My, how time flies doesn’t it? We’re just about done with summer and that means one thing: It’s back to school time!! For any parent, that’s typically a good and “not-so good” thing. Good, because we’re all looking forward to getting a little more breathing time (cough, cough) but on the same token, that of course means screaming kids, early-morning wakeup times, routines, planning, organizing, crayons, backpacks, and a million ways we ask for merci. :D There are ways to help avoid all the stress associated with going back to school and that’s exactly what we’re about to share with you: Smart (DIY) ideas to start (and keep) stress-free. LIKE our Facebook page for daily and weekly nuggets of inspiration, tips and ideas, giveaways and more. Organization stations. These come especially handy when you have more than one “rascal” on your hands. Keep their to-do’s in sight, check out their calendar and events at a glance, add notes, and avoid any potential “confusions” (you know what I’m talking about!) Create put-away bins. When kids have a tendency to leave things behind (and everywhere), help keep the clutter away with put-away bins. Collect everything into a one bin, or better yet, assign a bin for each family member to encourage taking individual responsibility. Make sure the bin get cleared out daily. Remember to remember. Hang a note or bin by the door, to serve as a “Don’t forget” hanger. You can even get über excited and bring out your creative side like you see below. Get the lunches ready. With an abundance of “not so healthy” food in schools, it’s important to keep your kids healthy and supply them with the right type of snacks, munchies and lunch options. With your busy schedule, we have found that it’s always easier when you meal prep the Sunday before. For example: every Sunday, pack your kid’s snack for the rest of the week. You can also use see-through plastic containers to group together any items that need to be refrigerated and you can always separate them by days of week with colorful post its. Organize clothing. This is always a great idea if you’re trying to avoid the “I have a closet full of clothes but can’t find anything to wear” and ... be late for school :) Spend 30 minutes every Sunday and have fun with your kids planning and separating the 5 outfits they’ll wear that week. Fact is, that when they look well put together they’ll typically feel better too, and be more productive with their time. Win-win. Surprising multipurpose tools. Hang a clear shoe-rack behind the door, to hide in plain sight the most common supplies, arts and crafts. Create a homework station. No more dog eating homework problems! Easy for kids to stay organized and keep everything together. For more tips and ideas, join the Facebook conversation and LIKE for more! Ready to go back to school, US Storage Centers
