Surviving Back to School

I’ve been dreading this day for a few weeks now, my kids are going back to school today! I have completely enjoyed our laid back summer with no bedtimes, no schedules, no routines, and no car lines. This summer was a little different than usual with my husband traveling more for business, but we managed to find our special moments and embrace them. Just last weekend we were sitting on Sanibel Island listening to the waves crash into the shore and now I’m dreading the stack of papers I’ll have to fill out tonight after they get home from school.

Preparing for back to school wasn’t too dreadful, our school requires uniforms which makes clothes shopping very easy. It wasn’t terribly painful on the bank account this year thanks to a big bag of hand-me-downs for my oldest. He should be set for the next 1-2 years even when he hits his growth spurt. The school supply list this year wasn’t too bad either. I had quite the chuckle over some of the items on the middle school list though; tennis balls, playing cards, and USB sticks were funny to see. Turns out that they need the tennis balls for the bottoms of the chairs to keep them from scuffing up the new floor.  I haven’t figured out the playing cards yet, hoping they aren’t for poker. The USB sticks are for their computers so they can bring their work home with them. We reused a few supplies from last year that were still in good shape, but I did break down and order my oldest a roller backpack for middle school. I hope their friends don’t laugh because I made them reuse last years crayons and pencil box supplies; they are still in good shape so I don’t see why they should go to waste. They know they can blame their crazy eco-mom for trying to “green” their school supply list.

Speaking of “greening” your school supply list, how “green” is your child’s school? I shared some tips last week on Earth911 about simple ways to green your child’s school. I will admit that I was much more involved in these efforts when my son was younger and my schedule was less hectic.

I’m going into this school year with a desire to be more organized and to help them keep up with their assignments better. They both laughed at me when I taped their daily schedules to their doors yesterday. They are both old enough to watch the clock and start taking some personal responsibility for setting their alarms, managing their time, doing their chores, and grooming themselves. I’m not so sure they were excited about the “no electronics until homework is done” or the “no more electronics” an hour before bedtime. I’m sure it’s a novelty that will wear off, but my daughter went to bed in her own room last night after a summer of co-sleeping with mom – and without any tears!!

The alarms are all set, the clothes are all set out, and I’m ready to see them off on their first day of school. Before I go to bed tonight, I’m setting up my french press so my coffee will be ready to brew in the morning and charging my camera for those first day of school pics. I’ll be getting them ready in the morning, but my husband is taking the first flight home in the morning so he can drop them off. There aren’t any breakfasts to prepare or lunches to make tomorrow; both of my kids asked to buy school lunch and they provide breakfast for all of the students. I will be begging them all year to let me make their lunches because that’s the one thing I really don’t mind. I have a nice stash of bento supplies and fancy lunchboxes that are just collecting dust.

If you’re lucky enough to have kids who like packed lunches, here are some tips to packing a waste-free lunch. Most schools are going nut-free and I have some fun recipes and lunch ideas for a nut-free school lunch and snack.

I expect them to be exhausted and overwhelmed when they get home from school so I made a quick treat for them after they went to bed tonight. These popsicles are healthy and delicious (I had to taste-test them myself…yummy) and made with real fruit juices, organic yogurt, agave nectar, and chia seeds. They were quick and easy to make, but did take a few hours to freeze. Watch the video (Aronia Berry Yogurt Popsicles) to see the recipe.

Ingredients Needed: R.W. Knudsen Just Aronia Berry Juice, Stonyfield French Vanilla Yogurt, Chia Seeds, and Agave in the Raw. 

I’m really going to miss sleeping in late, staying up late, pajama days, and not having to shower every day. I’ve enjoyed our carefree summer with no plans and actually enjoyed wasting hours learning to play Minecraft with my kids. Even though I had to work most of the summer and manage to entertain the kids at the same time, I think they had a great time off and bonded with each other (and with me). I’m hoping that we can still find a few hours each week to unwind and maybe even watch a few more beach sunsets while the weather is still warm. For now, I should really go to bed and prepare for that early morning alarm clock and pray that one of us hears it!

Have your kids gone back to school yet? Or do they go back after Labor Day? Are you excited about back to school or do you dread it?? Visit me on Facebook later today to enter to win an awesome survival kit from Seattle’s Best!!

Need a good laugh? Visit BuzzFeed and enjoy the 12 Stages of Getting Your Kids Ready for School. I’m pretty sure my reality lies in number 3 and 4 as we’re rushing to get out the door!!   

Want to see our obligatory back to school photos? I’m sure I’ll be sharing them on Instagram @TheEcoChic as soon as their out the door.

Disclosure: Seattle’s Best has provided me with a Back-to-school survival kit featuring coffee and a few extra goodies to help me survive the first week. R.W. Knudsen provided us with the juices and popsicle molds for our recipe, and I am a Stonyfield ambassador and receive financial compensation and products to include them in this post. These are all things that I would have used or done on my own and my opinions may not reflect those of the companies mentioned. Yadda Yadda Yadda….gotta love the FTC.