(although I do sorta miss my old normal that was filled with sunscreen and penny candy from the concession stand...only 9 more months till it returns, right?)
I've been trying to get back on the organizational wagon after a relaxing, fly by the seat of our pants kind of summer, and the thing I started with first was school mornings. If there is no order, there is no sanity...just chaos. And chaos at 6am is not fun - believe me, I've been there, please don't make me go back.
So the night before I get all the backpacks ready, lay out all their clothes, pack lunches, and even fill sippy cups for the younger ones.
I've also started making a "school grocery list" every week for what I will need for lunches, it saves money and assures me that I have enough of everything I need.
I actually made a little lunch schedule just like the school did. I don't have a months worth but I do week to week or a couple weeks at a time. That way it changes up their lunches and they don't get bored with what I'm packing. So with that in hand, I head to the grocery and buy what I need.
This is an example of what our menu looks like, its just a regular old dry erase calender turned lunch menu...
Fun, huh? Not so much? Well it works in our neck of the woods :).
I'm hoping the kiddos still like this system a few months from now!
Next I'm going to tackle toy organization, send help :).
Disclosure - Compensation was provided by Country Crock via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Country Crock.
Yeah, how do you organize toys? My husband consistently mutters things about throwing them all away if they can't keep them clean and other fun things** he is really a big softie** , so let me know your system if you FIND one. I got the $5 cookbook from Kohl's and it is really cool. 200 healthy lunchbox choices for kids. I don't know~ I can't wait to try it for Gabe. Cheers~ K
ReplyDeleteI wish my kids like more then just ham sandwiches (my son) and peanut butter sandwiches (my daughter.) I get bored packing their lunches! I found this list on the internet. Its called 40 bags in 40 days. Its for organizing. Each day it gives you something to tackle. Like toys. Fill a bag and get rid of it. I could probably go 80 bags in 40 days! :)
ReplyDeleteMy new little kindergartener likes cold pizza in her lunch box. I found laying out the clothes for the whole week at a time for all my kids, even the non school ones, helps a ton!
ReplyDeleteCowartclan, I found some nice under the bed storage bins and organized some toys in them. I pull out a box at a time to play with, clean up when done and hide away. Looks so much cleaner! Kids need a little help getting it out but it is worth it.
Good idea about the calendar. Toys are overrunning my house. I am about to toss a bunch!
ReplyDeleteLOVE it... you & I are so similar like that!
ReplyDeleteMy major issue is the endless handing down of clothes... I have the reverse of your gender balance and my daughter is my eldest..... so there is an endless stream of boys clothes changing "owner".... someone else folding the laundry is a nightmare...... I've tried the dot system and I've tried iron on labels...... now I just rely on my memory. I am tackling my twins wardrobe today {I have said this every day for about five days!} to toss old winter things into bags for charity and make some space so I can hand down from all the older brothers right down the line
OY...... :)
and I do toys into baskets onto shelves {we have cube bookcases like from Ikea} and then put a tag on the front of the basket or box so those old enough to read can choose what they want. I also put things that need supervision up too high for them to get themselves so they need to ask a grown up to get it. Then you get a heads up about what they are doing......