School Season Organization

I look forward to the change in season for so many reasons. One reason that holds true regardless if the season is winter or summer is the opportunity to reorganize.

Though the fall still isn't quite here, with school starting back and college football underway, I have already begun the process of becoming better organized in order to maintain structure, routine and my sanity!

Here are some of the tricks I use to help keep my house in order during the school week:

Laying out school clothes 

My son started kindergarten this year. We are not morning people in my household, so to make our mornings a little easier I pick out a week's worth of my son's clothes and lay them out for every day. On Saturdays, I choose five outfits for him to wear to school the next week. I place each individual outfit on a shelf that he can reach, and every morning he gets to choose the one he wants to wear. This has proven to be a big time-saver for us because we don't run around our house looking for matching socks or a missing shoe. It also helps our son establish a little bit of independence by selecting his clothes everyday.

Packing lunches

Our family goes grocery shopping once a week. We make a set menu for the week including what I will pack our son for lunch throughout the school week. Everyday when my son comes home from school I clean out his lunch box and then immediately repack it for the next day. If an item needs to be refrigerated, I have a designated spot where I'll put that item in the refrigerator and I will toss it in his lunchbox the next morning. It feels good waking up each day knowing there is one less thing to do during the morning rush.

Routine and schedule

Just as a newborn should have a daily schedule, our 5-year-old greatly benefits from a sense of routine. The first few days of school we began a new routine with him including an earlier bedtime. A week later he is now aware of the schedule without us telling him because of the consistency in his routine. He does not complain about his bedtime - in fact he looks forward to putting on his pajamas and climbing into his bunk bed.

These simple tricks have given my family a great sense of organization and help make our early school mornings a little less hectic.

What are some ways you organize to better prepare for the school year?