Living in a climate without four seasons, not to mention little kids running around the house, it's hard to tell when fall is about to begin or when it's back to school time. There are no indigenous trees with leaves changing colors; no cooling temperatures. But then my newspaper appears on my doorstep, stuffed with back-to-school ads showcasing everything from the latest fashions for kids to everything they need for a well appointed dorm room.

For girls, it appears that Hannah Montana is still enjoying a comfortable lead for little ones who need fashionable backpacks, tops and jeans, with High School Musical running a close second, followed by Mudd, L.A. Kitty and the Disney Princesses. Decades-old Barbie even manages to place in the race for the your back-to-school bucks. Britney Spears, Miley Cirus and Abbey Dawn are slugging it out for the first place spot with very similar designer duds with tiny vests, neckties and hats, which makes any girl look like they just stepped off of a soundstage or recording studio.

Young boys from 6 to 16 seem to favor surfer themes, from Vans shoes and Hawk shirts and Hang Ten shorts, and appear to be sporting a minimum of two layers of shirts; even accessorizing with kicky black wristbands and watches. Older boys seem to be more laid-back and understated, although they opt for fun screen tees with classic logos like Atari and Nintendo. Instead of the chunky Vans shoes little boys wear, they are choosing monochromatic sleek shoes like Chuck Taylor by Converse, or black boots with a combatesque feel to them by Sketchers.

And good old Levis jeans never seem to go out of vogue, even if they have like a jillion different styles and cuts now.

Your Dorm Room Is A Wonderland

Of course your new college freshman can't very well be expected to start school in all those mad clothes in a dumpy looking dorm room, can they? IKEA, Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart and Sears are all offering fashions for the dorm room with items intended to maximize a small space while keeping your child organized and looking posh to boot. Some of the itmes every dorm room must have include:

• bunkbed
• papasan chair
• butterfly chair
• storage ottoman
• clock
• bookcase
• table and floor lamps

Most dorm rooms already come with a bunkbed and desk, but they are hopelessly behind the times fashion-wise and don't make efficient use of limited space because they don't come with shelves, cubbies and whatnot. Plus every kid needs things to liven up his or her space and express their individuality with cool things like lava lamps, psychedelic throw pillows, bean bags, posters and comforters, not to mention a cool plasma tv. Hmm, I wonder if you can get cable with that?

Yes, Mom, We Have Time For A Mobile Makeover

Of course, you can't overlook the ads for the latest cell phones, smart phones and PDAs, even for the littlest kids:

Blackberry, iPhone, LG and tons of others that allow them to play games, text each other and surf the web. Oh, and call home.

If it weren't for advertisments, I would have no idea when to start spending money or what to spend it on. It won't be long until Halloween ads start popping up all over the place, and shortly after that, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.