It is that time of year again and the kids are heading back to school. I find that by mid-August a lot of kids are ready to get back to school and I know most of us parents are too!!!
I use the back-to-school time as a time to reset, refresh or start a clean slate. I love to organize, shop, and get our life back on a schedule and a good routine. I have been an organizing machine since Brody started Kindergarten because I wanted to make sure we had all of our systems in place to ensure a smooth transition.
Today I wanted to share some amazing finds from Walmart’s Back to School line this year and then walk your through our new morning routine to try and stay on track.
When it comes to my kids clothes, I like things simple (aka no graphic or character t-shirts) and preppy. I was so excited when I was exploring Walmart’s Back to School that I found that they have an entire “uniform shop.” My kids do not wear a uniform to school, but the whole section is full of great dresses, skirts and tops for the girls as well as shorts and collared shirts for the boys. The prices are AMAZING. I also love that so many products offer a 2-day shipping option.
Madelyn’s Outfit
Dress | Shoes | Red Bow | Socks | Lunchbox
They have so many cute options for both boys and girls. We found that the girls dresses and collared shirts both ran small, so be sure to size up on those. Madelyn is in the XS (4-5) and she really should have gotten the 6. I can’t speak highly enough about these grosgrain hair bows either. We are always needing hair bows around our house. This is a 40 pack for less than $12.
Navy Polo | Khaki Shorts | Navy Dress | Red Bow | Red Shoes | White Shoes | Black Tennis Shoes | Brown Boat Shoes
Our mornings start a little earlier this year now that Brody is in Kindergarten. He is late by 8:20am which means we try to be out the door a few minutes before 8 am.
I found that giving him some structure in the morning really helped to keep things running smoothly. We use this morning checklist below every morning. He now knows that as soon as he wakes up, he needs to potty, brush his teeth and get his clothes on for the day before he comes downstairs to the kitchen.
(free printable via)
We started picking out outfits for the entire week on Sunday evenings. We use these weekday hanging tags (click link for free printable) and had them laminated. We hang the tag on his outfit for each day. Our closet space is a bit tight, so we use a garment rack to hang the clothes for the week. So the kids grab their outfits for the day, get dress and then they can come down for breakfast.
It helps so much to have the kids completely dressed and teeth brushed before they make it down stairs for breakfast. I am usually already downstairs and getting started on their lunches. Before the school year started, I stocked up on some of our school favorites. The kids love the variety of a Bento Box and I try to make it fun for them. I bought these silicone cupcake holders this year to use in their boxes. They are perfect for sauces, special treats or an extra little space you may need.
We love using cookie cutters for the kids sandwiches. They are perfect for getting the crust off of sandwiches and they make it fun! This little gadget is perfect for cutting cherry tomatoes or grapes and these new silicone holders are great for freezing yogurt for their lunch boxes!
Once those lunches are packed, and the kids are completely dressed; they eat a quick bite of breakfast and off we go. We have tried to keep things easy for breakfast. It is usually just a frozen waffle, yogurt, muffins or some cereal. None of my kids seem to eat a ton at breakfast time, but I just like them to have something before they head to school.
I hope this helps! I asked you guys on instagram what your best tricks were for the morning. All of these were pretty much ideas that you guys gave to me. Another big one that you said was to not allow any TV in the mornings when you are trying to get out the door early. I think that definitely helps from any added fights when it is time to turn it off!
Thank you Walmart and Reward Style for sponsoring this post.
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