With 6 kids and as the co-founder of Mabel's Labels, Julie Cole knows a thing or two about handling hectic times. And let's face it, back to school (or back to any kind of routine after the lazy days of summer) can be hectic. Here Julie shares her top 5 tips for staying organized.
You can find out more about Mabel's Labels by clicking here. To learn more about Julie, check out our parent profile!
1) Set up routines kids will stick to
Tired of being a nag in the morning? Set up a simple system that will get them out the door while keeping your frustration levels down. At our house, we have a “Before School Plan”, which is a chart listing all of their morning duties. My kids mark off each duty as they complete it.
2) Organization starts with you!
Everything has a home. Each child has a cubby for their agendas and homework. There is nothing worse than running around in the morning trying to find gym shoes. Avoid the chaos by designating a location for all school and lunch supplies. Get most of your organization done the night before – pack lunches, lay out school clothes – I even put the cereal on the table!
3) Streamline lunch-packing
If you can pack lunches the night before, that’s the way to go. Freezing sandwiches to use throughout the week, or even making casseroles and soups on the weekend to throw into a Thermos, is a favourite with my kiddos. If you have a child with allergies, be sure to put an Allergy Alert label on all of their reusable lunch containers to ensure caregivers are aware.
4) Save money and time by planning ahead
Shop off-season, clear out closets to assess what can be handed down and for goodness’ sake, label all clothing to make sure it comes home at the end of the school day. There is nothing more horrifying than the lost and found closets at elementary schools!
5) Top tip – find yourself some helpers!
Don’t feel like dragging a toddler and baby to the bus stop every morning in the dead of winter so you can get your bigger kids on the bus? Yeah, me neither. An older kid who goes to the same bus stop is happy to do the morning pick-up and afternoon drop-off for a cool $20 a week. “Bus buddies” are a good investment for busy mamas. Another good investment is a homework buddy. I have a high school student come to the house and my kids love having some time with their big kid friend.
