It’s Back To School Time! Here Are Some Helpful Tips For Getting The Kids (and Yourself) Into A Routine!
While it’s always nice to have them home with you, all Summer long, it can be good to get back to a school-year routine as Autumn hits. From getting the bedtime (and wake time) down, to getting school supplies and planning for meals, it can be a lot to take on, after a summer off!
Get back into the swing of things, more easily, with these tips and ideas, creating a more organized and stress-free environment at home, for everyone!
---GET THE ROUTINE DOWN---
(brought to you by Huffington Post):
1. Keep bedtime simple
*Sleep is essential to healthy growth and development. And having a solid bedtime routine will promote good sleep. Remember it takes the average person a complete hour to go from fully awake to fully asleep. If you do an hour-long bedtime routine pretty much the same way every night, your child’s brain will get the message that it is time to shut down for sleep. And make sure that you build in lots of connection time with your littles before sleep as it will help them even more to drift off into la-la land.
2. Aim for connected mornings
*Set your alarm clock for 15 minutes earlier than you need to in order to create some space in your morning for actual connected time with your kids. Sitting down to a 15 minute breakfast together, snuggling up for a morning story, or sharing a warm cuppa something cozy are all ways you can get some QT in with your kids before sending them off into the demanding world of school. This routine settles their brains, priming them for an openness to learning, and shoring them up for the challenges that may come their way through the school day.
3. Make it visual
*We think our kids get it. Right? I mean seriously - if you do your morning routine the same way every day you shouldn’t have to actually remind your kids to brush their teeth or put on their socks or pack their water bottle - right? In fact, lots of kids struggle with those basic kinds of things in the morning because mornings are stressful! And because they are kids and are still perfecting their brains. This means they are bound to get sidetracked here and there. So take the guess-work out of it all and create a VISUAL schedule that your kids can follow with only the occasional gentle prompt from you. You can come up with your own using clip art or try something like Easy Daysies who have already done all the work for you!
4. Don’t rush
*Being rushed is super stressful for both kids (and adults!). So create time and space in your morning for all of the things that need to happen, including the inevitable unexpected things like cereal down the front of a clean outfit or the leaky water bottle that soaks a backpack. Try to take care of as much as you can the evening before with outfits picked out, lunches sorted out, and backpacks already filled up with homework and field trip forms. And if you can plan your departure early enough that there is also time and space for your child to arrive at school and settle in without rushing, even better.
5. Track the time
*Kids often don’t have a well-developed sense of the passage of time until early adolescence. So they aren’t actually trying to make you crazy by getting distracted and not keeping an eye on the clock. To help with some of the frustration around this you can use a visual timer that actually shows the child the time going by. A couple that I like to use in my clinic and at home are Time Timer (available as an app or an actual clock face) or a lighted timer such as Time Tracker, where the light slowly changes color as time ticks by.
6. Feel the Rhythm
*Surprise and spontaneity are not generally well-received by most human beings. On the flip-side, having a rhythm to your days and your life provides a sense of safety. As you get your routine sorted out, aim for there to be a sort of rhythm that develops over the course of the week that your kids can feel. As they get a sense of how mornings go, how bedtimes go, how Fridays go (pizza night), how Tuesdays go (basketball practice) and so on, you will feel them relax right into that rhythm. Once this happens, the rhythm just carries the schedule forward and life feels a whole lot easier.
---SCHOOL SUPPLIES---
If you still haven’t made it to the store to get those school supplies, time is running out! You can run into any store and grab basic supplies, but if you’re trying to save money, there are a few places to find them that are looking out for your pocketbook!
Great places to find inexpensive school supplies:
https://www....-2017-t114617
If you’re trying to be the coolest parents in town, grab some of these non-essential but super trendy school supplies! The kids will love them and their friends will be envious of not only their sweet gear but their oh, so awesome parents!
- Word Lock
I guess I’m old because I never heard of a word padlock. Um, GENIUS! I can’t tell you how many times I forgot my locker combination in high school. I still have nightmares about it.
https://www....=babble002-20
- Colored Smencils
Who doesn’t want scented colored pencils? No one, that’s who
https://www....=babble002-20
-Talking Bubble Sticky Notes
Do kids still share lockers? What a fun way to leave each other notes! Anyone who uses those old-fashioned square sticky notes is such a … square.
https://www....=babble002-20
- 'Draw It Yourself' calculator
This is by far one of our favorites from this list (and a whole lot of other lists that have been featuring this item)!
You’re to start with a blank canvas, and then design and personalize your own calculator however you want!
https://www....5974c50405345
- Swell water bottle
This is seriously the coolest! Head over to Target and get the S’well Water Bottle for $24.99. Available in your choice of 19 colors/patterns.
Each 15oz bottle is made from BPA-free double-walled stainless steel and is designed to keep beverages cold and hot longer than your average bottle.
https://www...._water_bottle
- Black Fluorescent Dry Erase Weekly Calendar Magnetic Board
Place this attention-grabbing board on the fridge, so your child can keep track of their schedule, including after-school events and chores. They’ll learn to take on more responsibilities (with your oversight).
https://www....I&searchidx=1
- Magic sequin, color-changing pencil cases
These have been the rage for a few years now, yet they only seem to be growing in popularity! Buy a few in your favorite color combos and store all the things in them!
https://www....=BF43G4GLWVXN
---MEAL IDEAS FOR THOSE CRAZY DAYS—
Life gets NUTS sometimes, but we all have to eat! Make you meal-planning, one less thing to worry about with these quick, easy, and healthy ideas for food that will keep you full up, all week long!
*Make ahead and freeze breakfasts:
Mornings are by far the most hectic time of the day. You’re trying to get yourself and the kids ready and out the door by a certain time… which is pretty impossible to do if you’re also trying to provide everyone with a good breakfast. While there’s nothing wrong with a quick bowl of cereal or a Pop-tart to go, it’s aways nice to have something more filling and delicious to enjoy before you start you day. Check out these delicious, homemade breakfasts without all the work!
17 simple breakfast recipes that you can make ahead and freeze:
https://newl...d-and-freeze/
*Meal prep for kids’ lunches:
When it comes to the kids’ lunches, either you’re in charge of packing them or they are (and you supervise to make sure they’re not packing a bag full of candy and chips!). Give yourself (and them) some guidance and ease in the task of lunch-packing and
spend a few extra minutes, one day a week, and you’ll realize just how easy packing school lunches can be for the others days of the week!
https://www....prep-lunches/
*Meal prep Lunches for adults:
Packing a healthy lunch for ourselves is a MUST if were trying to save on money and calories. It’s easy to grab some fast food on your break, but the money spent and the overly-processed, non-nutritious meal will likely be something you’ll regret later. We understand that packing yourself a healthy, satisfying meal before you leave the house (or even the night before) might not always happen, but planning out all 5 of your meals, just one day a week.... Now, that’s something totally do-able!
Give his meal prep thing a try and you might just fall in love!
21 healthy lunch recipes for you that are perfect to meal-prep for the week and give you a little inspo to start the week off on a healthy note.
https://www....ct-meal-prep/
*Slow cooker recipes:
Put your slow-cooker to good use and save tons of time in the kitchen with it’s help. Here are some amazing recipes that you can set and forget as you use your time on more important things. You’ll be amazed at the huge assortment of recipes out there that taste incredible like you’ve spent a lot of time on them, when really, just one kitchen tool did it all!
https://www....oker-recipes/
---GET CRAFTY—
Taking some time to get creative and use the right side of your brain has been proven to relieve stress (among many other, health benefits!). Spend some time with friends, the family, or alone, working on something fun and crafty and see how calming it can be!
*Add a little flare to your door with an adorable (and super easy to make) wreath! Made out of crayons and a few other, easy-to-find supplies. You can enlist the kiddos to help with his project and even customize it in any way you want! Add the little rosettes in the fabrics of your choice OR add a little chalkboard to the wreath and add the message you want!
(Get the full tutorial here):
https://www....rayon-wreath/
*Join us at our painting studio in Raleigh for a class before the craziness of the school year starts back!
-Sign up for our ‘Open Studio’ class on August 23rd or the 30th and bring the whole family along to paint whatever you feel like!
(8/23) https://www..../event/254478
(8/30) https://www..../event/260537
-Stop by with your bffs and have an amazing girls’ day out on August 25
(*This class includes a complimentary mimosa!)
https://www..../event/246382
-Come in for a date night with your honey and spend some one-on-one time together, making art on August 25
https://www..../event/251743
-See what all the rage about “pour paintings” are and join us for a class that will teach you the technique on August 25
https://www..../event/253045
-Really get your “zen” going on August 26 as we host a painting and yoga class where you get to create your masterpiece on a canvas OR a tote bag- your choice!
https://www..../event/255284
*These are just a few of the many classes we’re offering throughout the rest of August and throughout all of September, so be sure to click on the link at the bottom of the page and see what’s coming up!
We hope to see you soon for a class at our studio if you’re looking for something fun to do in or around the Raleigh-Durham area! We make the perfect event for everything from a fun and unique date night, an awesome girls’ night out experience, and we even offer private events! When you view our classes on our website, you’ll be viewing our schedule for our public classes, but you can also book a painting party with the guest list of your choice! Come in to celebrate a birthday, bridal shower, reunion, retirement, and more with friends and family, sharing their artistic sides, together. Make memories that will last a lifetime with a souvenir to treasure forever with one our classes.
*Learn more about our private parties, here:
https://www....ivate-parties
We also play host to tons of corporate events, too! Why not book your next work party or team building event with us? We offer several styles of paintings that incorporate team building strategies, encouraging the whole office to work together, creating a stunning world of art!
*Read more about corporate events, here:
https://www....porate-events
Finally, in addition to out studio parties, we offer mobile events, off-site! You choose the location and we’ll come to you with all of the supplies!
*Learn more about out mobile events, here:
https://www....ainting-party