It is that time of the year again! After three months of late night playing, long trips, late nights and just old fashion summer fun, moms begin to sigh some relief as the first day of school gets closer and closer.
As a mom of a soon to be first grader and a preschooler, fall is a time that is looked forward to not because of the peace that goes with having some time to oneself but more because there is a “schedule" to our lives. There becomes a sense of normalness when the doors to school open back up and a less chaotic state around the house.
I usually look to this time of year with excitement, but honestly this year I have found myself a little unprepared. So what do I do? Call in the experts-my girlfriends, search every informational piece I have from the computer to magazines and then have a family meeting.
So here is what I am going to enact this season to ensure a more organized, smooth year in which no homework is lost, left, eaten, thrown away, etc. A year that we will wake up and be on time with no whining, screaming, crying, losing ones mind, etc. This is the year that we become organized. Oh yes, those teachers are going to hire our family as the model family to teach others how to be prepared and stay prepared if it kills me. So here are some basic steps we are taking this year.
Create a command center
This is probably the best advice I have ever heard, yet two years later I am finally going to do it. We will create a central location that has those big durable hooks. On those hooks will go backpacks, etc that we must carry to and from school every day. Upon entering the house, kids will be required to go straight to this command center. See the hook with their name above (so we do not have any fighting over hooks) and place their backpack. Kid will then unzip backpack and take out any homework, folders for me to look at sign, etc and lunch boxes to place on counter. I will have an in box for papers for mom. If a kid needs something for a project, it must go on a note in the inbox for mom-mom does not deal with last minute memories. Kid will begin homework immediately at the table then put back in bag. Everything that is not being looked at, in the inbox or worked on, stays in backpack.
In that same center will be another hook with a bag for each extra-curricular activity. The bag will have all that is needed for the activity. For instance, if it is soccer, it would be packed with practice clothes or practice day, shin guards, cleats, socks, etc. Therefore, there will be no, “Mom, I can’t find this." It is there-u dress yourself and be ready by the time of the practices posted.
Create a morning ritual
Kids have no sense of time. This is obvious every morning during the school year in my house. The younger the kids it, the worse the concept is. There is to be no television in the morning. My kids completely zone out if the t.v. is on. Getting dressed, eating breakfast, brushing teeth goes out the window the moment the button is pushed. I just read some awesome suggestions on how to get everyone in the car on time. Your command center will cut down on time because backpack and papers will be in one central area. But how do you get them up? I have heard some great suggestions. Obviously an alarm clock is a great tool. You can set it to wake them up to music to get them moving in the morning. I have heard of people spending 20 minutes or more trying to get their kids out of bed. Adjust their bedtime so that they can get up on time in the morning.
I just recently read the greatest advice for getting kids up and out. In a Family magazine, one mom wrote that she had a mixed cd. The kids knew when it was playing one type of music, say salsa, they were to get up and get dressed. By the time the next type, say hip hop, they knew they should be eating breakfast and brushing their teeth. When the last type of music came on, say Christian-they knew to get their book bags and head to the door. Get creative and come up with something to fit your family.
Create a family calendar
Give each family member a different color marker and teach your kids to calendar events. Then post the calendar in a prominent place so that everyone knows what each person’s schedule looks like for the week. Parents participate as well. Plan something special for that child who has a very busy or tough week-maybe his favorite dinner or something.
Create some rest time
As school starts back up so do the extras. Stay on top of it by planning rest with your family each day to recap the day and plan for the next. If you all are on the same page, things will go much more smoothly. Don’t take on more than you can handle. It is ok for your kid not to play every sport or be in 53 different activities. Make rest part of the organization process. Don’t organize your time so much that there is no room for rest.
These are just some suggestions we are going to use around our house this year. I know there are a lot of moms out there that have done this much longer than I have. I would love to hear your tips. Please leave in the comments.
