If you are anything like me, then you know all too well the overwhelmed and panicked feeling that back to school season brings as a busy mom.
I’ll admit that in the past I have NOT handled the chaos of school in the best way.
I miss emails, I forget to send the things teachers request for activities or food items, and then my kids are inevitably disappointed. Every single time it happened I felt TERRIBLE.
In short, I was a hot mess.
Let’s be honest, the amount of things that parents have to deal with makes our brains a little bit mushy. I know I’m not the only mom who has felt this.
Last year I finally felt like I got the hang of things, but I did some REALLY specific things to help the year go smoother.
Here are ALL of the things I did that truly helped me out of the chaos:
#1 – School Calendars
As soon as I got the calendar for the year I sat down and put every single day off or special day I know of on a digital calendar. I use gmail and always always always turn on the notifications for reminders! That way even if you aren’t looking at your phone you will be notified.
#2 – Make sure to mark the school’s email and the teacher’s email as a priority in your inbox.
Google has several options on this, so I’m going to link it right here! Set a time weekly to sit down and check those emails and put the new things in on your calendar. YES, I know this is getting redundant, but I’m telling you it can really be life-changing! (This honestly is where having a good schedule for yourself becomes really powerful.)
#3 – Create a more peaceful morning for yourself so you and your kids start the day in the best way possible. We are setting the tone for the entire day for both you and your kids. This is a big deal!
Prep ahead for school lunches either weekly or monthly. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked in the fridge and realized I’m going to have to create a REALLY inventive kid charcuterie for lunch.
If you are looking for recipes, check out my freezer-friendly snacks here!
Prep breakfasts ahead too! Having a belly full of food that’s not full of sugar can make a big difference to everyone’s day. I’ve got a list of all my best freezer prep breakfast recipes here!
Gather all school things and make kiddos pick out their clothes at night before bed. (This one literally saved us at least 15 minutes every morning)
#4 – The last thing that I think is important here is to check in with your kiddo every day
Let’s be honest, most of the time they say ‘I don’t know’. So the way I’ve started to combat this is by asking specific questions.
- What was your favorite thing about today?
- What was your least favorite thing about today?
- Who did you play with at recess? What did you all play?
Know those things may seem trivial, but your kids will start to really share what’s going on and it will let you in on their lives. This is a way too that you get to keep track of what issues they might be having before they get BIG and you can make a plan together to solve them.
I know back to school can be crazy, and even scary sometimes! That’s exactly why I put together this list to help find new ways to handle the chaos of back to school season.
Want more tips like this? Check out my list of expert tips for managing after-school activities here!