It’s here. It’s finally here!
The kids are officially bored AF, and you’ve officially run out of every amusement park, play centre, swimming pool and bowling alley in town. It’s back to school time BABY!!!
Sure, this NEVER-ENDING parenting gig doesn’t come to a halt when the school bell rings. There’s still washing, lunch boxing, picking up a fruct tonne of lego, MORE washing, blah, blah, blah, dinner. But we’ve got you covered.
To make the juggle easier – we’ve round up 21 hacks to make this back to school biz a bloody breeze.
- Add a lunchbox note: Score some serious brownie points with the kids by leaving a sweet note in their lunchbox.
- Shoe-shopping hack: If you CBF going shoe shopping with the kids. Trace around their feet on a piece of paper, so you know their size and go without them (brilliant).
- Clothes-prep: Plan a week’s worth of outfits for yourself and the kids every Sunday. You’ll be ready to roll into the week WINNING.
- Create a school bag drop off zone: Forget running around the house for your mini’s drink bottle, hat and reader in the AM and give your kids a bag drop off zone for when they come in HOT late arvo. Helllllo Marie Kondo.
- Breakfast: Keep your breakfast game STRONG and organise everything in the same place for the kids to help themselves to in the morning or for you to grab and go.
- Meal-prep snacks: Meal-prep bite-sized snacks for lunchboxes in BULK and freeze for weeks ahead.
- Get the kids involved: Start early teaching your kids how to make their sandwich each morning. In no time at all, you’ll have one less vegemite sanga to make in the AM.
- Get your Remedy on the regular: Yes, that’s a thing. Sign up here to have booch delivered to your door-step. A healthy fizzy your kids will froff for at lunchtime or after school.
- Shop online: Stop dragging the kids around your local Coles or Woolies and get that shit online. A weekly delivery will give you more time for family time on the freakin’ weekend.
- Snack draws: Create a kid-friendly snack draw in the cupboard and fridge your kids can help themselves to after school. This hack might save you a 1,000 “I’m hungry” nags before dinner is dished.
- Uniform-prep: Put each complete school uniform in a set. I’m talking tops, shorts, socks, jocks – in a draw, taking out a fresh stack the night before, so you’re ready for the tired wrangle in the morn.
- List morning/ arvo routines up: Type up a morning and afternoon routine for your kids to tick off and follow. Example: Brush teeth and hair, pack lunch, fill up water bottle, be a nice mini human, pack schoolbooks etc. They’ll settle back into the school rhythm in no time.
- Keep the bench clean: Don’t leave school forms to clutter on the counter. Fill them out immediately and pop back in their bag, so it’s one less thing outta your buzzin’ brain.
- Easy reminder: Change your phone lock screen to your weekly family schedule. One more reminder, so you don’t forget to pick up the kids again #ParentGuilt.
- Bag bucket: Get a backpack bucket in the car to make commutes easier. Place everything school/activities related into the bucket in the boot, so there’s none of that “I lost my reader” dribble.
- Commute hack: Carpool with other parents in your hood or get walkin’ to get your exercise in for the day.
- Go Eco: Ditch the 50-plastic snack bags a week and invest in a Bento Box or sectional lunchbox. These boxes are time and planet savers! You’ll be saying cya to your sad Salada’s and have a lol dicing like dictator lunches pro Jenny Mollen in no time.
- Keep bathtime to PM: ALWAYS shower/ bath the night before. Unless they wet the bed, you’ve scored yourself another 15-mins in snooze town.
- Home-work ready: Put aside an extra set of school stationery to leave at home in a pencil case, so your kids are ready to deep dive into those equations in the arvo.
- Embrace exercise-snacking: Struggling to get to the gym? Exercise-snacking is a method of structuring exercise into short bouts, with 5 minutes of exercise and 1 minute of rest between each exercise. Ideas: Pop a squat while the toast is cooking, when your kid throws a tanty or while you’re waiting at the school gate.
- Knock off: After a WILD school week…knock off. You bloody deserve it. If you’re wanting a cheeky bevvie – try one of our delish live cultured cocktails to get those Friday feels pumping.
