As we enter the month of August, there’s one thing on every mama’s mind right about now: the back to school scramble.
There’s a bittersweetness to the start of school again - the return to routines, orders, and schedule can be so nice and so very welcome. But saying goodbye to the casualness and fun of summer brings on a bit of sadness and longing for those casual summer nights already.
This year, we’re determined to bust the back to school scramble and create a back-to-school routine that helps both mom and the entire family thrive this fall.
Read on for our 4 best tips to stay organized, sane, and present - and reduce the usual back-to-school scramble this year!
We full-heartedly believe moms everywhere will attest that one of the most stressful parts of heading back to school is hearing the dreaded “what’s for dinner?!” question approximately one million times from pick-up to sitting at the table. 🤦♀️
Here are a few of our best tips to keeping mealtime *actually enjoyable* and getting the whole family involved:
Choose one night a week for a Family Fun Meal (We love Fridays!) - whether that’s eating out / or coming up with a fun meal to cook together at home. For the rest of the week, create an organized meal plan that you stick to in order to have your one night of fun.
Have your kids help you make your grocery list, plan out what meals to have, etc. so that they feel just as involved and important in the process as the adults. We use the Meal Planner Notepad each week - kids love to tear off the bottom list portion and mark out items around the store.
With a game like this in place, you’re in for a happy, healthy school year of dinners.
Don’t you dare sigh and scroll past this one! As buzzword-y as ‘healthy habits’ have become, we truly do believe in the power of cultivating healthy structured habits that become so commonplace in your day that you don’t even realize them anymore.
We encourage you to choose 2 habits you want to stick to in the fall.
Nothing too overwhelming, just 2 simple habits that you’ve always wanted to stick to. Try to stay specific rather than getting too broad/hard to track.
Here are a few ideas for healthy habits you can incorporate into your routine this fall:
- Morning walk or yoga
- Putting your phone across the room from where you sleep
- Wake up 30 minutes earlier
- Connect with at least two different friends at least once a week (a quick text, phone call, writing a surprise letter, or lunch all count!)
- Commit to reading instead of scrolling before bed each night
We love using our Habit Tracker Notepad as a simple, top-of-mind way to stay on top of our monthly habits. Ultimately, everything runs smoother and seems less chaotic when your healthy habits are on the right track.
Read James Clear’s Atomic Habits for more help on how to stick to healthy habits this fall!
Find a planning system that actually works for you - not the mom down the street or the blogger online.
Whether you’re a digital or paper (eh em! We may be biased here) fan, take some time to research + find the planning tools that get you excited about your inevitably busy schedule on the horizon.
Of course, we’re partial to our Daily Overview Planner. 😉
It’s simple and beautiful, and intentionally organized with space for planning what matters most. Click here to watch how we organize our lives with the Daily Overview Planner!
You know what they say, friend - you can’t pour from an empty cup. More true during the busy start of a new school year than any other time!
No matter how busy your week is, schedule in (as if it’s an important meeting with an important person - because it is) time to do something you love. Nobody is going to prioritize you and your well-being if you don’t do it first.
A few ways you can incorporate me-time into your busy fall schedule:
- Start an audiobook: when you feel like there’s zero time to read these days, try an audiobook when you’re dropping off/picking up/laundry-ing. Easy way to get some me-time in!
- Journal one page (yes - it only has to be one single page!) before drifting off at night to recenter yourself. This is why we love our Daily Pause Journal! Quick, no pressure, yet still recenters your heart and mind.
- Plan a playdate for yourself! Grab drinks or go on a nice Sunday morning walk with a friend you don’t see as often as you’d like. Make this a regular monthly thing in your planner so you prioritize it!
Back to school doesn’t have to be chaos. I encourage you to try to implement the above steps and tips to help you AND your family thrive amidst all the business this upcoming school year and fall season.