School Year Mommy Survivor Tips

Lately I’ve been noticing all the first day of school pictures on Facebook and who can miss the school supplies in stores taking up a bigger area than normal?  Could it be that time of year already?  With children grown I am not as sensitive to the changing of summer vacation to school year as I used to be.  Memories of  those final weeks before school starts began floating through my mind:  clothes, lunch box, and school supplies needing to be purchased, excited children, meet the teacher night and oh, the wondering if  the school year will have more positives than negatives.  All of this can add up to tired mommies.  So below you will find FIVE…

These are tips I learned during my own mommy experience and working in an elementary school for several years.  I started the list last week on the Deliciously Inspired’s Facebook Page but the tips started growing in my head and decided it needed to be a blog post.  By the way if you haven’t joined the FUN on the Deliciously Inspired’s Facebook Page just click Here and hit the Like button. The more the merrier!

Some of the tips are relevant to summer, weekend, holidays, etc while others apply more to the actual school year.  Whether your children attend school outside the home or you homeschool, I hope you’ll find some inspiration and encouragement in the info below:

TIP 1 – Be Your Own Restaurant

 In the morning – prepare lunch for yourself and the children: Make a nutritious salad for yourself and fun sandwiches using a cookie cutter for the kids. Place the children’s lunch in a brown paper bag (don’t forget a note telling them something you love about them). Then no matter what else the morning brings – you know that you have something ready to pull from the refrigerator and it’s as if you had someone take you all to lunch.
Note: So often mommies get so busy they forget to fuel their body (and their children’s) with nutritious food. Make it a practice to not let this happen. Prepping food ahead of time is a useful tool. When we are tired we are not at our best and we all know it takes a lot of energy to love these little ones. So give yourself every opportunity to be your best by taking care of yourself – you might notice some of that tiredness goes away.

TIP 2 – Schedule Family Days

Playdates are great but sometimes it’s good to call a Family Day.  I used to actually hang a sign on the front door every Tuesday during the summer saying, “We are glad you came to visit but today is a Family Day.  Please come back tomorrow.”  I found these days gave me control over our schedule, allowed my children time together, gave me time with my children, and often provided needed rest from busy schedules.  Don’t misunderstand – we had fun on these days.  One time I froze water in large square tupperware containers and we took them over to the small grassy hill before the sun was too hot.  My little ones had so much fun sliding down on those blocks of ice.  

TIP 3 – The What Are You Going To Wear To School Dilemma?

So you’ve finished the school shopping and the first day of school approaches.  The night before the big day let your little one choose TWO outfits which can be set out.  In the morning they can choose which of the two outfits they would like to wear.  This allows the child to be involved in the decision making process and avoids the craziness of trying to sort through a wardrobe when you are on a tight schedule getting out the door.

TIP 4 – The First Day of School Is A Big Moment for Children and Mommy

Your morning may be one of a child’s excitement to start the year and be with friends OR you may be in a season of transition and this day presents a brand new experience that is scary.  I can remember first day of school days when my children couldn’t wait to get to their new classroom.  I can also recall a time or two when I had a child needing to be pried off my leg or grabbing hold of the steering wheel crying (the car was parked and off).  It’s all part of the mommy job and each day we have them is a day where we help grow their independence and ability to face new experiences – so school they must go.  Loving them is hard sometimes so once they are settled into the classroom – go do something nice for yourself and regroup.  Remember that 99% of the time the child that left you crying will not be the one that greets you at the end of the day excited with lots of fun things to share with you.  Both of my children graduated from college which proves they became used to school.

TIP 5 – The most important in my opinion.

Cover your child, their teachers, administrators and schools with prayer.  For many years I was involved in Moms In Prayer International and met with a group to pray on a regular basis.  For more information – click HERE.  Be kind to your child’s teacher.  I worked in an elementary school for almost 5 years and can tell you first hand that the people who work in the school system, on the most part, have your child’s best interest at heart.  When you find yourself in a situation that needs more information with the teacher – listen to your child – but then ask your child’s teacher if you could please have their perspective on the situation.  It’s funny how getting both sides of the story leads to wisdom on how to handle something on your part.

And if you have just a few extra minutes – you might want to blend up some fresh salsa to serve with chips for when the kids get home from school.  Best Salsa Ever Recipe

What tips do you have to share?