Back To School - Getting Off On the Right Foot

By Michelle Vandepol, Author of Mother Mexico
Organizing oneself to get the kids back to school is the sort of thing mothers either love or dread or feel conflicted about. I think it all comes down to the part of fall cleaning where everything in the house gets pulled out to look for something specific like sports gear, reusable school supplies and backpacks, lunch bags, etc. How does it usually end? With everything out and the house in need of a clean and then before you know it, it’s dinner and everything is out and dinner is not on, and you are no further than when you started except maybe a little grumpier. It’s enough to make you not want to even start.

Being organized doesn’t mean getting to every corner of the house. Just being sure you’ve given yourself enough time to go through the back to school list and seeing what you have already and what you may need to get will do it. Taking time to gather resources will save you time in the end. While you’re at it, make this the year you have backup supplies. I’m not advocating hoarding, but having spots for everything from sports equipment to lunch snacks and a having back-ups tucked away will save you time on those busy mornings that the kids have seemingly lost everything they need.

While stocking up, there are things you can focus on. The most essential extras are loose change, packaged lunch snacks (hide from roving snackers), matching socks, plastic lunch containers, spare backpacks, jackets, shoes.

Back to school season is said to be second only to Christmas in spending. If this strikes you as unnecessary to you, buck the trend. Keeping the kids away from the mall is a delightful experience. You can stretch summer out a bit further and might even get away with no back to school shopping at all. It is possible. I’m not doing it and I’m sure there are lots of anti-shoppers out there. Even if you are determined not to shop, kids are aggressively marketed consumers and they need to be retrained. Explain that you will go through their list with them and check what actual needs there are. Know that kids are not averse to stopping shopping if they know there will be fun to replace it.

Chances are there will be a few things you need to go out and pick up. Kids grow, pencil crayons break, and runners get holes in the toes. If you can’t put it off a few weeks to let the shopping rush past you, make a shopping strategy. Budget, sizes, stores are easily sorted on a list for the whole family. If you can put it off, you may be able to have your cake and eat it too. There will be less selection but it will be discounted. Chances are though, that what you need is in the house under clutter you have forgotten about.

If you do not need to shop or can do it quickly; insert celebration where shopping would be. The last few weeks of summer should be savored. Think of activities that you have enjoyed this summer or ones you meant to and didn’t have time for. Now is the time.

Around the fun, putting in short timed slots of clutter busting will have you enjoying summer and getting the kids’ stuff in order. Tackle a closet at a time. Or even a drawer or a basket, just keep at it. Before you know it, it will be done.

Assign everyone a cubby hole to each member of the family. The wire squares that are sold for this purpose snap together in a short time and will save you hours of hunting for lost shoes.

Drop off the excess stuff from your now clean closets at the local thrift store. As tempting as it may be, don’t make plans for a garage sale unless you actually have time to hold one. With the exception to the wire shoe organizer listed above; before you add to your stuff count with more storage containers to hold your possessions, check how many you already have. If picking up new ones, clear ones with lids are the best. No need to label and you can change contents at a later date if you wish.

Make your to do list over a coffee while the kids catch cartoons or while they play with the neighbor kids or at a local park. On that list, add things like double checking fall babysitting arrangements. Brainstorm for ways your disorganization has affected you in the past. (lost notices, late for events, land up spending more money than can afford to…) and fix your main problems before tackling the rest. Now is the perfect time to start a gift cupboard. Buy and stash a selection of small gifts for the soon-to-pour-in birthday party invitations. If you don’t have one, sketch out an after school routine similar to bedtime routine. It may sounds rigid but it allows for more free time in the middle.

As great as being organized feels, remember that you don’t need to panic or spend gobs of money to do it. Plan your kids’ back to school in a way that eases the transition and your state of mind by taking a few minutes now to prioritize.