Four Tips to Help you with the Crazy First Semester and School Year Ahead – Letting You Live Your Best Life Daily! xoxo
By Rachael Elizabeth, Gracefully Magazine Editor. Written on the 24th of January, 2021.
When it comes to be organised, it really should be in my blood, as my mum is one of the most organised people that I know! As are many of my best friends. Organisation is a word that I love but am I actually, “organised”? If I’m completely honest with myself, the answer would be no. I’m organised when it comes to party planning and arranging our little one’s birthday party or a party for a friend or family member. And when it comes to the house, I have so many “ideas” of my dream pantry and my dream wardrobe that has everything itemized to a tee! But let’s face it ladies and gents, these days we are time poor and if I’m completely and 100% honest, I’ve always been “an organised chaos sort of gal”.
On the outside, I probably come across more organised than I am and that I have things mostly together, but I definitely need to be much more organised, especially with our eldest Ollie starting school soon. So, lovely ladies. Here are my top tips from my own experience so far with kindy and some other fellow mummas and their beautiful families who already have their little munchkins at school.
Tip One: Prep, prep, and more prep. Quite ironic for Prep school kiddos! Anything that you can do the night before is a must or even what you can do the weekend before the school week as well. Have yourself a checklist:- Washing and Ironing – check, Meal Prep (plan for lunches and groceries and supplies all bought in store or online) – Hail the online shopping door to door service world guys! We all know that it’s a big saviour at times.
“I’m organised: Repeat After Me. I’m going to slay the week! It’s going to run smoothly and for things that do crop up that are out of my control, I will take them as they come and handle them with as much grace and ease as possible! My new mum mantra for the busy school year ahead.”
Tip Two: Ensure that you check your calendar and phone for all appointments and activities/commitments. I know with kindy, we had moments where we thought it was show and tell a week later and I can tell you, when that happened on the rare occasional time, I felt like I was completely failing mum life but hey ladies, give yourself some credit, show and tell rolls around quickly and coming up with something super creative can often be tough. We absolutely loved this activity for Ollie and made some beautiful and educational, fun things together and I know that school projects will be tough, we need to work towards them! I am opting for both the phone, and a hard copy family calendar that we can all see, as well as a diary that I’ll carry in my bag. Some people have a dairy for work and personal, one for themselves, one for family and the kids, etc or they share the family one with their partner, whatever works well with you and your partner, go with that way! It’s trial and error but you will feel so much more organised. Whether you want to don the beautiful planners from the likes of Kiki K, or pick up something from your local newsagency, that diary/planner will be an absolute lifesaver for the start of school mum life! We promise you. Remember to go easy on yourself! Some schools even have an app and a Facebook Group so that you can stay across everything. I h8ighly recommend joining these and be sure to connect to other families in the area or any families that you know are attending your little one’s school. Having a supportive community is key! Also, with school emails, be sure to make sure you file them in your Primary/Important emails folder, so you won’t miss the upcoming cross-country date/fate day or on assembly presentation with your little ones! Xo
Tip Three: If you love to cook, meal prepping will make life so much easier and planning out your meals for the week, allowing you to spend more down-time with the kids and making the bed-time and bath-time/book before bed routine run much more smoother. 😊
I love to cook at least 3-4 meals from scratch per week. (Never used to but it’s my new mantra). Whether it be lasagna with hidden veggies for the kids, our famous spaghetti Bolognese dish, or our lazy Mexican tacos which are so super easy to make with the DYI supermarket kits but so super yummy and nice and healthy, or a cooked chicken and salad/vegs/coldsaw and rolls, at least you know what is coming up. Many families love to cook up some quiches, pancakes, muffins, and casseroles/soups/meats to have on hand in the week, or overnight oats ready for the next day for preparing brekky more easily. We are still getting better each and every day, but not having to think about what to cook each day of the week, is an absolute Godsend to us at the moment being new prep parents soon and I’m so glad we have been able to enjoy working out what is the best for our family. The kids for instance love sausage and veggies (corn a must) – always a crowd fave at our house and we’ll cook a few extras incase we need to whip them out of the fridge the next day if the kid are still hungry after the next night’s dinner or might not want to have what’s on the menu for Tuesday night, etc. We have frozen veg pouches at the ready too and always have at least two fresh fruits cut up to go- including the likes of strawberries or grapes, apples for the kids to munch on or yoghurt which our youngest son adores and can’t live without!
Tip Four: Screen time- the big question of the 21st century. Should the kids be allowed screen time in the mornings before school and the evenings, after school and before bed? Every family is different and every household/the way in which we choose to bring up our little munchkins. <3 In my honest opinion, there is no right and no wrong answer. Of course, limiting screen time is important and ensuring that you are across the content that the kids are consuming. For eg: Our kids, (both of them) love ABC Mouse and Reading Eggs, so this is also educational and rewarding for them. Just like us adults like to have our downtime, so too do the kids with their fave shows. We tend to allow them to have about 30 mins a day in the week and approximately an hour a day of a weekend, but that can also be none at all at times. That screen time also includes if it’s the TV or iPad. I think it’s pretty balanced and works well for us. Of course, if we are on a road trip to the farm for two days in NSW to see my sis and her family, we might rely on screen time some more to help pass the time, but we definitely try and balance our kid’s activities for arts and crafts, outdoor play and riding their bikes, etc, playing in the park as much as we would for every other part of their day. Our kids like all kids have their moments, but when we say it’s time for bed, they know the routine. I think the older they get; they actually secretly appreciate the routine more. Mind you, some nights they don’t want to brush their teeth and other nights they love it. Whatever day it is on the calendar and whether or not the full moon might be affecting the mood of the house (I swear it does at times! Lol), or if anyone is sick or there has been lack of sleep, I think we all just have to remember, we are all doing the very best that we can. Kids and adults included; we are all human. As long as everyone is happy and content and getting to school on time as best as they can and getting to work on time and getting through the busy schedules which we are now all accustomed to, we are doing well. Every day, we are adapting. The kids are learning from us and vice versa, we learn from them too.
Another hot tip, as much as we all hate being late, we do of course love any extra sleep we can get but I am so much for setting the wake-up alarm earlier. Having that time to yourself for self-care before the kids wake up and even your partner, you’ll be grateful for it!
I also am trying my best to exercise more, a simple walk, a pilates class (at home or at the studio), a chat to my girlfriend, appreciating nature and the little things, still loving showers since becoming a mum more than anything! It’s truly the little things in life that get us through. Having a positive mindset. Do something for yourself, have a nice bath, read that book, make that new recipe, buy the herbal tea, and use it, light the candle! Enjoy every little moment, for they are the big moments, a mantra you’ll see very much talked about here at Gracefully Magazine HQ.
Wishing you luck in the back-to-school chaos -the beautiful years, the golden years! xoxo
Until next time, Lots of love and With Love and Grace, Rachael Elizabeth, Gracefully Magazine Editor. xo