She Sells Sea Shells ($6.99 - $44.99); 4. Hay is for Horses ($6.99 - $44.99); 5. What in Carnation? ($6.99 - $44.99); 6. Orchid You Not ($6.99 - $44.99).

Pottery Barn Kids 33 zero VOCs and is virtually odorless paint colors were designed by the experts at Benjamin Moor to coordinate with Pottery Barn Kid collections. Regardless if your nursery is floor to ceiling Pottery Barn Kids or not, now you can get those to-die-for colors that you love when flipping through the PBK catalog.