For some of us, the school year has started. This is an exciting time of year…. new clothes, new sneaks, seeing old friends! With all the fun, comes all the crazy too. Let’s face it, back to school means homework, scheduling dinners around soccer practice, and figuring out who’s going to take your ‘little’ to dance class, while schlepping your other ‘little’ across town to guitar lessons. It’s a juggling act at best…but deep breaths, you can do it. With a little bit of planning and prep work, the year can run like clockwork. Here are a few tips that have helped me and my family keep our sanity during the school year.Meal PlanningThis is key for busy families. Even if you are a meal planner, that task sometimes goes out the window during the summer months. Now that school is here, get back into the swing of things. I like to prep on Sunday mornings. Make sure to cut up any fruit and veggies and store them in glass containers for easy viewing and snacking. Prep and freeze a few meals for the week. Write the instructions of the meal directly on the aluminum foil (or on a sticky note) and attach it to the dish. That way, whoever gets home first can take the lead in making sure dinner gets on the table. Don’t forget breakfast! It’s the most important meal of the day, and for us, the most difficult one to manage. Protein in the mornings is much needed to start their day (and yours) off right. Here are a few tried and true meals that are both kid and adult approved!
Lunch PrepGet the kids involved in packing their lunches. After dinner, have someone in charge of making sandwiches or spooning leftovers into individual containers. Have snacks reachable for little hands so that they can select what they want (and will eat the next day). I love clear containers for separating out and storing snacks. It makes them easy to view and easy to grab.Outfit PrepEvery Sunday, put together 5 outfits and hang them in the closet. Each morning, your kiddo can have some autonomy by selecting which of the 5 they will wear that day. Boom – no more morning arguments over clothing!Backpack/lunchbox/paperwork stationIf you’re like me, you cringe when they come flying in the door off the bus and the backpack goes one way, the lunch box goes another way, and they go yet another way. Hold it right there! Create a station in your home where they can place their belongings and any paperwork that you need to act on. This is also a great place to store items like library books so that you’re not ripping the house apart to find them on day that they’re due. Here’s what I did in my laundry room (you don’t need a ton of space to be organized!) |
Homework First, Play Second
Instill this early on! Give them some downtime and then have them tackle their homework before they run off to play. That way it’s done and out of the way so that you can enjoy some good quality family time before bed in the evening.
I hope that these tips help you and your family to have a great year ahead. What other tips do you have in place in your home to manage the school year? I’d love to hear from you!