Back-to-school
Today is the eighth day of school for our kids. The first week was great because they went to school twice, and then it was weekend. Last week was their first full week back to school, and today marks the first day of their second full week. We are exhausted. It happens every year because there is no time to rest. We have cheer and golf now, but we also have an active social life. Though we are saying no to many things that don’t give us time to rest or a break from the many things that we have going on with the kids, we are still tired. This weekend was a relaxing one but also an exhausting one.
Friday evening consisted of our daughter’s boyfriend spending the evening with us, my husband picking up our favorite Asian Fusion for dinner, and me falling asleep reading a book at 7:30 pm. I was tired, not feeling 100 percent, and desperately in need of some rest.
We took our moms to brunch on Saturday and spent the evening at our friends’ home. We had a lovely dinner and cocktails, the kids hung out with their besties, and there were many laughs. It was all done in comfy clothes and laid-back enjoyment.
And on Sunday I woke up with a cold.
My congestion was out of this world. My throat was sore. I had no energy. I spent most of the day relaxing, but the rain and the cooler weather (and the cold meds finally kicking in) convinced me to decorate for fall. It felt great in the moment, but it did not feel great by the time I was done and the meds wore off. Today isn’t much better. I’m exhausted, my body is tired and has no energy, and my throat and sinuses are achy…and the meds aren’t kicking in.
It happens. Back to school in our house means back to running ourselves ragged. It’s the hazard that comes with having four kids and all the things. On top of them, we constantly have extra kids in our house because all four of our kids keep busy social calendars, and my husband and I are managing all of that on top of our own lives. But back to school is not always easy for us. It takes a moment for us to adjust to a schedule and routine, and it take a while for my body to catch up to all the running, going, and doing.
Fortunately, I’m good at streamlining life and making things easier and more efficient where I can. When I haven’t much control over things in life – practice schedules, social things, games, matches, meetings, etc. – I look for every other possible way to control things I can find. How can we make the kids’ mornings more streamlined? How can we make lunches, groceries, practices, dinners, home, homework, etc. more organized and streamlined?
Every year it’s different. This year, I’ve done a few things that help in the simplest ways but with the biggest impact.
Coordinating Lunch Box Containers
I ordered several sets of these little lunch box containers. Each of the kids has their own color, so when we pack their items into their containers, they are stacked by color in the fridge the night before. It’s easy for the kids to grab their color and add it to their own lunch boxes in the mornings – and it’s made our lives easier because they’re the perfect size for their fruit and veggies.
Magnetic Chore Charts
This is the best thing around. My kids know that they have specific responsibilities in their own lives. We don’t ask them for much – their ‘job’ in life is to do well in school and sports. But they are also responsible for their own spaces. Their own bathrooms, their own bedrooms, their own laundry, etc. But mornings can be hectic, so this is handy because everyone can see what’s on it, check it off as they go, and they leave the house in the mornings without anything left on their personal to-do list. Everyone’s day is more accomplished when they start the day on a high note.
Food Storage Containers
Maybe it’s just me – but a disorganized fridge drives me crazy. The fridge in the laundry room is the beverage fridge & it’s the ‘extra’ food freezer storage facility. I need all the drinks to be lined up perfectly in their specific spaces with the logo pointed forward lest someone think that ta bottle of Pellegrino is perrier by mistake. I need Charlotte’s favorite frozen personal pan pizzas stacked nicely on top of one another with the label facing the correct direction. I need the chicken wings with the chicken wings and popsicles with the popsicles and extra ground turkey with the extra ground turkey. I know. I have issues.
The kitchen fridge is the everyday food fridge and freezer. But I need the fruit washed, cleaned, and placed in aesthetically pleasing containers – but also containers the little kids can open and close on their own. I need everything in an easy to open and store container. Stackable is best. That’s what I love about these. The kids can see them, so they can easily help make their own lunches, breakfasts, and dinners. Everything is clean and organized, and that’s how I like it.
Car Storage Containers
My sense of organization includes my car. I need it organized at all times. I keep one of the hard yeti coolers in the back so that I can throw ice in it at a moment’s notice in case I need to grab groceries and still get in line to pick up kids. I also use these cool storage bags in my console to keep us organized. I keep tissues in one. Napkins in another. I keep meds in one along with bandaids, baby wipes, and tampons in another. I put condiments in a third – you never know when someone accidentally forgets to throw ketchup in the Chick-Fil-A bag for Ava or yellow mustard for Addy. So, I keep them in a bag. Another bag contains deodorant and a tide-to-go pen, travel perfumes and colognes, and blotting papers. Another keeps a notebook and extra pens and pencils. You just never know, but these bags are perfect for my center console.
Stadium Seating
We spend a lot of time in the stands at the football field watching our daughter cheer. Friday night lights are a big deal here, and these stadium seats go in my car and stay there for the duration of fall. I love them because they have storage pockets. I keep baby wipes for the kids because they’re concession stand junkies and Carter always needs a wipe. I don’t carry a large handbag into games because I won’t put my bag on the bleachers, and I don’t want it in my lap. I don’t have space to carry everything, so I like the storage pockets in these chairs – and the chairs so we aren’t sitting on hard bleachers. We keep wipes in them, but also a tide-to-go pen, bandaids, and napkins. All are perfect for a family with little kids on a game night.
For me, life is simpler when it is more organized and efficient – which is why these are all my favorite items.
Tiffany Raiford 