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I swear, just yesterday I was writing about how happy I was that school was out for the summer, and now I'm already writing about back to school — which for many of us begins next month! This summer really flew by...
One of the things that I have learned over the years is that the earlier you plan for back to school, the better. This goes for shopping for clothes and school supplies, getting back into a nightly routine and getting a jump start on the day with a good breakfast. Here are a few tips I've compiled for making the transition from late summer nights to early school mornings more bearable.
1. Start early & plan ahead. As soon as the back to school sales hit the flyers, get all of your shopping done. Most schools have supply lists posted on their website, so you don't have to wait for one to be mailed to you, or even worse, wait for stores to put them out next to the supplies. This is also the time to buy extra supplies that run out during the school year— think pencils, notebook paper and dry erase markers. With all the great deals to be had on .25 cent crayons and .10 folders, consider picking up a couple extra sets to donate to a school in need, too.
2. Early to bed. Probably the most dreaded time for school children around the world is going to bed at a decent hour. Over the summer we pretty much give our daughter free reign for the time she goes to bed. This arrangement has allowed us all to sleep in over the summer, but it's also a hard habit to break once the school year begins. To balance out the transition, I gradually set a bedtime that goes back an hour each week until the start of school. For instance, 3 weeks out bedtime will be 11 p.m., then 10 p.m. and finally 9 p.m., my daughter's official bedtime.
3. Early to rise. And the most dreaded time for parents? Getting up early to get everyone ready for school. I use the same formula to calculate bedtime, but in reverse. This summer we all get up around 10 a.m., so you can imagine how hard it will be to adjust to 6:30 a.m wake up calls...
4. Breakfast Essentials. Experts say the most important meal of the day is a good breakfast. And I have to agree. I know I feel better throughout the day when I eat something in the morning, and the same goes for school children. I've never had a problem getting my daughter to eat breakfast, so she makes her own bowl of cereal or waffles in the morning. I, on the other hand, struggle to get anything but coffee in my stomach. One of my recent discoveries while shopping at Walmart was the new Lean Cuisine® Morning Collection™ — a variety of easy to prepare breakfast sandwiches and oatmeals from Lean Cuisine.
Taking something out of a box and putting it into the microwave is something I can do. I grabbed a few boxes of breakfast sandwiches, including Turkey Sausage English Muffin, to test out prior to the school year. In just a few minutes I had a delicious breakfast sandwich to get me going in the morning. I already want to try the oatmeal with wild blueberry and pomegranate!
While at Walmart, I also picked up one of my daughter's favorite beverage mix-ins — NESQUIK® Powder. My daughter enjoys milk in her cereal, but will rarely drink it on its own. NESQUIK® is a great addition to her morning breakfast because she's getting all the extra calcium she needs — she broke her arm this past year and the doctor recommended she up her calcium intake.
Both Lean Cuisine® Morning Collection™ and NESQUIK® will become breakfast essentials for getting us fed and out of the house on time. I also love that if we're running late, the breakfast sandwiches are portable enough for me to eat in the car line. NESQUIK® also has ready to drink bottles for on the go. There are also some great recipes using NESQUIK® at www.flavorfulmoments.net.
5. Lay it all out . Once school has started, the most helpful tip I can give is to lay everything out the night before to have ready in the morning. This includes all school clothing, especially socks, backpacks and supplies. School lunches should be made in advance the night before, as well as signed agendas. Other than getting up, getting dressed and eating breakfast, everything else should be good to go!
Samantha K
These are very useful tips! My oldest will be in Kindergarten next month and I am already getting nervous about our morning routines and getting him to school on time! These will help. I will definitely need some Lean Cuisine Morning Collection breakfast! #client