I don't know about your house, but in my house during the summer every sort of schedule, routine, and organized space just gets turned upside down and inside out. My house is a mess, my kids don't have any sort of routine, and I couldn't tell you where most anything is. But, we have lots of fun! The thing I look forward to most of all for back to school is getting back to the routines, schedules, and organization. I love getting my house and life back into order for back to school! But, what does that look like? What kind of things can you be doing to get your home organized and ready for the back to school routines?
Create a pick up and drop zone - Kids are great about coming in the house and just dropping everything where they feel like it. Sometimes it is in the same spot, sometimes it is in different spots. The different spots can really make for some interesting mornings when you are trying to get everyone out the door. Instead create a small area of your home that the backpack, coats, shoes, etc. get dropped every day after school and then can be picked up in the morning when it is time to leave. Hang a clipboard next to each child's backpack for homework, notes from teachers, permission slips, and such so nothing gets forgotten to do. We also have a library book bin that the books go into when they come home and stay unless they are being read. This came after I spent too much time searching for lost library books. I think we all know that struggle! Don't forget to add places for after school activity bags also. There is never enough time between school and the activity to be searching for a shoe, ball, or shirt.
Make snacking (and maybe lunch packing) do-it-themselves - I remember a few years ago getting pretty tired of my kids asking me for snacks several times a day when I felt they were perfectly capable of getting it themselves. I came up with the plan to organize my fridge and pantry with kid areas. Areas with foods that they could choose and have whenever they wanted without asking me. I used the lowest shelf in the fridge and a lower shelf in the pantry. The pantry was easy; granola bars, crackers, fruit snacks for a small treat, fruit leather, and cereal. The fridge was a bit harder because I knew I needed to cut up fruits and veggies in advance and somehow store them. I bought several small glass containers that fit perfect single servings and twice a week would cut up different fruits and veggies depending on what was in season. I also had cheese and yogurt down on that shelf. It worked beautifully!! They got what they wanted, when they wanted it without interrupting what I was doing at the moment. I have also seen people go a step further and have lunch fixings organized and ready to go; every day their child can pack their own lunch. They even make the sandwiches ahead of time and just have them in the fridge ready to go. It is like an assembly line in your kitchen. Just like this video by Tasty Junior.
Start the Family Calendar - My kids are too young to have phones so they don't have their own online calendars that we can all sync together. We have a big wall calendar that hangs on the wall. I kind of love it! One glance and I know what is happening for the month. I do know though if I don't sit down at the beginning of the year and get most of it done then, it will stay half way done for the rest of the year. Important dates for school, after school activities, holidays, birthdays, and important family dates all get put on there ASAP. I usually know all those by August/September. As the school year happens kid appointments get on there, we plan dinners on the calendar, and I will put things I need to remember for the month in the Notes section down at the bottom. My kids will also use the calendar to see what is coming up for the week; mostly just to know what is for dinner.
Monroe School District Calendar can be found here
Sultan School District Calendar can be found here
Riverview School District Calendar can be found here
Northshore School District Calendar can be found here
Clothes, clothes, and more clothes - I remember the days when my kids would just let me dress them. That lasted about a year and half and then clothes just took over my life! I have a daughter that takes about 30 minutes to decide what to wear, changing her outfit serval times and still complaining, and a son who will just wear the same thing over and over again telling me he has nothing else to wear. This is all going to stop this year! They both now have one of those hanging clothes organizers in their closets with enough spots for at least five days. The plan is each Sunday we will pick out all their outfits for the week, put them in there, and that will be it. Once they get up in the morning they can just pull out the outfit for the day, put it on, and be good to go. Cross your fingers and toes this works for my kids and yours because I think we all our sanity back in the mornings!
Organization is something I am always striving for in my life, I never quite get there, but I try really hard. These four things are pretty easy to implement in your home and do every day. I hope you and your kids have a great and organized school year.
BONUS! Click HERE to get an After School Checklist for your family to use to make sure everything is done at the end of the day! Slip it in a sheet protector, hang it on the fridge or in a central location, and use crayons or dry eraser markers to make it reusable day after day.
