routine – Mediocre Mum

Preparing the kids for the new school year

The Back to School Routine

In association with SuperSavvyMe

With summer nearing its end, it’s time to start thinking about the new school year. The back to school transition can be a daunting one at times, and whether you are dreading the little ones going back or can’t wait for them to leave, there’s a lot to be done.

It’s important to remember that it’s going to take a little time for both you and the children to get used to a more regimented way of life. Instead of rising as and when desired, the kids must now be dressed and out the door before nine!

This often means you are to rise at least an hour earlier than them – packed lunches won’t prepare themselves, gym kits won’t magically jump from the fresh laundry pile and into a bag and unfortunately, shirts don’t seem to come crease-free.

Children that are moving from junior into senior school and also those that intend to begin the New Year at an entirely different school are the ones that will have the biggest adjustments to contend with. It’s important to take a few parenting tips on board at this point and ease them into transition the best way you can.

Making sure that they are fully prepared for the new school year is one important tip to follow. If the uniform is slightly different to that of last year’s, it’s wise to buy into a new school ensemble in advance.

On this note, if the uniform is the same, it’s a good idea to check that it still fits your child before the end of the summer. Kids grow surprisingly fast and trousers which are too short, tight skirts and close-fitting shirts are not a good look for anyone.

Once you have the school uniform in order, it’s time to move onto the gym kit. Many schools will ask you to adhere to a certain style or colour when it comes to sports clothes.

Some schools will offer their own brand of kit which will often feature the school’s own logo. Others will ask that you stick to blue, black or maroon shorts and a white t-shirt. Regardless of how much your little ones love their super snazzy trainers, wearing vivid-hued gym shoes to school is not acceptable.

Stationery is another important factor to consider. The likes of a new school planner, pens, pencils, maths equipment and exercise books are all necessary tools to have. It may be wise to create an area in the study at home dedicated solely to your child. This will allow them to organise projects into completed work and work yet to complete so that it is easier for them to manage.

Do you read to your kid’s every night?

‘83.6% of Mums spend time reading to their children at bed time, despite studies showing a growing number of Mums returning to work’

As a working mum, I’m often tired after being on the motorway and fairly stressed by the time I get home, but the one thing I make sure I do every night is to read to and with my daughter as part of her bedtime routine. Around 1 in 10 parents admit that they find the bedtime routine very stressful, it is certainly a lot easier, when after the bath, hair brushing and teeth cleaning to focus my daughter’s attention with the promise of a story together.

‘Even as dads get more involved in parenting, bedtime is still mums domain, with 51% of mums in charge of bedtime each night compared to just 15% of dads’

We are lucky that our childminder does our daughters school reading with her, because often by bedtime she is too tired to read by herself and it can turn into an unwelcome battle. She is now at the age where reading is a pleasure for her and as long as the pressure of having to read is removed; I find she often takes over from me whilst I read her, her bedtime story. Dad is very involved with parenting and shares the bedtime routine, especially on those nights that I’m just too tired.

Our daughter has a wide selection of story books, she is keen to read some of her school reading book to me to show me how well she is doing and will select the book she wishes me to read to her before going to sleep. We do have our favourites, one of my personal favourites is Winnie the Witch.

I find it important to prioritise the bedtime routine with my daughter, especially as a working mum. Whether it’s the reading or the routine, our daughter certainly settles to sleep a lot quicker than she does if the reading is missed out of the routine.

I’m going to miss the bedtime routine when she’s older.

Do you read with your kids every night? What are your favourite books?

Disclosure: This post was inspired by research undertaken by Fairy Non-Bio about children’s bedtime routines and we did receive a bottle of Fairy Liquid and a lovely bedtime blanket for our daughter.

My Top 5 Tips for Less Stress in the Morning

It’s no secret that I’m not a morning person, I’m not a Barracuda but I do need to ease into my mornings. If I wake up late it results in me stomping around cursing under my breath. I was a bit worried, with my daughter starting school this year, how I was going to cope.

However, I have come up with a bit of a routine that seems to be working and thought I’d share. Please note: That my daughter is only 5 so it isn’t a problem for her to be getting ready in the lounge but I have a sneaking suspicion that this wouldn’t work with a prepubescent teen!

Getting up and out of the house on time

1.) Rest is Best

We don’t have to drag our daughter out of bed in the morning as we always ensure, partly for selfish reasons as I need a bit of me time at night, that she gets to bed at a reasonable time. She normally wakes up quite cheerful as she’s had a good night sleep and I don’t have to battle with her.

2.) Twas the night before…

We do as much as we possibly can the night before, even if I’ve had a glass of wine or three which makes these mundane tasks more tolerable. I do everything from making packed lunches, filling in reading journals, signing permission slips and place it all strategically by the front door so I practically trip over it on the way out.

My daughter has the most amazing hair, however, if we wash it the night before and she sleeps on it, it’s virtually impossible to brush it. So, I’ve started plaiting it before bed so she doesn’t look like this in the morning.

3.) Location Location Location

Try to have as much as possible within arm’s length. In our house, this isn’t a problem as it’s not very big.

I would kill for a utility room. Unfortunately, this airer has become a permanent feature in our lounge. However, it has turned out to been incredibly useful. We splurged and bought a week’s worth of uniforms, we had some M and S vouchers. Each week I wash them all, put them on hangers, so there is no need for ironing and I can quickly grab what I need from knickers to cardigans, without traipsing up and down the stairs.

Using hangers also is a great space saving idea as I can put twice as much on the airer, but be careful as mine has collapsed on occasion.

We keep a spare toothbrush and toothpaste in the loo downstairs so we can have a quick brush after breakfast and on our way out the door.

I also have a brush and hair ties tucked away behind a lamp in the lounge so I can do her hair while she watches TV and eats breakfast.

4.) It’s not a restaurant

Limit the number of choices and save your energy for cooked breakfasts on the weekend. I sound like a broken record, each morning I can be heard saying would you like ‘Cheerios, Corn Flakes, Krispies or Toast?’

5.) Don’t look in the mirror

If you get up a few minutes early so that you can do your hair and makeup before the school run, you really need to give your head a shake. Please don’t make the rest of us look bad! :-)

What do you do to save time and stress in the morning?

Warburtons are also putting together a Breakfast Survival Guide – upload your hints and tips for getting your kids to eat their breakfast and out the door!