My Top 5 Back to School Hacks
This is a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% my own!
It’s back to school time! There are so many emotions involved with the kids going back to school for me. I am ready for a little more structure to my day, a little less bickering and fighting. But I will surely miss spending all of that quality time with my kiddos. For us once school begins we are like a well oiled machine. It doesn’t happen on it’s own it takes a little planning and practice but we have learned how to make it happen.
I have 5 kids with very busy schedules. They ride 3 different buses, go to 3 different schools and then I have the baby at home. So as you can imagine our before and after school time is a bit crazy. To add to the madness I work evenings. I coach competitive gymnastics every night and take my kids to work with me most nights. Which means I pick up my kids from school and we head directly to the gym! With this kind of schedule we depend on a few simple hacks!
5 Back to School Hacks:
- Be prepared a day ahead. I often times will spend the day before each school day making sure that the kids have the appropriate clothing, shoes and school necessities set aside and ready for the week. This includes laying out their outfits the night before so that they simply have to wake up and get dressed in the morning without any thought (or fight).
- Lay out a breakfast plan. Again I like to make sure I have a plan for breakfast the night before. Many times this means we lay out a baggie with a snack for the littles to grab right when they wake up along with a Juicy Juice juice box. The older kids will often grab a yogurt and a juice box on the run in the mornings.
- Pack an after school snack. Because we are on the go as soon as school lets out, I feel it creates way less chaos if I pack everyone’s after school snack while the kids are at school. This way as soon as they get home there is no wasted time staring in the refrigerator or cupboards, and no fighting over who gets what. I like to pack a fruit, something with protein and either a water bottle or Juicy Juice juice box. (I choose Juicy Juice because Juicy Juice has no artificial flavors, no added sugar and no high fructose corn syrup.)
- Keep the car supplied. Being such a busy family we need to have extra gear with us all of the time. I like to keep my car stocked with extra snacks, drinks, spare clothes, sports equipment, diapers, wipes and so on. I use my Thirty-One Deluxe Utility Tote to keep all of these things organized and in one place in my car.
- Be Spontaneous. Ok I know this sounds silly. But it’s true. I’ve had to learn that with the more kids I have the more spontaneous I need to be. Sometimes no matter how much I prepare, plan or pack, things get missed. So be ok with not having everything always run smoothly. It’s ok to not be perfect. It’s ok if things don’t go as planned. Just enjoy this time with your kids and know that it’s only for a season. Someday you will miss this crazy chaos!
Happy Back to school moms and dads! Good luck and feel free to share your tips, stories and advice in the comments 🙂
