The back to school season is here! For some, this is the happiest time of the year. Others dread the sad reality of summer ending. Either way, we all need to plan and prepare for the transition. Life gets busier and the days get shorter. Don’t worry, we've got exactly what you need to make your life easier.
These back to school hacks will give you a little more time and a little less stress. Do you have more tips and tricks to share? Leave them in the comments below!
1. Fill out your calendar for the school year now! Put all the school holidays, early release days, and other special dates in your phone/on your calendar now. You won't be caught off guard or unsure about a day off if they're all in the calendar ahead of time.
2. Use a gourmet meal delivery service like What a Crock to get delicious, easy dinners delivered to your door. Take the guesswork and the prep time out of your family dinners. Just fire up the slow cooker and enjoy!
3. You've heard of Sunday meal prep, but have you heard of Sunday outfit prep? It's the newest life hack! Set out clothes for everyone for the week ahead. Arrange full outfits, including socks and undergarments, together on a shelf for each day.
Pro-tip: Check the weather and consider gym class schedules to be fully prepared!
4. Drop that credit card! Don't do back to school shopping before school starts. What?? Yep, sometimes we forget that it's still summer weather when school starts. Buy some new shoes and an outfit for the first day of school and save the shopping spree for when the weather is a little more fall-like.
5. Create routines for your family to connect and communicate with each other. One of our favorite ways to do this is to pick a few questions you can ask everyone in the family every day. You can ask them right after school, at dinner, or before bed, whatever works best for your family! A few of our favorites are:
- What was your favorite part of the day, and why?
- What was your least favorite part of your day?
- What did you do to help someone today?
- What did someone do to help you today?
- Don't forget to have the adults answer the questions too!
6. Make tomorrows lunches at dinner time. While you're waiting for your crockpot to finish up dinner, throw together lunches for the next day. You're already in the kitchen, maximize your time by getting lunches out of the way early. It also means that you can clean it all up at once so you’re not wiping your counters down twice!
7. Create a drop station in your house. Designate one spot that everyone can dump their backpacks, books, etc. that is not right at the door or in the middle of your kitchen or dining room. This will help organize the chaos a bit!
8. When you go through your child's backpack, sign what needs to be signed immediately. Then put any papers that need to be returned right back in the bag. This will eliminate the stress of finding a lost paper in the morning.
9. Give your kids some autonomy in the morning and alleviate a little of your stress by creating a checklist for their morning routine. You can include things like getting dressed, brushing teeth and hair, eating breakfast, and packing their backpacks. If they've completed all of their responsibilities early enough, maybe they can earn some screen time!
10. Take care of mom and dad! Don't forget to schedule in some personal time to relieve stress and make sure you are happy and healthy. You can't pour someone else tea if your kettle is empty!
The new school year can be exciting, and we want you to have the best possible start. Good luck!