Did "Back to School" Catch You by Surprise This Year? Some Tips To Help You Cope!
As part of keeping with the "Well-Lived Home" concept, I really felt like I needed to talk about the season of "back to school." While it can be exciting for some, for others like myself, it was also a stressful time. If I wasn't careful, my happy home could become crazy with all of the "to do" lists. I didn't want my kids to leave for school on a unhappy note or not having breakfast or forgetting something really important that they needed that day or a gazillion other things that can go awry and start a day off wrong.
If you are like me, you have all of these grandeur ideas at the end of one school year about how you will get organized, ready and have your kids more prepared than ever when the new school year rolled around. I couldn't wait for a school year to end because between the chaos of figuring out lunches, clothes, and having homework almost every night, I was completely exhausted by the time the year was coming to an end. Next thing you know, Summer just plain ole gets in the way and I had made no preparations for the coming year. I was caught up in that cycle when my kids were at home. I was going to have their clothes ready for at least a week ahead, lunch containers and ingredients ready to pop out and put in the lunch box and not only were they going to be convenient, they were going to be healthy! Oh ya, no junkie lunch for my kiddos. After all, what I am hearing is that delicious school lunches have become a thing of the past and kids actually want to take their lunch these days! Well, I want to share a few tips with you on how to cope with the new school year and keep the chaos from wreaking havoc on your family time.
Let's start with their wardrobe. It is not necessary for kids to have a large wardrobe, but rather to have one that mixes and matches. Remember the old "Garanimals" commercials. I don't remember who sold those clothes, but tops and bottoms were made to be interchangeable so that a few clothes could mix to make several different looks. My kids had some "Garanimals" and it was a genius idea! While the brand may no longer be around and your kiddos are most likely too old for them anyway, you can purchase their clothes with the same ideas in mind. Buy 3 tops that interchange with 3 bottoms and you have 9 outfits! Be sure to remove any clothes from their drawers that no longer fit and discard them so as to make early mornings easier. I came across an incredible idea for choosing and storing a weeks worth of outfits. Purchase an inexpensive plastic bin that has drawers and label each drawer with a day of the school week. On Saturday, choose clothes for the week and lay them neatly in each drawer along with any accessories. Getting dressed and ready for school will be short and sweet! Nothing worse than hearing your precious little Johnny yelling from his room, "Mom, where are my tan pants?" while the bus is sitting out front of your house. Believe me when I say that I do know what stress is!
Now, on to their lunches! I had to break my habit of thinking that all lunches contained sandwiches! Yes, when I was a kid, I always had a sandwich. Well, there are so many more fun and interesting foods for kids to eat that sandwiches can be really boring! The following is a list of some of my favorite lunch foods:
Pickles- Sweet pickles or dill pickles. Get the larger ones! My granddaughter loves them!
Cheese chunks or sticks- There are a number of varieties. Find out what your kids like the best. Try to be creative here and find variety. Many of the deli counters will give kids a complimentary cheese slice. This is a good way to get them to try something different!
Fresh Fruit-raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, watermelon or cantaloupe. Apples are great! Grapes make a great addition to a lunch, however, remember to slice them in half to prevent a choking hazard. A little cinnamon sprinkled in a bag of apple slices keeps it from browning. Some kids will even be up for pomegranate arils or kiwi and they are oh so healthy!
Veggies-Veggies can go it alone or mixed in a salad. Of course, there are the basics like carrots, celery, cucumber, and lettuce. But don't forget the less obvious like broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, cherry tomatoes or edamame.
Sushi-Yes, one of my grandsons favorite lunches is sushi. I catch Sprouts on Wednesday sushi day and pick up and already prepared California roll and how easy is that? Please note that it is important to be sure that lunches have adequate freezie packs so that the food will stay fresh and bacteria will not make your kiddos sick!
Tuna Fish- Tuna comes in smaller packets now and can be put in a roll up with a healthy tortilla or on a bed of greens for a salad.
Tortilla Rollups, Buy healthy tortilla rollups and smear with cream cheese, olives and whatever toppings your kids desire!
Home made "lunchables", be sure to include crackers, cheese, and meat if they desire it.
In order to make lunch assembling a snap, there are a few items that you need to keep in your pantry and stay well stocked up on. Baggies of all sizes are a must! Even the tiny ones that you have to buy at Hobby Lobby or the health food store so that you can send dips and salad dressings. You will need some containers that are divided. Keep small bottles of water on hand and I have found a product that is healthy and gives kids variety. There are some natural drink mixes that are made with pure fruit such a lemon, lime, raspberry, and black cherry and are sweetened with stevia. You can find them in almost any grocery store now. They come in little individual serving packets. Oh ya, don't forget to always include some fun in their lunch box or bag such as a crazy, funny napkin or a "You are a great kid" note.
Breakfast time can be crazy if you are not prepared so keep some items on hand that can be "breakfast on the go" if necessary. Healthy granola bars, bagels, fruit, home made healthy muffins that have been frozen ahead, raisin toast, or I find healthy breakfast burritos at Sprouts that I like to keep on hand. Mornings should be happy and if we prepare ahead, we can send our kids off to school with a happy heart! Keep the important things the important things! Talking, sharing, laughing and praying together are all things that will boost a child's spirits before going off on a long day away from home.
Most importantly, whether it is organizing their bedroom and drawers or grocery shopping for lunch ingredients, it is important to include your children in the process. It not only teaches the components of responsibility, but shows that you care about their desires when making choices. Each and every instance can be a time to make memories with your kids. Don't underestimate the simple things in life like the time sitting on the bedroom floor organizing their drawers while you talk and laugh or a safari expedition to the grocery store for some "wild" lunch ingredients!
As always, we enjoy seeing your comments and ideas. Please post them below.
Julie Atkins,
Milkweed Farms