Oh moms! I can feel your pain already! It’s time for back to school and the weight on my shoulders is definitely getting heavier. This is the time of year where in one world some moms are rejoicing for back to school and others of us are cringing, not ready for the stress and exhaustion the next few weeks or more will bring. Here are 5 ways to make back to school or homeschool easier.
5 Ways to Make Back to School Easier
Meal plan – Make a meal plan for the next couple of weeks. Utilize quick, easy meals. Pull out that slow cooker and make double batches of your favorite casseroles and freeze the extra for next week. Tacos, dinner salads loaded with protein, and pasta dishes are some of our favorite fallbacks.
Get organized – I know. I know. You’re too busy, but trust me. Stop for a few and organize your days. Give each child a schedule to work off of. It will cut some of the “What do I do next?” or if you get them in the habit right away, ensure they take care of homework, papers, and all school related things right away.
Prep clothes ahead – On Sunday evening help the kids pick out outfits for the week. Have them set together and ready to go so you have one less thing to deal with. If you homeschool, you know co-op morning can be rough. This helps alleviate that.
Make lunch the night before – Take just a few minutes to assemble lunches for the next day or at least have all ingredients together if they can’t be made that far ahead. Have a list of go-to lunch items on hand at all times. Kids love baby carrots? Make sure you stay stocked. My rule of thumb is protein/entree, 1 fruit, 1 veggie, and one wild card.
Start out easy – I know you don’t want to get behind but cut extra activities as much as you can for the next few weeks, ease into a full school day, and let a few things around the house go if you can.
Finally, whether you are a homeschool mom or back to school mom, know this. It does get easier. Just get through the next few weeks and you will get into a good routine. Good luck with back to school or back to homeschool.
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After years of home schooling, my son is back to school – we are trying to teach him these tips to get his days off to a better start than running amok in the early AM. Some mornings are better than others!
It’s an area I have really been looking at with my home schooled kids too. I feel like it can be easy to let routines and organization go…like now, when the newness wears off and all devolves into chaos. Taking this week to pull it all back in and create new systems and retrain them to take control of their school schedules and organization. Otherwise, going to school any time in the future will be a horribly rude awakening.