7 Back to School Tips for Working Moms

It's back to school season, and our schedule changed quite a bit. This year I really needed to look at my routines, my systems, and see what I needed to tweak in order to make this work as a working mom. 

As a working mom now for over a decade, I've transitioned schools and schedules multiple times and even lived through a global pandemic. The back to school routine is ever evolving and ever changing. So this is what's working for me right now. Hopefully some of these tips will be helpful for you in the season of motherhood you're in. Ready? Let's go!

Back to school tip #1: Nighttime Routine

And I don't just mean like a bedtime routine for kids. That's absolutely important that everybody gets to bed on time and gets enough sleep. But, I'm talking about more of a nighttime routine to set yourself up for success the next morning.

So what do I mean by that?

Things that I do in my nighttime routine:

• I make sure my kitchen's clean. There is like no better feeling in my opinion than waking up to a clean kitchen versus waking up to a kitchen that is not tidy or there's dishes in the sink or it's just like the remnants of the night before. So cleaning up the kitchen super fast, nothing crazy, making sure all the counters are wiped down, the dishwasher's loaded and started or all the dishes are you know out of the sink and cleaned.
• Prepping things for the next morning like lunches, snacks, making sure all the water bottles are cleaned and ready to be filled in the morning. Anything I can do to set myself up for success the next day, I like to do in my nighttime routine. PS - I get it, at the end of the day, you're probably tired. I'm tired too. This takes me no longer than 30 minutes. If 30 minutes feels daunting to you, maybe you need to do a 20 minute nighttime routine or a 15 minute night time routine. Whatever you can consistently commit to, I would do. Don't forget to check out this podcast episode on nighttime routines. 

Back to school tip # 2: Morning Routine

Again, this is great for kids and important so that there's consistency for less chaotic mornings, but it's also really important for you as the mom to have a morning routine. Try your best, mama. I know kids wake up early. Try your best to wake up and give yourself some time time before everyone in your house is waking up, asking for things, needing things. Pouring into yourself first thing in the morning is a sure fire way to commit to taking care of yourself each and every day.

So many times we say, "I'm going to work out later. I'm going to meditate later. I'm going to read later." And what happens? Stuff gets in the way. The day doesn't go as planned. Kids get sick. Work runs late. You hit traffic. Waking up early and pouring into yourself first thing in the morning with a morning routine for you is like a foolproof way to make that happen.

For more tips on how to create a morning routine as a working mom, check out this podcast episode that highlights my morning routine ideas and tips for making it happen. 

Back to school tip number 3: Mom Life Hacks

We all need a life hack every now and then and with these recent schedule changes in my back to school routine, I've definitely had to revisit what new and different life hacks I could be implementing in order to help myself be more successful and thrive in this season of motherhood. Some of these I've done before and I continue to do and some of them are new things I've introduced.

One new thing I've introduced this season is breakfast to go. I'm finding that with time being a little tighter this back to school season, and me really wanting to ensure the kids get enough sleep, I am all about the breakfast to go.

How am I making breakfast on the go happen? I'm thinking ahead.

The weekend before or even two weekends before, I batch and make in bulk breakfast items, freeze them, and on busy back to school mornings, I can easily pop in the microwave, hit the road, and go-getting everyone fed and to school on time. Some things I've been making are homemade muffins, overnight oats. Those are a little messier in the car. So I'm not sure I'd recommend or do that one again, but you can do those at least they're ready and kids can usually eat those pretty quickly, even before you leave. I've made like big batches of pancakes or French toast. I even brought I even bought some protein powder and I'm making them smoothies with protein, fruits, milk and ice.

Other back to school hacks include meal prepping and meal planning, which make the evening time less chaotic. I go to the grocery store once a week. I plan meals being mindful about what our daily schedules are and how the cooking fits in to the routines of sports practices and extracurriculars.

Another hack includes choosing to buy individually wrapped snacks vs. ones I pack up myself. Honestly, I used to think it was kind of wasteful when you buy those little bags of snacks that come individually wrapped versus buying in bulk and doing it myself. But, some conveniences are worth it. So having individually wrapped snack bags, grabbing them, and putting them in the lunches or the snack bag versus bagging them up myself or pouring them in the containers is a hack that is working for me this back to school season.

Back to school tip #4: Meal Planning

Meal planning is critical for me as a working mom of four. And we're going to actually dive a lot deeper into this with an expert when it comes to meal planning in a future podcast episode. So, make sure you stay tuned, subscribe, and be on the lookout for that one. Here's why it's super beneficial to meal plan as a working mom, though. And by the way, if you're thinking, "I don't know if I want to do that. It's such a commitment. What if I don't feel like eating it that day?",  Trust me, I've said all those things. Mamas, meal planning has really changed my life. Planning meals ahead for the week allows me to save time, save money, and be less wasteful.

I don't necessarily have flexibility over like schedules with sports or school schedules or work schedules or things like that, so being able to plan around my life via this task that is something I do in my home that has been really really beneficial. So, plan out for the week even if it's just Monday through Friday.

Give yourself that luxury, allow yourself that one grocery run per week so you're not constantly back and forth at the supermarket and try this out. It makes a world of a difference. 

Back to school tip #5: Flexibility

Maybe you're starting a new school this year. Maybe you have a new commute or a new job. Maybe some days you have a different schedule than other days, but it's really, really important to remain flexible with yourself and with all these changes around you. Monday may not look like Wednesday, which may not look like Friday. Some days in my home, I have extra time in between one drop off and the other drop off and I will swing by my house and throw in laundry or clean up breakfast dishes or do a quick errand in between. Other days, I drive straight from one drop drop off to another and I have a 15 to 20 minute lull in between and I just hang out with my son, and we play for a few minutes. We take that time to just be together, and it's very intentional.

And so I'm flexible with this. I'm flexible, but I'm also using and planning to use my time with intention. I could very easily complain about having these dead 20 minutes, 30 minutes in between drop -offs with nothing to do or I could be really intentional about how I use that time. 

Be flexible, be intentional and just know that not every day is going to look the same.

Back to school tip #6: Snacks

Snacks, just snacks. Have them. There's probably a lot more driving movement happening now that you're in your back to school season, now that activities maybe have resumed. Snacks are really important as kids are busier and using more energy. They're gonna be hungrier! Always have snacks on hand. No surprise, I'm sure, you're a mom, you know.

But wait, there's more!

Think about what's in those snacks. My kid's behavior is almost always tied to whether or not they're hungry or what they've just eaten.

So be prepared with snacks on hand. Going back to school, it takes a lot of energy out of kids all day. Then, if they're headed to sports practices or any extracurriculars, there's an additional amount of energy needed. They need to refuel. But also think about like what they're eating. Does it have protein? Does it have any vitamins? How much sugar is in there? Is it going to give them a rush of energy and then a crash and burn later? 

So, once again- snacks are critical and important. But, not just having them, thinking about what those snacks actually are and if they are resolving a problem for you of feeding this hunger and providing the right kind of energy or if they're just like giving your kid a quick high of sugar and then a crash and burn later, which you don't want. 

Back to school tip #7: Set Reasonable Expectations

As a working mom in business, I took it easy this summer. When back to school season began, I was excited about getting back to work, about re -recording the Mama Work It podcast, about all the projects, that I had put on pause during that time. And I also realized very soon after I got back in the work swing here that I couldn't just work myself to the bone because all of a sudden I had these solid hours while the kids were in school each day to make it happen. I needed to ensure I was creating a healthy work -life balance. It's important to not only focused on work, but also home life environment, things I enjoy doing, connecting with friends, walks outside. I'm still working out this new balance, but that self -awareness piece is so crucial. With that piece, you can get ahead of potential burnout. You can get ahead of stress, resentment, exhaustion, etc.

So check yourself. Are you setting reasonable expectations or are you putting crazy pressure on yourself? Would you expect what you are expecting of you from anyone else?

Those are my back to school tips for working mamas this year. Hope you found them helpful! Please listen to Mama Work It podcast episode 151 if you found this helpful!