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Back to School

Off to Kindergarten and High School
It is that time again for school to start and routine to take over.  Our summer was fun.  We took our annual adventures to Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks and took some extra trips to Colorado and Idaho. 

Today, was the first day of school for Sydnee (K) and Hunter (11).  That means this weekend I had to make sure we had school supplies and food to make it through the week.  My hubby and I work full-time so we are trying to balance school, work, extracurricular activities and our health. 

I have found a couple great ways to make sure we all get a little me time and don't have to live off drive-thru. 



10 crockpot meals ready to go!
First thing I did was buy school supplies in June/July before the rush.  I purchased them as they went on sale and spread them out over several shopping trips.  I bought some commonly used items (paper, notebooks, pencils, etc.) and put them in the school supply cabinet in the kitchen.  I also recycle anything that was still usable from last year in there in the just-in-case pile for later in the year.

Making smoothies for breakfast after loading
up the slow cooker with dinner. 






I really started meal planning last year after I went to a freezer meal class.  I loved being able to spend a couple hours on Sunday and prep all the meals for the week.  Last Sunday my Wildtree Rep hosted a Back-to-School workshop at her house and I bagged up 10 freezer meals in less than 2 hours.  These meals mixed with pizza and some other quick dinners will last us about three weeks. 
The other thing I noticed is that this saves me money because I  don't buy a bunch of prepackaged food (yucky preservatives) each week and I don't have as much food waste.  Plus it saves me time at the grocery store because the in between trips are quick and I'm just buying staples. 

Now that I have us fed, it's time to make sure everything is cleaned up. At our house everyone pitches in.  We switch chores monthly so that no one gets stuck with something for too long and everyone knows how to do everything.  Even Sydnee pitches in!  The older kids are responsible for their own laundry and car maintenance.  I pride myself in making sure they are able to care for themselves 100% by the time the graduate. 

When everyone pitches in chores go a lot faster and we don't spend all weekend cleaning the house. 
Running and watching a work town hall meeting








I wouldn't say we are a fitness family but everyone is pretty active.  Sydnee is taking swim lessons, bowling and playing soccer.  Hunter bowls competitively which means traveling occasionally.  Add in Girl Scouts and these kids keep us moving. 

Jake and I get into the gym a couple times a week and I work in runs either early in the morning or around meetings at work.     

I keep track of everything on my Google calendar, each person has their own calendar and it is color coded so I don't book over something important.  There is always a dentist appointment or PTA meeting that pops up. 

What do you do to make sure your family stays healthy, happy and organized? 

PS:  I am hosting a meal planning workshop in October.  Drop me a note if you are interested in attending (no need to be local, we can do a FB Live event).  You can learn more about it at http://www.mywildtree.com/Pws/HomeOffice/tabs/meals.aspx/#make-ahead

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