Organizing Tricks for Fall & Back to School

I just can’t BELIEVE summer is drawing to a close and school is starting!

We’ve been running around these last few weeks, first with the Haven Conference and then heading on vacation so we’ll get home just days before school starts. Ahh!

Since I have just a few days once we’re home to get my kids geared up for school, I have been doing some work ahead of time, so I thought I would share my tricks. As I spoke about in our Organizing Life Series, I find I can significantly reduce my anxiety and stress by preparing ahead for things. The start of school being no exception!

To begin with, I can’t say enough good things about Amazon Prime.

I did the free trial a few months ago and have been hooked ever since. As a prime member I get FREE TWO DAY SHIPPING on just about everything–which means I can order anything we need {no $25 minimum!} and it arrives on my doorstep in two days. I honestly use it constantly–after all Amazon has just about everything and in most cases for the best price. Not to mention, saving a trip to Target saves me time, gas and all the money I spend on all the other things once I am there! We’ve been ordering school shoes, sports equipment, new tech gadgets like extra chargers, even birthday gifts, while we’ve been on all on our travels, so when we get home it will all be waiting. Its a bit of an upfront fee ($79 a year), but they offer a free 30-day trial so you can see if its worth it for your family first. And, BONUS! You get their Prime Video Service so you can watch TV and movies via your computer or game console, and the Kindle book lending library FREE! {FYI they have the entire Downtown Abbey series available in case you have been under a rock and haven’t watched it!} You can click HERE to go to Amazon and sign up for a trial.

This printable student planner keeps my kids on track all week long, you can get your copy HERE. Print as many as you need, for each child and organize all their activities, chores and homework. Older children can do it themselves and it teaches excellent organizing lifeskills.

Last year I blogged about my homework boxes. They were a big success in our house, I can’t say how often someone in my house actually thought that not having a pencil justified not doing homework! {Really?!?} Now, I just remind them to get their homework box and they are fresh out of excuses. They need some restocking, but we’ll take care of that when we load up on school supplies.

Now, I know this next idea isn’t for everyone, but if you are like me and still like paper lists and even {gasp} a paper calendar I swear by my momAgenda. At the risk of sounding old, and, well like a Mom, I am so glad I started using this calendar system pretty religiously a few years ago. I thought I would mention now since it operates on the school year timeline, its the perfect time to get a new one, before the cutest covers sell out! It has spaces for activities for each child, menu planning and I can even track blog projects in the extra spaces. I love the fun covers, and it fits in my larger sized purse for days when I need to remember what I need to do next. It really makes life easier, I find the less I have to remember in my head the less stressed I am.