I wouldn’t say that the first week of school was a fail BUT I would say that this second week we are way more prepared. I thought we were ready because I had filled her little meal plan account, had at least her first day outfit ready, and an alarm set–for the first day. And our first day we were ready! Our second day we were kind of ready–she wanted us to pack lunch but we left it in the fridge. Wednesday and Thursday we almost missed the bus. Friday Daddy had to take her to the bus stop since Mommy had tapped out. Story of my life right here.
So here’s what I learned our first week of school:
- Missing the bus is enough of an incentive for her to get up and ready within 5 minutes
- Baby abc gives zero damns about Mommy having to wake up at unheard of hours to get mini to the bus stop on time and will have us up all hours of the night feeling like death is coming in the form of exhaustion
- Just because school lunch is cool to be able to buy it doesn’t mean that’s what they actually want–nor is it what’s best for them (hard poops=no fun for a little bum)
- These school folders can be overwhelming as you try to balance reviewing what’s in them, making dinner, nursing baby, etc.
I hate feeling unprepared and me having to tap out on Friday was evidence that I needed to do better. I’m a perpetual planner and I failed to plan properly for school. I have a plan for planning out my plan that’s how much I plan. Now that I know a couple of things I didn’t know before, I feel more ready to have a successful week/month/year.
Here are 3 tips that have already helped us:
Planning the Lunch Box
I know it’s silly, but I feel like packing a lunch was the most daunting task. Both the hubs and I have fond memories of the lunches our moms packed. My mom would send me with the most divine lunches–turkey, cheese, lettuce & tomato on a croissant, pita’s stuffed with deliciousness, snacks galore. But with all the new regulations on lunch and making sure that I had everything coupled with my mini’s taste buds, the idea of packing lunches really scared me. I’m pretty creative but I’m not that mom making Elsa’s face with some sandwiches–mama just doesn’t have that time. I’m pretty good at compartmentalizing things so that’s what I did here. I broke down what has to be sent with her into compartments, planned out what her lunch would be for the week, and shopped for those things.
click image to print it if you need to!
An Outfit A Day Keeps the Hard-Decision Fairy Away
Mini is a girls girl to the “T”. She is her mother’s child and I can’t fault her for wanting to be stylish–especially after our shopping trip to Carter’s. We don’t have uniforms so instead of fighting over outfits in the morning, I’ve set up a week’s worth of outfits that correspond with whatever elective she has that day. On her PE days, she has her sporty outfits, art days she has an outfit that I don’t mind getting messy with paint or whatever, and music she’s allowed to wear a dress (with shorts of course). Doing this has taken the think work out of mornings since I’m really not the best morning person.
We use ziplock bags for now
Planning the Week in Alarms
In my head, our days are planned out but if it’s just in my head, then teamwork can’t make the dream work. I don’t have one of those un-involved husbands–he’s very hands-on and helps out with everything. Last week my alarms weren’t set so I was happening to look at the time like “Oh.Em.Gee we gotta go!!!” This was my life story as a teen but now as a mom, I can’t be that. Last night I set up all of my alarms which include me getting up for my power hour, getting mini up, walking her to the bus stop, etc. These help me stay focused and on task as well as sets the proper expectations with my husband for what I may or may not need from him. For example, the alarms went off this morning and he knew what needed to be done and was able to jump in where I needed him as I dealt with my crazy baby who has blatant disregard for mommy’s need for sleep and me time. I digress… Our alarms worked this morning.
On Sunday’s We Plan and Prepare
I think that’s all I did Sunday from morning until I finally sat down to work. I planned our meals for the week, grocery shopping list, reviewed our budget, and then did the shopping. After that, I organized our kitchen for efficiency which included dividing up bags of snacks into individual snack bags and cutting up veggies and fruits. When mini and the hubs returned from church, I washed her hair, greased her scalp (yes, greased), and braided her hair up into this weeks style she loved. After that, I made her delicious lunch which was something to be proud of. I sat and reviewed all the paperwork that needed my signature and review, packed her backpack, and we got to hang out calmly in the evening without anyone feeling frantic.
These are some of the things that work for us in making sure that our week flows as smoothly as it can. What are some of your weekly rituals and routines that help with your efficiency?
