Tips for Navigating a Sane Back to School Week

As moms to elementary-aged children, we are hopeful and eager for a great first week back to school (and back to routine). Our fingers are crossed that the children can return to some normalcy, in a healthy way, and our work-life balance will resume shortly thereafter. 

 Tonight we asked Mary and Tiffany to share their mom hacks to keep your first week sane and as easy as possible. 

1. Bedtime and Wake up: Two days before school starts, go ahead and start the bedtime and wake up times that you will need to use for school days. That means negotiating early and often for that 8pm bedtime and 7am wake up. Since we've been out of school for sooooo long, this will bring a unique challenge for both moms and kids alike. - Tiffany

 2. Dinnertime: With an extended spring/summer vacation, we all got out of the habit of eating together each night at the dinner table. It's a habit that I would love to put back into our evening routine. I know I give myself the best chance of making this successful by having a Nourish meal at the ready. Now we offer Nourish family portions on our new website, www.nourishfoodsmarket.com, that delivers every Wednesday. Dinner is on the table in 8 minutes with no prep and no clean up. - Mary

 3. Stocking the fridge & pantry: It's easy to get out of your healthy routine if you don't have healthy snacks or drinks accessible for kids after school. My kids are "grazers" and would rather snack from 3-5 if I let them. If I have fresh fruit, single-serve milk, or energy bites handy for them to grab-and-go, I know I'm not fighting an uphill battle of chips and soda and cookies each afternoon! - Mary

 4. Put down the electronics: At our house, we've become pretty slack about electronics use. Either the TV or IPAD or even my Iphone has become our go-to for boredom (especially in the evenings). Set a time limit now on the electronics, and pick up a book to read together after dinner. It will make the transition to sleep easier and get us back focused on learning. - Tiffany