Y’all, I sent my baby to kindergarten! Can you believe it?
Having a kid in school has been a big adjustment for the whole family and now I understand why back to school is such a big deal. Getting up early, being on a schedule, the drive to and from school, the school pick up line, managing after-school programs, it’s all a lot of change.
Where did all my time go? Time management and time savers are the priority in our life right now.
I am always out to simplify motherhood but it has been especially important with our school schedule. I have been thinking about what is working to keep things simple for us and today I am sharing a few of my favorite back to school mom hacks to help you keep your sanity. I’m sharing simple yet effective ideas, you won’t know how you ever lived without them!
Stations
This is one of my very most important mom hacks and it applies to every stage of motherhood. If you read how I use stations with babies, you know how efficient this idea is and it works just as well for school kiddos.
I set up stations all over the house to make our early mornings run smoothly. My son knows exactly where to go to find everything he needs for school that day.
This is our front entryway table and we have cleared it off so that our son’s backpack, lunchbox, clothes and projects for school are there each morning. He knows when he wakes up that I am already making breakfast in the kitchen and if he wants to watch a show before school, he has to be dressed first.
He goes straight to his station and puts on his clothes and shoes we laid out the night before. After he eats and watches a short show, he knows it’s time to go and he is responsible for grabbing his belongings which are also at his station.
Theses stations are all over the house. They save so much time and frustration. I never have to ask my son a million times to go get his clothes, or shoes, or anything else. Everything is where is needs to be, close by and ready to go.
You can do a homework station for older kids or have a family command station by the front door. Stations streamline our routines and make everything easier so I utilize them everywhere!
Week Prep
Another mom hack that I absolutely cannot live without is our Sunday week prep. Sunday nights are when I get everything ready for the week.
I check our schedule and work out any details with The Water Man. I make sure the house is picked up and the laundry is done. I cannot function in a mess or start the school week feeling behind. I create my to-do list, make a dinner menu and grocery list. I stock and prepare stations throughout the house and car for the week.
Sometimes this is a 20-minute process and sometimes it’s 2 hours, depending on how productive I was over the weekend. But this little Sunday night ritual makes life run so much smoother.
I cannot tell you how much easier our week is when Monday morning rolls around and we’re ready to go. It is so calming to have a family plan for our schedule and meals, stations ready and a clean house. It’s the only way to tackle Mondays!
Alarms
My phone is definitely my work station. One way I use my phone to keep us on task and on time is with alarms.
I set multiple alarms throughout the morning to keep our family running. utilize the most efficient apps to simplify our life and streamline my never-ending to-do list!
I have alarms set up to wake us up, a reminder to thaw dinner, and another to leave for school. And that’s just in the morning. I have other alarms set up to avoid being late and to stay calm.
When back to school season is hectic and exhausting, I appreciate anything that makes my life easier. Creating stations around your home, preparing for your week in advance, and using alarms can make all the difference in your sanity!
I am a big an of sanity and sometimes it’s hard to come by in motherhood so start taking advantage of these back to school hacks right away! And read all about how I sent my first kindergartener to school and the surprises we’ve had so far!