Let the running begin!

Going back to school marks the end of lazy summer days.  Sleeping until 9:30, lounging on the deck in pajamas until noon, bowling, swimming, playing in the sprinkler, beach vacations, $1 movie days, mini golf, and lunch at Chick-Fil-A will soon be swept away with waking up at 5:45 to the sound of an alarm (although I love the beach, ocean waves crashing on my sound machine that early in the morning don't sound much better than the annoying beeping that it replaces), shuffling to wake D up, getting dressed in something other than shorts, t-shirts & flip flops, putting on makeup, brushing my hair, being careful not to wake J before I get myself ready, running around like a crazy woman, and making it out the door by 7:20 with both boys in tow & ready to face the day!
Before J was born, I would tackle small chores (fold laundry, change the sheets, unload the dishwasher) before we left the house, but I'm thinking that won't happen as much...if at all.
I am still organized, but I feel like no matter how much planning I do, I'm never prepared for a last-minute episode of projectile vomiting or a diaper blow-out!  To make life a little easier, I combined some ideas I've read in various places and am hoping they work for us...fingers crossed!!

I typed a daily schedule for D to follow.  I don't like to nag (and he hates when I do), so hopefully this will help him to be more organized and independent in the mornings before leaving and when we get home in the afternoons.  I keep telling him he's in fourth grade and needs to be more responsible...hoping this helps!

 

Along with info from school (open house, ice cream socials, etc.) & soccer schedules, I printed the daily routine out and hung it on the door leading into the garage...that way I see it before we head out to get in the car in the morning & hopefully don't forget anything!  I've always done this, but things are so different with 20 pounds of baby and car seat carrier in your arms!

 

Then I jotted down a few daily reminders for myself on a Sunday - Saturday calendar that I keep on the fridge:

Homework has often been an issue in our house.  I've tried to set up schedules for getting it done in the past, but none of my ideas ever worked.  And I'm a teacher...yikes!  Even though we always got homework done, it sometimes became a hassle and/or argument.   This year, I'm enforcing the homework rules, and I'm not backing down.  D can either choose to do it in the living room (w/ no TV), at the dining room table, or at his desk (this was my desk at my grandparents' house when I was a little girl, and I refinished it a couple years ago)...I still love it.  Homework will be the first thing he does after we get home (after a quick snack) while I'm making dinner.  He keeps all of his favorite things there (everything Steelers & PSU, of course), so it makes it more inviting for him to sit down and work.  I might have to confiscate his laptop during homework time, though!

Lucky for me, D likes to buy school lunches, so that saves me lots of time.  I go online, put money in his account, and he's good to go!  I'm not a big fan of school lunches (unless I am pregnant - and that was last year!), so I take my lunch.  My plan is to pack it the night before...so hopefully I can stick with that and remember to grab it from the fridge before we leave.  I have always taken everything I possibly can out to the car the night before.  We always order out for lunch on Fridays, so that is one less thing for me to do at the end of a busy week...YAY for weekends!!!
I'm fortunate enough to have a wonderful babysitter who makes bottles & does laundry (bibs, burp cloths, blankets, etc) for J...so all I have to do is take him in the morning.  She lets me know when diapers, wipes & formula are running low, but other than those couple of things, we're set...and that saves me loads of time in the mornings!  
Oh, and my teacher bag...you know, the one we teachers drag home every night & sometimes it doesn't even make it into the house (because a big purse and lunch bag just aren't enough to carry out at the end of a long day)?  Well, if I do bring it in, it hangs on the door knob so I can drop "stuff" in it when I walk by...and hopefully it makes it back to the car later that night or the next morning on my way out! 

D keeps his backpack by the door so he can just pick it up and go in the morning...he loads it w/ homework and anything else he might need the night before.  I don't have a picture of that yet...I ordered him a Penn State backpack over a week ago & it's still not here yet...I've gone round & round with the company for two days now...we'll see how this goes...

Anyway, happy scheduling & routine-making for your kids as you start back to school in your house.  Let the running begin :)