Financial Education

For some, school is already back in session, for others it will start very soon. In our house – it is crazy right now..

Planning meals, picking clothes for the week, getting the kids cleaned up – it’s stressful!  But, I’ve been doing some research on how to make the process easier for our family and yours. Here are tips to take the stress out of back to school mornings:

Plan breakfasts for the week. On Sunday plan what meals you will have in the mornings so you are worrying about it every morning. I know that can be tough sometimes with little kids, but if you have a plan or at least a good selection of food you will have a much smoother morning.

Prep the night before. Put lunches, snacks, outfits together before the kids go to bed. That way they still get to help pick out their clothes and lunch for the day and you don’t have to worry about packing in the morning.

Create and Use a Master Calendar.  I use Google calendar and sync it up with my husband’s account so we can easily see what is going on that week and who is pick up and/or dropping off so we can plan ahead.  This helps us stay organized so we don’t forget who is doing what, which is one less thing we have to worry about discussing in the morning. 

Keep some extra supplies in the car. How many times have you left for the morning and you kid forgot their jacket, sweatshirt or hat and gloves during winter. If you have an extra supply or just at least one back up in the trunk then you wont have to run home and back again to drop off something for them.   I also like to keep Kleenex and wet wipes in the car so I don’t have to run back inside when someone needs to wipe off their hands or face.

Buy online and keep your house stocked. The last thing you want in the morning is to be running around looking for a roll of toilet paper because it was empty.  I use Amazon Prime subscribe and save a lot, where I can schedule essentials to be automatically ordered at certain times of the month, so I don’t have to worry about running out.  You can also save a little bit of money by subscribing to this service.

Get in the habit of waking up early. This is another one that is tough, I know we all love our rest and it is hard to come by sometimes. Even with that just waking up an extra 15 minutes early can really lower the stress of the morning and not feeling rushed. You will really feel the difference if you just wake up a little bit earlier.

Play some music. Have your kids help pick out a playlist of music that they like that will help get them moving in the morning. Not only does it put a positive vibe going in the morning but it can help get them going in the morning.

I hope some of these tips will help you have a more stress free morning getting ready for the day and getting the kids to school on time and happy!