I think we’ve all reached the point where we’re done talking about back to school and now we’re forced to do something about it. This may include, but is not limited to:
Shopping. I adore back to school shopping! Crisp notebooks, stylish clothes, the latest in technology and two very opinionated boys who want it all. Our back to school shopping begins in August and is a month-long celebration, loosely known as “pawning off the kids to someone else for 10 months.”
Strength Conditioning. For your hands. Because come September, there WILL be forms to sign. Mountains and mountains of forms to sign. Last year, I briefly considered ordering a personalized stamp with my name and phone number, so I wouldn’t have to fill out my information 1,734 times.
Lunches. For moms of young ones, get ready to make lunches. And with two boys in elementary school, I’ll make 388 lunches before June 2017. Normally this wouldn’t faze me, but then I consider that I’ll actually have made almost 4,000 lunches by the time the kids go to high school. Hold me.
The Morning Rush. My least favourite part come September. There is a lot of stress involved with getting my kids off to school! While Ryder is an early riser, he dilly-dallys and wastes time playing with toys instead of eating breakfast. Reid, on the other hand, needs to be woken up at least five times, threatened twice, and finally, sprinkled with cold water on occasion. It’s torture.
This year, I’m going to minimize the stress of the morning rush by employing a few techniques to keep me organized and the kids happy. For the first time ever, I’m committing to making lunches the night before. I know it will free up precious time in the morning and it’s a good habit to model for when the boys start to make their own lunches.
Second, I’m going to be stricter on bedtimes. One of the main reasons Reid has such trouble waking up is because he takes a long time to go to sleep. It’s important for me to start the bedtime ritual earlier so he can get his full rest by the time the alarm goes off in the morning.
Finally, I’m starting to pay more attention to breakfast, and the quality, quantity and variety of foods that my boys eat. Thankfully, they love fruits and dairy products, especially iÖGO nanö.
iÖGO nanö is ultra-convenient and perfect for our busy mornings. The yogurt is smooth, delicious and available in a variety of formats my kids love: pouch, tube, cup or spill-proof drink.
I routinely pack iÖGO nanö tubes and drinks with an ice-pack in the boys’ lunches, and the yogurt cups make the perfect, nutritious addition to their breakfasts. The fun product packaging and flavours are easy to find in most supermarkets and my kids love the smooth fruity taste. There’s also a NEW line of flavours that mix fruit with vegetables like blueberry & beet and peach & carrot.
Reid is most fond of iÖGO nanö banana yogurt cups. I’m fond of the fact that there are no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives – plus iÖGO nanö is made with real fruit. And, if it means that I’m not chasing after him to eat breakfast in the morning, it’s a win-win all ‘round.
Do you love iÖGO nanö? Beginning on September 6th, you’ll have a chance to win 1 of 2 Back-to-School Prize Packs ($250 VISA + iÖGO vouchers) in the #ReadySetNanö Contest. All you have to do is tweet a photo of your child’s first day of school, using #ReadySetNanö, to be eligible to win.
Tell me: How do you minimize the stress of the morning rush in your home?
Although this post has been generously sponsored by iÖGO, the opinions and language are my own.