A Little Bit of Momsense by Rebecca Stanisic
Here are a few things that I need to make sure I have for the kids before they go to school next week. I created it as a printable check list to make it easier for you to use too! I’ve left a couple of ‘other’ spots so you can add your own to-do items. I know there are things I must be forgetting!!
TIP: You won’t need to buy all fresh school supplies. Check out your pencil cases, craft bins and more to see what you have from previous years!
If you work from home, stay at home, or have booked the day off work to drop the kids off at school, and this is your first year where your child is starting kindergarten, or you are mourning the loss of summer, I have a tip for the first day of school.
This isn’t for everyone, but for those who know me, it’s not a surprise when I say that especially when the kids were just starting school, I was a bit of a mess. I held it together, the tears came in the car, but a pit sat in my stomach all day.
The first day I wondered if they were having fun and feeling okay. If they were eating enough. If they made some new friends and found old ones. Of course, now that they are entering grade 3 and 6, those worries have almost completely disappeared. The first day for them is a reunion with friends and routine.
But I remember the kindergarten drop off. The buzz of anticipation we all felt to try something new. Preschool had only been a couple mornings a week, and with different kids, in a small setting. This was a big kid school, with more of, well, everything it seemed.
So, parents, here’s my tip if you are feeling all kinds of emotion for the first day of school. Make plans. Get out of the house. Don’t sit wondering if the phone will ring (that’s what I used to think, the phone will ring for me to go get them!) but instead, spend time busying yourself.
I have a tradition that I’ve done almost every year since my son started school. Because often, my husband comes to do day 1 drop off with us, and I would then drive him to work, I would already be in the car. In the past, I typically kept driving out to a Chapters for Starbucks and browsing. Then I’d end up at Ikea often.
No matter what you decide, the point is, to get out, window shopping or visiting a friend will pass the time far better than staring at the seconds tick until the kids come home and you can see that everything is okay.
Plus, indulging in a latte or favourite morning drink of your choice is something you deserve.
You can do it, they can do it, and soon you’ll find yourself with a new routine that you’ll enjoy. The school days will become short and you’ll feel better.
Hugs to those of you who need it. I’ve been there.
(If your child is having trouble with the school transition, I have a few tips in this post!)
When we invited some friends and their kids over for a play date, the kids didn’t respond too well to my table set up that clearly indicated a back-to-school theme. And while I explained that it was staged for some blog work, I still think they were shuddering a bit.
But whether the kids (or the adults) like it or not, in a couple of weeks the kids will be back to school and we will be packing lunches before we know it. There is something distinctively different (and upsetting) about packing a lunch hours before you are going to eat it, isn’t there?
Thanks to Funkins, the reusable napkins that I’ve featured on the blog before and that I’ve fallen in love it, I kicked off the mini back-to-school campaign with some friends to introduce them to making greener school lunches by using reusable napkins.
For us, Funkins have replaced paper towels and other reusable napkins that I had been sending to school. You don’t have to send napkins, but frankly, I find it easier to send them and help reduce some of the mess rather than take the chance without them. And yes, our kids will still end up using their sleeves from time to time, but the Funkins reusable napkins are there to use (and based on how they come home, my kids are using them). Plus, they double as a muffin or sandwich wrapper. There is a huge selection of fun patterns too!
I think everyone, kids and moms, enjoyed our afternoon get together. I kept the lunch simple and featured snacks and school lunch ideas to remind all of us of what is to come. This included cut up fruits and veggies, cut up meats, and a ‘make-your-own’ wrap option.
Tips for preparing back-to-school lunches
Make sure you have enough reusable containers!
Test out your containers to ensure the kids can open them easily.
Chat with the kids about their favourite healthy foods to include. School lunches aren’t when I recommend experimenting with food. You need them to eat!
Wash fruit and veggies as you buy them so they are ready to grab and go when making lunches, or if the kids are helping out, they are ready for them to pack.
Don’t forget your reusable Funkins!
Disclosure: I am taking part in the Funkins blog campaign. While I have received compensation as part of my affiliation with this program, the opinions shared are my own. In the case of full disclosure, I have questionable friends sometimes. I hope they are reading this. If you are, thanks for coming! 😉
This is not a post about school. Or buying school supplies. Or preparing for school. This is just a post stating the fact that I ordered the kids’ backpacks for school today. I feel really crummy that I’m ordering school stuff right now!! Where has the summer gone?
I’m trying not to pout. But that’s not easy. Anyway, they are very cool and eco-friendly backpacks. I got them after reading this post from Mommy Footprint about backpacks.
I am getting them from Simply Green Baby after seeing this coupon code in the SavvyMom newsletter.
But seriously. School stuff. I’m not really talking about it.
SOB.
