Learn how to make back to school mornings easier!

Back to school time is fast approaching, and so is the realization that soon I will have to make sure I drag myself out of bed in time to get everyone up and dressed for school, pack those lunches, get the backpacks in order and arrive on time for the school day.

I’m already tired just thinking about it!

Abandoning my summer schedule of rising early-ish, but not too early, not having to get anyone ready for anything in particular, and schlepping to the pool to laze around for part of the day… well, it’s back to school is a tough sell. Continue reading »

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My son has chosen this backpack from Skip*Hop to tote to kindergarten, but is he just asking to be bullied?

So, my youngest son Gray starts kindergarten in a couple weeks and chose this adorable Skip*Hop elephant backpack (pictured) to take to and from school everyday. Up until right about now I thought it was so cute! And was so excited he’s eager to go to school. But now I’m having second thoughts about the backpack. Is he just asking to be bullied if he wears that thing? Continue reading »

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Didn't we just close for summer vacation?

While quite a few moms are gearing up to breathe a collective sigh of relief when school opens up again, I’m dreading back-to-school season almost as much as the kids.

I’ve started the immense task of tackling the shopping list, the supplies have been purchased and the kids’ uniforms have arrived. We’ve picked out new backpacks and lunchboxes, so we’re OK on that front. It’s not the preparation that’s bothering me. It’s the many things that occur when school opens up again for a new year that I detest.

Continue reading »

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Photo Credit: Flickr, Evelyn Giggles

Tick Tock, Tick Tock….  do you hear that?  THAT is the sound of your summer, of my summer, of my children’s summer winding down.  It means school is on our horizon and that means all things BACK TO SCHOOL.  I put it in caps because that is how it is bellowed in my home every day – especially when referencing BACK TO SCHOOL shopping and naturally, school supplies.  The littlest set (where I have been until recently) are relegated to Crayola Central, but now, the fun begins.  Sure, we have a list, but FINALLY, the small girl gets to assert her opinion, show off her style and truly?  Boss me around for the duration of our School Supply adventure.  Why do I allow it?  It is in the name of learning, for Heaven’s sake….  It is just one of the ways I make this process painless.  Another way?  I get it over with early.  Yes.  It is July.  My kids don’t start school for a month, but we are D-O-N-E.

How do you tackle this epic ritual in your kid-mom-school world?

Drop by Babble’s comprehensive Back to School Guide for 2011!

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Yesterday my son went to preschool with no shoes on. Not “no shoes” as in they were in a bag or something — no shoes as in he showed up completely barefoot. My husband was on drop-off duty, but somehow every shoe in the house had ended up in my car — and I was at work already, across town.

This is my first back to school season as a mom — my two and a half-year-old just started preschool. But already I’m realizing the challenge that lies between the alarm going off and actually exiting the door in the morning. And it’s no joke, because at our school if you arrive after 9:15am, you have to wait until 10:30 to drop off. The little kiddies are in their “morning meeting” during that time, and it can’t be interrupted.

Yesterday Penelope Trunk blogged about how she gets out the door in the morning with her two sons (and how she did it as a single mom). She didn’t describe the morning routine in the rosy, simple way it looks in magazines — it’s controlled chaos, and she’s really open about it. For example, her son (and Trunk herself) has Asperger’s and related sensory issues, so handling breakfast might include having to ask him to clean up after himself after vomitting up his quesadilla. Kind of puts things in perspective.

So what were her top secrets to surviving the morning? Continue reading »

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Is your dog sad about going back to school?

Has your dog been acting particularly mopey lately?  Has she suddenly regressed to her puppy days and started relieving herself on the living room rug?  Has your formally well-behaved best friend recently started driving you crazy with incessant barking, howling and digging?

What about your cat?  Is he wandering around the house meowing a lot for no apparent reason?  Clawing the furniture?  Eating your houseplants?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, perhaps your pet is suffering from separation anxiety.  Now that the kids are back in school, your four-legged family members may be feeling a little sad and stressed, missing all the attention received during those glorious summer months. Continue reading »

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If you’ve got school-aged kids, after this weekend the party is over. That is, if the party hasn’t ended already. It’s back-to-school time and even if you’ve already bought the new crayons, fresh underwear, cool backpacks and breakfast bars your kids will need, there’s one big thing you can’t really prepare for until the big day: getting out the door.

For some of us, the morning rush is a bigger challenge than the birth, breastfeeding, Mommy & Me classes and potty training combined. A quirky personality here, a late sleeper there, a missing shoe/forgotten water bottle/missing homework(!) can totally sink the mothership.

Jenifer Monroe, writing for BlogHer.com and republished at TodayMoms, has 10 smart tips. Continue reading »

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