8/10/18

Routines, Socks, and Pencils - Back to School!

My kids started school this week. And as with every summer's end, it was bittersweet.



But this year feels a little different. Unlike years past when school was a total mayhem-inducing shock to our system, I feel like I'm in the driver's seat. I'm confronting the school year adult style - with a plan, with our pain points analyzed, and with expectations laid out clearly for my children.

Don't come to breakfast before you're fully dressed.
Don't tell me your life story as you're getting in the car in the carpool line. Save it for the drive home!
Hang up your back pack. 
Tidy your room before bed.

It's my 4th year being the parent of elementary age children, and I finally feel like I know how to run the ship instead of it running me. Sure we will get off course, and that's okay. We'll just get right back on...eventually.

Here's a few ways I've set us up for success this year.

Routines- 
In collaboration with my kids, we wrote down what we thought was a fair and reasonable routine for the morning, afternoon, and evening. This way we are not aimlessly wandering. We have a routine! I can already tell this will be a game changer.


routines posted on fridge

Socks-
I declared sock bankruptcy, threw away all the old, mismatched socks and bought 4 fresh new packs. That should do it. Finding clean matching socks was such a pain point at the end of last year. It doesn't have to be that way.


Pencils-
Pencils are cheap and I plan to keep an ample supply. Also, I set up a homework table near the backpacks to keep the school stuff off the kitchen table.


Lunches-
My younger two kiddos do not go to school every day, but I'm planning to go ahead and make their lunches anyway. We will have a picnic ready to go and can freely run errands without  getting tripped up by lunch. Also, this keeps me from getting out all the lunch stuff multiple times a day.


So let's do this! Bring it on school year 2018-2019!

What are your tips for living your best school life, for not going crazy with all the coming and going? What are your pain points?
And school lunches?

Jesus, take the wheel.

7 comments:

  1. I think your planning principles are wonderful. They would work for anyone in just about any circumstances! Well done, SB. And the kids look amazing in their back to school outfits.

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  2. I can’t wait for school to start this year, truthfully! We are all ready. Still a month to go over here though. I’m so impressed that you can do your morning routine and get out the door in 45 minutes! We live 3 blocks from school and have 2-3 hours before school starts and still are usually just getting there by the skin of our teeth. I’m also interested in the 3 hours of afternoon free time. So you’re not doing any entertaining during that time? Most of our pain points have more to do with the 4-7pm hours when I’m out of tricks for the day, dinner needs to get done, husband is running late, baths, etc etc. Our main pain point related to school is working pickup and drop off around the baby’s naps/feedings, and rushing home and trying to put 3 kids down for naps/quiet time as quickly as possible before they get overtired. Love your systems! I hope the school year is off to a great start.

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  3. I just have one child, and we started Kindergarten last week. Between the excitement and adrenaline and the stress, I felt like it was going to take.me.under.

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  4. Ah, isn't experience great!?
    Currently getting prepped for school and trying to decide if we should force the homework after school (they're soooo tired) or wait until after supper (terribly hard to get them back to it). We've always done homework right after school with the goal of having supper/evening to relax and be easy.
    I wonder if a homework station would work for us. My kids tend to like to go to weird places to do their homework. . . but maybe that's because I don't have a station?

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  5. Love this! You inspired me to pack my own lunch, regardless of if it's a day I'm going to the office or not. What a game changer!

    I can't remember if it's in The Happiness Project or Happier at Home that Gretchen Rubin writes about putting together a drawer with postage stamps and other supplies her family needs regularly but can't find (or runs out of without replacing) and how it took care of so many little stressors. So smart to do that with homework stuff, too.

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  7. Thanks for the post and great tips..even I also think that hard work is the most important aspect of getting success 有趣的男人的袜子

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