Go back to school, stress free

I've been working on so many new blog ideas but none of them are "perfect" yet. In trying to take my own advice I am letting go of the some of the perfectionist in me and getting things done. I think if I wait for them to be perfect, they won't be completed.  

Back to school time is fun, exciting, bittersweet and can be incredibly busy time. It takes time to get ready for the craziness but it's so worth it. When school days and sports hit we're ready for smooth sailing...or at least ready to handle the last minute crisis with more patience and ease. :) 

School Supply Shopping: 
I have a shelf in my basement that holds all supplies from each year, you know...the stuff that gets dumped out of backpacks every June and left until August? We go through backpacks after school's out and decide then what can be reused/recyled or tossed out. After we've done that, they get put on the shelf until time to start "shopping" there first. 

Inside the first few binders I have sheet protectors, loose leaf paper (one binder for college ruled and one for wide ruled) and tabbed dividers.  Buckets are broken down with pens, pencils, colored pencils; another one with paper stuff (post it notes/flags and index cards); last one markers, sharpies and highlighters.

When it's time to get school supplies I first download all lists from each student and send the kids to the supply shelf with their list. They get what we have, cross it off, put in their pile and give me the marked off list. I then take each list and compile ONE shopping list. This takes time to set up but every year I'm so happy I did. This year the kids kept running to ask me what's next on the list, they'd go grab it, dump in the cart and go for more. We were done shopping in 15 minutes. Fastest time yet! They all loved racing each other...even the 16 year old was happy to help get stuff. Maybe that was because I'd promised them lunch after shopping, though. He's all about food. HA! 

One list is so much easier to take to the store than 1.

This list used to have 6 lists

to combine! It's gets smaller every 2 years.

 

School Lunch Time
We like the kids to pack school lunches for several reasons: saves the budget,  healthier (sometimes) and they will eat what they pack. The kids like to because they have more time to chat with friends by not waiting in line at the cafeteria. To help with ease of morning rush I have 2 shelves in our "extra pantry" (converted catch-all closet). One way we choose to teach them to budget is to have them choose one day a week to buy. Our schools have a lunch account we can put money into whenever we want, so every month the kids get enough money for 5 lunches and milk every day, when that money is gone, they're done buying stuff...unless they want to pay for it out of their own pocket. 

The bottom shelf buckets came from our local Dollar General for $1.50. Top shelf buckets were recycled from someplace in the house. 

 

 

 

 

The top shelf is for after school practices, rehearsals or games. And who doesn't always lose their water bottles? Now they have a place to put them. The bottom shelf bucket labels are: fruit, applesauce, pudding, snack/treat. They kids know my rule is one fruit or applesauce plus a yogurt or fruit from the refrigerator and one treat/snack item. The treat bucket is usually filled with granola bars, pretzel packs, goldfish, etc. 

Anyone who comes to my house knows that I don't stress about cleaning the house the last 2 weeks so summer. It's tidy but certainly not "company clean".  My kids will gone for 6 hours a day and I'll have plenty of time to get it cleaned after they're back in school...unless I'm subbing in one of the schools. (I love subbing! Best paid job ever!)

I hope you enjoy the last few weeks of summer and that the start of your school year is a fun, easy transition.