Back to School

Hey There, Friends!

This time of year I’m always my very best self. I have all the laundry caught up, meals planned out for days, am eager to help in the mornings with anything they might need {but by May I’m like-enjoy the school lunch today!}, and am just on my “A” game. I’ve rested from the school routine and am refreshed. Now let’s see how long this will last. haha!

Do you guys remember Britty’s school pics last year?! They’re some of my FAVORITE pictures EVER! If you have a local photographer that does these, I highly recommend them. And I definitely recommend them even more if you’re sending your baby to school.

Okay, fellow moms {or aunts, sisters, nannies, dads, brothers, grandpas, or whomever may be reading this today}, my crew is officially one week into school and while I’m not an expert per say, I am a mom who’s been holding down the fort mostly solo {Tab’s been out of town a LOT for work-like I’m talking he’s been home TWO days so far in August!} with four kids who are now officially all back in school. I’m sure we have a few kinks to continue to work out but we have some great things going that are keeping our mornings and afternoons running smoothly.

Here are some of my back to school tips:

LAY IT ALL OUT-With two kids in school athletics, there is a lot for them to keep up with and remember. I keep repeating, “Lay it out”, “Lay it out”, “Lay it out”. Gym clothes are laid out, practice clothes are laid out, etc…and it makes getting ready in the morning so much easier! Am I the only mom who can go from the best mood ever to MOMSTER when a kid notices their cheer shirt is missing and needs help locating said shirt five minutes before we should be leaving? This year Britt and I have been laying her clothes out for the entire school week. She can pick the outfit each morning from that set of clothes and it makes it REALLY easy for her to get dressed every day.

EMPTY IT RIGHT AWAY-When we walk in the door, we go through their backpacks to put ice packs in the freezer, sign papers, and get any homework completed. {I’m really speaking about the elementary kids. Middle schoolers and high schoolers are responsible for their own.}. This alleviates the rush of-WE FORGOT TO______________ {fill in the blank with anything you could notice you need at either nine p.m. that night or at seven a.m. the next morning}. Can we just talk about some of the worst mom feelings? Ugh! That’s one right there!

MEAL PLAN-This is really a no-brainer for us moms running chaotic kids’ after school schedules. If I don’t have a game plan then there’s absolutely no time for me to make something work. I always make something super simple when Tab’s out of town.

ADD IT TO MY COZI-Which means Tab gets a notification too. ha! I’ve gone ALL IN on my Cozi app, an app all about keeping families organized. From practices to games to meetings to appointments, I’ve got it all added to my Cozi! The main thing I do is check it a couple times throughout the day and set alarms for certain time sensitive things. If I’m working and I know I need to pick a kid up in forty-five minutes from school but I might get busy and forget, then I set an alarm to remind myself. Just making sure I’m adding it to my Cozi AND checking it multiples times has helped keep my whole crew organized this past week!

CARPOOL-Moms, it takes a VILLAGE! Right? I’d highly recommend finding a friend to carpool to/from baseball practice or to Wednesday night church service. If both of you are headed in that direction, then why not save each of you a little time in your week by sharing the car service duties we all seem to be providing?

Do you guys have any great tips to share?! I’d love to read them! Happy Back to School Time, Friends!

XO