August is approaching us. This means that the kids are heading back to school soon! This is bittersweet for most parents. It is exciting and slightly relieving that our little ones are taking the next step in their educational journey and will not be running around the house all day. However, it can also be a bit stressful and anxiety-inducing to make sure your student is set up for success. Whether you’re helping your children pack their bags or preparing to drive them to school, this can be a stressful time of year with lots of logistics to take care of and emotions to manage. Instead of just managing your chores and work schedule, you also have to make sure your child is where they need to be, fed, and prepared – and don’t forget the homework gets done! Here are 5 tips to help you make this transition as smooth as possible for both you and your kids.
1. Use a Calendar
A traditional calendar is always great, but what’s even better is a digital one. With Google Calendar and several other family calendar apps, you can sync calendars, color code them by person and event, and so on! This is a great way to make sure everyone has all of their priorities set for the week. It allows kids to practice good habits of planning ahead, and it also allows parents to plan based on both of their schedules. This is a great way to make sure you don’t miss picture day and parent-teacher conferences, or even things you do for yourself, like that workout class. Furthermore, you and your spouse can easily balance picking up the kids from school and practices once work schedules are imported into the calendar. Use a calendar and keep maintaining it – it will work wonders for communication and punctuality in your household!
2. Organize School Supplies
“Mom – where’s my…” Yup, we’ve all heard it. A great way to ensure your kids have all their school supplies and know where to find them is prioritizing organization. First, clean out last year’s backpack and pencil pouch to salvage any supplies that can be reused. Double-check your storage and see what you already have at home. Finally, go school supply shopping and make sure to invest in organizing materials. Get an accordion folder for homework. Get a pencil pouch with multiple packets. Get some desk organizers for home. These items will help your student find what they need, and essentially help you do the same!
3. Laundry Hacks
Laundry. Sigh. Loads of laundry, loads of new clothes for back to school. Make sure to double-check for stains from lunch or art and crafts time at school. Here is a great recipe for DIY stain remover: Mix one part Dawn with two parts peroxide in your chosen container. Then add 1 to 2 tablespoons of baking soda to make a paste. Add more baking soda if too watery, and more peroxide if too thick. There you have it! This can be applied to the clothing using an old toothbrush. Let sit, then wash after 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the fabric of your clothing item and how bad the stain is.
We also recommend investing in Tide Instant Stain Remover Sticks! If your children are younger, this is a must-have for car rides to school and anywhere else – honestly. But if your children are older, this is a great thing to put in their backpack and let them use as needed.
4. Meal Prep
If you’re like us and want to have as much preparation beforehand as possible, meal prepping may work well for you! Think of recipes, grocery shop, cook, and refrigerate or freeze during weekends when you have more time. In fact, there’s no reason why meal prep can’t happen in late summer so that when your child returns home after their first day of school you can simply reheat a homemade meal versus resorting to frozen dinners or takeout.
It will be one less thing for you and your family to worry about as everyone re-adjusts from long days at work or school. Another reason that grocery shopping is so much easier is when everything on your list is spelled out in advance. This way, you’ll be able to spend less time planning meals, grocery shopping, cooking, and so on during the week. Meal prepping will allow you to focus on your student and your daily routine together on weekdays instead.
5. Explore Together
Instead of worrying about how your kids will handle their new responsibilities, stress levels, and independence, let them help you explore what’s new. Whether it’s your neighborhood or a new school and friends, kids thrive on being involved in decisions that affect them. Get your kids’ input on school schedules, friends, and even favorite foods. When you’re involved in these choices with your kids, they’ll feel like they have some control over their world during an otherwise chaotic time – and they may also be more open to trying new things. You’ll also get a firsthand look at how well prepared your child is for each stage of his or her educational journey. For example: Are there any extracurricular activities he or she may want to consider joining? Any clubs and organizations? These will help develop your child and their passions.
Don’t forget to breathe and take some time for yourself when you need it. Treat yourself to a spa day or a hike. Just do something you enjoy by yourself or even have a date night with your spouse after hiring a sitter. It is important to slow down and cherish little moments throughout even the busiest of weeks!
6. Bonus: Contact Us
With school starting back up soon, you might be feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of all the cleaning and organizing you have to do to get your child’s room and routine ready for the new school year. However, you don’t have to feel overwhelmed! Just give us a call at 404-920-8551 or email us at Hello@CardinalCleaning.com for a free quote.
Cardinal Cleaning values consistent, quality service and trustworthy business practices. Our cleaners use these hacks, and several others, to ensure your home is as clean as can be. If you are in need of a cleaning service that provides consistent quality and service, give us a call to meet face-to-face so that we can make a noticeable difference in your home. We would love to do the cleaning for you so you have more time to do what you love. Like we say, cleaning is for the birds!
