Back to school has officially started for all of us. I bet all of us thought it snuck up on us and now we are dealing with playing catch up to get organized and make it all make sense.
So I thought I'd give you some tips I've picked up on the way from morning wake-up calls to bedtime tuck-ins and all the in-betweens.
A few things I do on Sundays:
1. Prep outfit buckets - I have a bucket for each day they go to school, per kid. Those are set on Sunday and include everything but the shoes. These are my go-to, you can pick them up at Target.
2. Prep backpacks - Clean them out, add a clean nap mat and blankets and put them on the hooks.
3. Prep activity packs - Clean out and prep for Dance and Soccer. Dance/Acro they go together, so we keep it together in one bag, soccer on the other hand is different days, so each kid has their own.
4. Prep snacks for me - If I don't think about it ahead of time, I either will just grab something unhealthy or nothing at all. My favorite items: Carrots w/ Hummus, Hard-boiled eggs & Trailmix. Plus if I am re-stocking my office snacks, I always load up on applesauce, cheese, granola, a variety of Mary's Gone Crackers, plus some powders for lunch or to make before the commute home.
Pro tip: My kids have started showing interest in my powder drinks and shakes, so for a multivitamin drink, we give them Kids Good Stuff, which provides fruits and veggies as well as pre and probiotics. Its essential vitamins and minerals are important for growth and development. They come in Vanilla Carmel, Chocolate and Wild Strawberry.
For my fellow parents, Nuzest, also has Clean Lean Protein—which is Vegan Protein Powders and taste really good with cold brew or milk.
Extra tip: Keep a gallon of milk at the office/work - You are less likely to take it if you have to portion out items ahead in the morning each day.
5. Clean beds - kids are messy man, so once a week (at least) we strip the beds to clean them. If your kiddo is ready for new bedding, this can be a fun surprise come Sunday night. We recently upgraded to Morning Bird - what is great, these are really interchangeable and make it easy, and no fights on who gets what.
6. Clean playroom - I go around the entire house and using a laundry basket, I fill it with things around the house that belongs in there. Then dump it all on a giant rug. Right now, we are converting our playroom to a space theme and our first find was this beautiful rug. But the goal is to get it clean after dumping all the toys on it. Outer Space Area Rug - The colors are so vibrant and the kids love it!
Check back for Part 2
