Tuesday, August 4, 2009

WFMW - back to school edition

It's that time of year...
that restless, bittersweet time...
it's BACK TO SCHOOL TIME!!!!

Hubby & I are both teachers, so we head back to school as well. Our vacation ends when July ends - unofficially. Officially, we don't have to be at work just yet, but if you want to get all the things done that need to get done, ya gotta go early.

So here are my tips.
I plan the dinner menu for the whole month. Yes, I do. It keeps the days from getting too crazy. I plug in nights when I know we'll need to go out, and nights when it needs to come from the crockpot. And when I come home exhausted at the end of the day, I don't have to think hard about dinner. Because inspiration never hits me then.

I also pack lunches the night before. I've tried throwing them together in the morning, but I do my best to put them in the fridge, nicely packed, the night before we need them. That said, hubby never does, so I keep snack-sized containers around for his gotta-fix-my-lunch-and-get-to-work mornings. Here are some great tips for getting lunches together. And the Meal Makeover Moms have some great ideas for making lunches healthier - for kids AND grownups!

We lay out son #3's clothes the night before. This avoids the "Mom, is this item clean?" issue. It also keeps him from leaving the house looking like a homeless child.

Lastly, I never leave dishes in the sink when I go to bed. This may seem like an OCD issue, but it makes me feel like I'm getting a fresh start when I come into the kitchen and it's relatively clean. (Used, but clean.) And a fresh start is the best way to start the day.

Glean from the wisdom of everyone at
Works For Me Wednesday,
and share what works for you!

4 comments:

Niki Jolene said...

Great tips! I do all these except the dishes one. But I really should do it. Laziness gets the better of me in the evenings.

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:)

Amanda said...

Great tips! When I have had kids in schook, I did the lunch and clothes things and it helped so much. All of them are homeschooled now, but I think laying out clothes would still be a good idea.

I love the no dished in the sink thing. I prefer not to leave any in there, but many times I don't bother at night. You are right, when I have cleaned up the kitchen at night, it feels great in the morning. I will have to make that a new rule.

Amanda said...

I've been planning my meals weekly for quite some time now, but I just recently started doing a two week plan and then repeating it to make a month's worth of meals.

Very true about cleaning the kitchen sink the night before. I so dislike to get up to a sink with even a few dishes in it.

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Jendeis said...

Great tips! I'm going to try and follow the No Dish Left In the Sink routine. It does make a difference.