Ahhh, the dog days of summer. Cool drinks on the back patio, sun and fun on the beach, and not a care in the world. No early races to the school bus, no homework, no cardboard pizza in the lunchroom. Well, friend, those days are over.

But the back-to-school blitz doesn’t have to be all bad. Stocking up on the right supplies, tools, and gadgets will make all the difference. We give these an A+!

• Hydro Flask ($27) – This 24-ounce bottle keeps water cold all day and (unlike the Stanley) is leak-proof so perfect to toss into a backpack.
• HP Chromebook 11 G9 Celeron – Ideal for parents (or college students) on a budget, this laptop boasts 8GB of RAM, USB-C compatibility, and durability (surviving drops up to 48 inches!) all for under $350.
• All the Apple Stuff – Right now at Apple.com, there are amazing deals on MacBook Airs for under $900, iPads for $550, and 3rd generation AirPods (perfect for study hall) for under $175. They’re offering financing on everything, 20% off AppleCare, and live chat to help you pick out and set up the perfect tech for you.
• Tile Mate – Buy one! Buy 1,000! These little Bluetooth chip trackers will be worth your weight in phones/laptops/backpacks/keys when you clip them on to anything you never want to lose.
• Lexar External Hard Drive – For $100, the Lexar SL600 solid state drive gives you 1TB of storage and reads/writes with speeds of up to 2000 MB/seconds. This much storage is perfect for creative professionals like photographers and content creators but is also a terrific option for college students who don’t want the cost or hassle of paying a monthly cloud storage fee.
• Sunrise Alarm Clock – Nothing is worse than being blasted awake by an overzealous alarm clock. Instead, ease your toddlers and teens out of bed with the Sunrise Alarm Clock. This clock uses seven natural sounds (including crickets) in combination with a progressively brighter “sunrise” to coax kids out of bed. Better still, you can use the unit as a nightlight, reading light, and even a radio. Old school, baby, old school.

This is our year, parents! The year we start and end the school year with the same backpack (zippers intact), where we breeze on by the Lost and Found without looking back, and when a little bit of tech goes a long way toward straight A’s and happy days!