School Survival Tips & A Giveaway

We are officially one week into the new school year over here and are slowly settling into a routine, so I thought I would share some of the things that have made our day to day just a little bit easier!  We are no experts at all, and I know so many of you have many years (and kids!) on me when it comes to this, but it’s our first year with all three of us girls in school so surviving week one with mostly all smiles seems nothing short of a pretty big win.

1.  For us, consistency is key.  We thrive on routine, as do our girls, and returning to a good routine was honestly one of the things I was looking forward to most about fall.  We have tried to move our bedtimes up some, because we can with it getting dark earlier, but also because Waverly really needs some extra rest with full day kindergarten.  Also it takes at least thirty minutes for our kids to fall asleep once they are in their room at night, so there’s that too.

2.  All hands on deck.  I think it’s so important to have everyone involved, and since I work full-time, there’s no doubt I couldn’t do it without the help of my husband.  He usually makes all three of us breakfast while I pack Waverly’s lunch and get us ready, and I take care of all the paperwork/packing their bags and he cleans up after dinner at night.  Waverly loves to have all four of us all walk her out to the bus stop in the morning, and with it being such a big year for her, we are going to try and make that work as often as possible.

3.  Just say no. 😉  I am the worst when it comes to this, but I am really trying to be selective about what we commit to, especially during the week, because before long it just gets so overwhelming.  Waverly will be doing dance once a week again this year, it’s one of her favorite things, and I am going back & forth about putting both girls in gymnastics.  I really love our lazy late afternoons catching up after busy school days, they are what keep me going during the week!

4.  A “school corner”.  I have two hooks for the girls backpacks (found here) and they really do help when it comes to organization.  I’m trying to teach them to hang them when they walk in at the end of the day, and especially to get Waverly in the habit of putting her papers from school in a little drawer next to it so they don’t get lost in the chaos.

5.  School Work Folders.  I am in the process of creating one of these for both girls, I love the idea of this SO much!!  We already have so many papers from just part-time preschool, so I think this will be a great way to keep some special pieces and keep them organized — without having papers everywhere.

6.  And lastly, daily outfits.  Probably our biggest challenge when it comes to getting out of the house.  If you know Waverly, you know she is extremely opinionated when it comes to her wardrobe, especially when it comes to something she is going to wear to school.  We ALWAYS set out all our clothes the night before, and especially make sure that both Waverly & Avalon’s outfits are comfy enough to run around in.  We teamed up with Keen shoes on a pair of shoes for each little lady, and my girls are big fans!!!!   They have already worn them to school a few times over the past week and the fact that they are bright purple (and easy to move in), it pretty much just blew their little minds.  We recently tested them out before school started with a girls ice cream date, one of our favorite things to do!

Keen shoes is giving back to you all this school season, TEN lucky winners will each recieve a pair of free shoes each (you must choose from new arrivals).  To enter, scroll to the bottom of this post and click the link.  Good luck!  Also be sure to check out the other bloggers I have teamed up with on this, they also have great back to school tips on their blogs today!  Enjoy, friends! XO

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