Is it just me or did this summer fly by? As a mom and teacher, I feel like the summers grow shorter every year. I will say though, by the time August rolls around, my crew is typically ready to be back in the swing of things with a regular routine. I know children do best with a set routine, and to be honest, so do I. In terms of chaos and busyness though, the month of August ranks right up there with December and May.
In order to save my sanity, I’ve come up with a few simple things to help settle back into school mode:
A – Accept the Chaos
I know that sounds crazy. I’ve found that if I expect life and schedules to be crazy though, it helps me out. I am a teacher with three kids of my own, which means that my husband and I have to divide and conquer to make it to every open house and back to school night on the calendar. The same goes for morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up. Because my children are all at different schools, those two things are a thorn in my side. But realizing that I couldn’t change the craziness of the mornings and afternoons, definitely helped my mindset.
B – Be Prepared
While I may accept the chaos of back to school, that doesn’t mean I’m not prepared. I try my best to have a system and plan in place each day to help myself prepare for the next day. We empty backpacks, sign papers, and check folders when we get home. We make lunches and check school menus before bed. We check the weather and lay out clothes and shoes after night time showers. I stuff backpacks and put them in their designated spots first thing when I wake up. One of my boys takes longer to wake up and get ready, so his alarm goes off well before his brothers’. We have a set time we leave our house every morning in order to make our morning drop-off run smoothly. All three boys know what time that is, and it’s their responsibility to make sure they are ready to load up at that time. Being prepared isn’t a groundbreaking notion, but it helps me tremendously.
C – Use a Calendar
I’ve shared about my love of calendars before. I honestly couldn’t function without my calendar. I keep my personal schedule, school schedule, husband’s and children’s schedules, and everything else in there. It helps me so much during the month of August when there are multiple events going on every day. I use a digital calendar so I can have it in multiple places when I need it, but paper calendars work just as well. The minute we have a plan come to life, it goes on my calendar. This makes life run so much more smoothly when it’s rather chaotic.
