BACK TO SCHOOL BACK TO CRAZY...

SCHOOL SUPPLIES   SCHEDULES  HOMEWORK

AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES  MEALS  TIME MANAGEMENT

The end of summer is upon us and a new school year has crept up on us. Are you ready??? There are so many things to think about in the next couple of weeks, it makes your head spin!   I am sending my baby boy off to middle school-YIKES! Plus, I have a 10th grader and my godson who is going into the 11th grade so I know just how out of control this time of year can be.  Not this year because you are going to be on top of things....YEP!! 

In honor of past school year's gone by this one is going to be less CRAZY! I mean it!!!

School supplies are never ending in the first weeks of school. Just when you think you have them all, you don't.
It is best to wait until the 1st week of school goes by to see what the teachers want especially if you are dealing with middle and high school. Elementary school is a little different and a little more organized. Gotta love those elementary school teachers and their organization! It is important to write your child's name or just the initials on the supplies you bought unless they are community property.

Schedules are the most essential part of simplifying the school year. Take the time in the very beginning to tackle this and you will be steps ahead  of where you were last year at this time. Unless of course, you are a newbie who is sending their 1st child to school. 
1. Bedtime- it is essential to have a set bedtime to allow your child the right amount of sleep each night. This goes for high schoolers too. It is important for you to create a "lights out" time for your high school child. This includes technology,they can't sleep with that buzzing, beeping or flashing all night. 
2. Wake up- this depends on your child's personality. Do they need extra time to wake up?  Do they just spring out of the bed when you wake them? To make the morning less stressful you want to know your child and the speed with which they move in the morning. 
3. After school activity schedule- Use a calendar or your phone app to keep it all straight. You may think you can remember it all but if you have multiple children this is really just setting you up for failure. I use different color ink on the calendar for each person. Before the children go to bed it is important to know what the schedule is for the next day and gather the items needed for that activity. It may help to make up  a bag of all items needed for that activity if possible. For example, if your child is in dance class, gather all items needed for the class, place in a bag just for this activity and leave it by the door you will go out of. 

Meals- breakfast is really important so make sure you help your child allow time for it. Lunch making is a great way to save $ and know what your child is eating. My children all make their own lunches so they are putting exactly what they want in there.  If your child(ren) buy lunch make sure the lunch $ is ready to go.  Dinner is so much easier with the use of a menu. Yes, that is what I use. The menu really helps me save $$$ at the grocery store because I only purchase what is needed to make the meals on the menu. I use a calendar page and write it all down. To keep it interesting, I cook the meals on different days than what the schedule says. It drives my kids nuts! For me, it is more important to know I have the necessary ingredients to make the meals than to be too hung up on the meal on what is being cooked on which day.  It is a tool to keep me organized in the pantry, refrigerator and freezer. Now, I could make the meals on the exact days I wrote them for and I do sometimes. However, it is good to be flexible and you never know what life is going to throw at you!

Time management-crucial for you and your children. It will change your life to have this piece of the puzzle incorporated in your life. You have to determine how much structure of time you and your family needs. Some people need more structure than others. Take a look at the average day in your family. Write down how long it takes to do certain tasks like getting up and out the door. If you stay at home, take the time to note how long it takes for you to do all you do in the course of the day. Then, I want you to notice how much time it takes in the evening when the kids come home from school to accomplish the evening tasks. Same thing for the working moms and dads. This is your template for time management. I would encourage you to overestimate the amount of time it takes to do the more obvious activities like getting the kids to bed. The key to the success of any time management program is to notice where you need more time and determine what you need to take off your agenda. You can't just keep adding things to your agenda without removing things, it won't add up to success. Remember the goal to having a time management program is to simplify your life. It is normal to tweak schedules as needed to keep life simple, don't be afraid that you are failing at this if you need to. Experiment with the time schedules you have set up and see what could be done better. 

These are some ways to make this school year less chaotic for you and your children. Remember to keep it SIMPLE!!

Best wishes for a great year!
Darlene