How to Make the School Year Easier

This is my first year as a mom with a child in school. Our oldest started Pre-K this year and it was a huge deal for me to give up three hours a day with my big girl. However, she loves it, I love it, and we’re all very happy. Before the school year started, however, I was nervous about what school would do to our routine. My girls and I are very routine oriented, and I wanted to make sure driving to and from school everyday wouldn’t make too much of an impact on our meticulous schedule. Fortunately, I’ve already compiled a pretty good list of tips and tricks that help make any school year more efficient.

Work the Night Before

To make our mornings a little more fun and less stressful, we do everything the night before. Snacks are packed and labeled, the diaper bag for my youngest is already in the car, and clothes for all three of us are already laid out – all four of us, since my husband always chooses his suit the night before. Everything is ready to go when we wake up in the morning.

Email

One of the best things I did was ask my daughter’s teacher for her email address. She’s so busy with kids and parents at drop-off and pick-up every day that she doesn’t always have much time to talk. It’s so nice to have her email address so I can converse with her about volunteering, ideas I have for the classroom, and other things.

Fun Breakfasts

My oldest is not a great eater. She’s a dainty little thing who likes to eat when she wants to and only then. She has no problem with being told she gets nothing else to eat the rest of the evening if she doesn’t finish her dinner and the fact that she’s going to school and not getting the opportunity to eat whenever she wants doesn’t deter her from declining to eat breakfast. I’ve learned that I can get her to eat every morning if I make breakfast fun. We make pancakes every morning and decorate them with fruit. We have a competition to see who can make the coolest face out of blueberries or whatever else she wants that morning.