Every single year I say it, but how does summer fly by so fast? This summer felt even quicker because my first born is heading to college soon and my youngest will be a sophomore! You guys, how is that even possible?!?! If you have littles, enjoy every second because before you know it, you’ll be packing to send them off to college….boo hoo, I can’t even think about it. Anyway, if your kids aren’t heading off to college and will be starting school soon, here are the 12 things I always do before school starts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Errands and Appointments<\/strong>– In the final weeks of summer, I make sure to check off those dreaded appointments and errands. You know those time-suckers that have to be done but always have you thinking about what you’d rather be doing instead? Around here that means haircuts, sports physicals, filling prescriptions for the school clinic, and orthodontist appointments. \u00a0I like to get all of this stuff out of the way, so I can get myself organized during the last few weeks. With social distancing, this may be trickier than it used to be so I would start making those appointments now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Homework Station-<\/strong>\u00a0Each year one of the first things I throw together is a homework station. This is where I store all the pencils, erasers, highlighters, scissors, crayons, rulers, calculators, and any other\u00a0necessities\u00a0needed for homework. Rather than creating an area in the house, I make a caddy that’s easy for them to grab and carry to a nearby table or desk. <\/span><\/p>\n

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There are so many household things you can use for your caddy. \u00a0I’ve seen jars filled with supplies and placed on a tray or lazy susan. You could use an art or shower caddy that has a handle making it easy to grab and go.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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You could even stash all your supplies in an over the door hanger like this one here from A Bowl Full of Lemons.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Car Homework Kit<\/strong>– The next thing I like to put together is a car homework kit because we basically live in our car during the year running from school to sporting events. To make my car kit, I usually get a zippered pouch to help contain everything and stock it with all the same supplies as my homework caddy. I cannot tell you how many times one sibling has been stuck in the car waiting for the other’s practice to end and they’ve needed a highlighter, or a random colored marker to finish their assignments and the bag has saved the day!<\/span><\/p>\n

Mobile Command Center for Mom-<\/strong> While we are on the subject of the car, this is a great time to get that mom taxi cleaned and stocked with things for yourself as well. \u00a0Like I said before, there are days I practically live in my\u00a0car. I like to make sure I have all the stuff we may need to use, \u00a0as well as something to work on or keep me occupied while waiting. Here are some of the things I like to keep in the car during the school year:<\/span><\/p>\n

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• Tissues, napkins or paper towels (no explanation needed)<\/span><\/li>\n
• extra sunglasses that stay in the car<\/span><\/li>\n
• a notepad and pen (great for list-making, reminders and homework scratch paper)<\/span><\/li>\n
• hand sanitizer<\/span><\/li>\n
• extra face masks\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
• phone chargers<\/span><\/li>\n
• extra headphones or earbuds<\/span><\/li>\n
• a book or magazine<\/span><\/li>\n
• gum or Altoids<\/span><\/li>\n
• a brush and ponytail holders (for my daughter on days we are running late)<\/span><\/li>\n
• non-perishable snacks (nuts, Epic bars, Kind bars)<\/span><\/li>\n
• first aid kit (this has come in handy with sports)<\/span><\/li>\n
• dollar bills and coins (lunch money, vending machines, admission to sporting events)<\/span><\/li>\n
• umbrella<\/span><\/li>\n
• Water bottle or insulated cup<\/span><\/li>\n
• stadium chairs (during sports seasons, we always keep these in the back of the car)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  Dump Zone-<\/strong> After my car is ready for taxi mode, I get the dump zone ready. It doesn’t seem to matter what age my kids are, they always come home with a boatload of stuff. Our home doesn’t have a true mudroom area, so I improvised a little. In our garage, we have a locker piece that we bought several years ago. This is the place where backpacks, shoes, sports gear and\u00a0umbrellas go. Your dump zone can be as simple as hanging some backpack hooks on a wall and designating a spot for shoes to go. A new rule at our house this year will be backpacks get dropped in the garage and sprayed down with Lysol and hands sanitized before entering the house. You can also search hall trees and find tons of online options. This<\/a> is the one we have and it’s worked well.<\/span><\/p>\n

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  Paper Zone-<\/strong> Something else I started a few years ago was a paper zone for each of my kids. All I did was mount two clipboards to the wall using velcro. These clipboards are where we keep anything that needs to be saved (sports schedules, field trip info, project directions, team rosters, etc.) You could always use a tray as an inbox, folders or wall pockets to serve as your paper dump zone. Just make sure your system is easy so you actually utilize it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

  Purge-<\/strong> I cannot begin to tell you helpful it is for me to purge my kids’ closets before school starts. I just did this a few weeks ago and am so glad I did. I like to go through and get rid of everything they’ve outgrown or never wear and make a list of items they need. Not only does it help to have this list when back to school shopping, but it also makes mornings go much smoother when they aren’t digging through old stuff to find the new items that fit.<\/span><\/p>\n

  Labels-<\/strong> Once we have done our back to school shopping, I make sure I label EVERYTHING. My kids wear uniforms to school, so I make sure that all of their uniforms are ironed and ready and it’s the perfect time to iron labels on all of their clothing. We have had so many lost or left behind items returned to us because they were labeled. I usually order iron-on labels from Etsy\u00a0and then go to town labeling stuff. Don’t forget to label backpacks, lunch boxes, sports uniforms, shoes, belts, and sports padding. You can also order waterproof labels for water bottles but I usually just use a sharpie for the items I can’t iron labels on.<\/span><\/p>\n

  Lunchbox Command Center<\/strong>– If your kids take their lunch to school, this is a must. I like to start by getting my lunch prep area ready. For us, this area is a drawer in the center of the kitchen island. That’s where we keep plastic bags, straws, lunch storage containers, disposable condiment cups, and individual packs of hand wipes. It is so much easier to have all of these items together when you’re packing a lunch. (If your kiddos will be at home, I suggest creating a lunch zone in the fridge with pre-bagged snacks, sandwiches and sides. This will save you from having to stop what you’re doing daily to make lunch. If you’re extra, you can always create a weekly lunch menu so you can cook and meal plan in advance.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

  After you have all your lunch prep supplies ready, it’s time to move to the fridge. Whether you pack your kids lunches or they pack their own, this will make it easy peasy. Each week when unloading groceries, I like to bag up serving size portions of foods for lunches like carrots and veggie dip, sliced apples and peanut butter, string cheese and almonds and pre-made sandwiches or wraps. I use my label maker<\/a> and fridge bins<\/a> to sort and store lunchbox foods that we can easily grab and pack since they are bagged and ready to go.<\/span><\/p>\n

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  This is also a great way to teach younger kids how to make their own lunch by separating items into categories (proteins, veggies, fruits, drinks, etc) and having them select one from each bin. You can also create a bin for afternoon snacks or breakfast items and this same idea works well for pantry foods as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

  There are some great things out there that are super helpful for lunch making and packing. I make sure we have the following basics each year: lunchboxes, water bottles, reusable ice packs, thermos for hot items, food storage containers, and utensils.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

  Meals-<\/strong> In addition to getting lunches organized, I like to make sure I have meals organized for the first week of school. There is nothing worse than trying to get back into the school routine and not having dinner planned out. Whether you make meals in advance and freeze them or prep your meals and have them in the fridge, make sure you have a plan.<\/span><\/p>\n

  I will admit during the summer I often fly by the seat of my pants for meals but NOT during the first week of school. Everyone is adjusting to waking up early again, sports have already started, there are usually parent info meetings, sports meetings, and back to school socials to throw us all back into reality. The last thing I want is to come home wiped with\u00a02 tired, hungry kids who need help with homework and not have anything planned for dinner. So just trust me on this one and have your meals planned out.<\/span><\/p>\n

  Backup School Supplies-<\/strong> Trust me on this next one too, grab a stash of extra school supplies to have handy. My kids know that I am not a happy camper when I find out after dinner that a posterboard is needed for a project in class the next day or that someone needs index cards at 9 pm to study for a test. To help avoid this, pick up some backup supplies like poster boards, index cards, notebook paper, folders, and so on.<\/span><\/p>\n

  Scheduling-<\/strong> This one is probably the biggest one for me. Set aside time before school starts or at the beginning of the school year to sit down and put everything on whatever type of calendar\u00a0you use. Be sure to include\u00a0school events, sports, after-school activities, doctors’ appointments, birthdays, and holidays. I also like to keep copies of my kid’s\u00a0class schedules in my planner (yes, I still use a planner because I love making lists and crossing things off, don’t ask) so I can plan doctors’ appointments accordingly.<\/span><\/p>\n

  On Sundays, I take it a step further by jotting down everything each family member has for the week on a large weekly calendar sheet that gets taped in our kitchen where everyone can see it. This is super helpful for me and helps me see any scheduling conflicts or days I might need help getting the kids to or from an activity. It seriously does take a village sometimes doesn’t it? \u00a0\u00a0I honestly would not survive without doing this and it is so nice to be able to sit down on Sunday and map out the week ahead before it starts. I use the large weekly calendar pad from Erin Condren. The sheets are large and you just tear them off and tape em up. \u00a0You could use a chalkboard or dry erase board too!<\/span><\/p>\n

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  Well, there you have it. I promise taking the time to get yourself organized is always worth it. After being completely off schedule for months, I have a feeling it’s going to be a lot harder to get back into a routine. \u00a0Wishing everyone a smooth back to school transition! Be sure to grab my free printable back to school checklist here.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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  Stay tuned for more ways to get organized for the school year! Thanks for stopping by.<\/span><\/p>\n

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   <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Every single year I say it, but how does summer fly by so fast? This summer felt even quicker because my first born is heading to college soon and my youngest will be a sophomore! You guys, how is that even possible?!?! If you have littles, enjoy every second because before you know it, you’ll […]<\/p>\nVIEW MORE<\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4222,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[601,31,602,598,85,600,674,352,599],"yoast_head":"\n