Organizing for Back to School

I remember the stress of getting ready for back to school each year. How mom is terrified you are going to forget something and the kids are not to sure about being in a new class. So each year my mom would do a few things like make sure our backback was ready, and that our outfit for the first day of school was set out (to make sure we didnt wear something that was totally weird) the night before school started. I found 10 tips by iVillage for getting ready for back to school.

10. Make a To-Do List - I love lists because if I dont put it down in writing my brain seems to lose it or is afraid of losing it so I sit and worry about it. Thats why a back to school to do list is such a good idea not only for mom by for the kids. Kids tend to get out of the routine of things over the summer so why not give them a list of maybe 5 things to do in the morning.

9. Organize Your Entryway- such a good idea. I know that my mom had a special place for us to put our backpacks and coats when school time rolled around. Which I totally loved and still put my backpack there even in college. Its a good idea to have a specific place for backpacks and what not that way you dont forget where you put them. Being a teacher myself I know that kids a VERY forgetful when it comes to this kind of thing.

8.Get Ready the Night Before-- like said before my mom would lay out our clothes even right down to the underwear, and sometimes make our lunch as well. I think this take the stress out of that first day and takes away some of those first day jitters.


7.Stay on Top of Laundry-- Kids dirty a lot of clothes which = a lot of laundry. Especially when those school clothes are new. I remember when  I was little my mom for the first couple months would make us come home and change out of our school clothes and into old clothes before we could play. I seriously dont know how she did that much laundry. But you could find yourself in the same situation if your kids have uniforms so stay on top of that laundry and set aside one day just to get it taken care of.


6. Save Time Cleaning Up-- Now that you are getting back into a routine it is a great time to organize cleaning. My cute sister in law has a the most magnificent cleaning chart. Each day everyone has a task to do after dinner, even the littlest kid and dad have a task to do. Its a great way to save you some time and keep a neat and tidy house.

5. Bag it-- iVillagers had this to say, "Use colored tote bags to store equipment, one bag per activity, for example a blue bag for scouting and a red bag for ballet, you can easily grab the right bag on the right day. No more emptying and refilling a single bag." Such a good idea then you dont have to worry about wear everything is because it should "ideally" stay in that specific bag.

4. Keep Track of Important Paperwork-- with school comes paperwork. One way to organize this would be to give each kid a shelf and an paper organizer for different activities like school, ballet, sports, etc


3.Don't Let the Mail Pile Up-- get the mail daily and go threw it. We all know what the credit card offers are so just put them straight in the shreader :)

2. Plan Ahead for Meals-- one of my least favorite things is trying to figure out whats for dinner. You have been working all day and just want to rest. It makes it so easy to have meals planned ahead that you can just look at the day and cook it up. I found a great meal planner here

1. Don't Forget Your Keys-- if you are worried about forgetting something then put your keys on it you cant leave without them. So if you think you might forget you lunch maybe put your keys in the fridge or if you are like me you might forget where you put them so I might put a post it on my keys with the thing I need to remember. One thing that I have trained my husband to do is put his wallet in the same place every night and then if I need him to take something to work or run an errand for me I put it right by his wallet. That way he doesnt forget it cause he usually always needs his wallet.