• Home
  • Start Here!
    • Subscribe
    • Topics
    • Top Tips!
  • About
    • Services
    • Contact Us!
    • Media
    • Disclaimer
  • Blog
    • Popular Posts
    • Recipe Index
  • Books
    • RD Book Coaching Services
  • Podcast
  • Privacy Policy
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • RSS Feed

Maryann Jacobsen

Independent Author & Family Nutrition Expert

  • Home
  • Start Here!
    • Subscribe
    • Topics
    • Top Tips!
  • About
    • Services
    • Contact Us!
    • Media
    • Disclaimer
  • Blog
    • Popular Posts
    • Recipe Index
  • Books
    • RD Book Coaching Services
  • Podcast
  • Privacy Policy

5 Back to School Routines That Make Life Easier

August 25, 2014

Tweet
Pin
Share33
Yum
Email
Share
33 Shares

The time has come.

As of yesterday, both of my kids are in school full time. While many different emotions are running through me as my youngest starts kindergarten, one of them is definitely excitement. I’m looking forward to one drop-off and more time to get the important stuff done.

Although work will take up a good portion of my time, I plan to incorporate these 5 routines to help things run as smoothly as possible.

Jump Ahead

  • 1. Strategic Meal Planning
  • 2. Food Prep Day
  • 3. Kid Lunch Check-in
  • 4. Making Lunches
  • 5. Clean Out One Area

1. Strategic Meal Planning

I already map 5 weeks’ worth of dinner rotations for my family but each week I need to double-check those meals.  Whether it’s planned activities or things that come up, the meals I make need to match the amount of time I have to cook. I plan to jot down my grocery list on Sunday, post the dinner meals on the fridge, and shop on Monday.

Bottom line: With two kids doing homework in the afternoon, stress-free dinners are important.

2. Food Prep Day

I plan to add a food prep day on Tuesday. This will be the day I will make items like salsa, waffles, soups, salad dressings, and muffins.  I will also make some sides, and if possible, future meals along with hot lunches for me and my husband.

I’m not sure how this food prep day will go but the goal is to minimize cooking the rest of the week.

3. Kid Lunch Check-in

The kids will get four packed lunches every week and one hot lunch at school.  Because things change quickly throughout the year, I plan to check in with my kids on a regular basis.  I’ll also have this talk with my husband.

How do you like what I’m packing?

What would you like to see more of?

Is your snack too big or too small?  Are you hungry by the time lunch rolls around?

4. Making Lunches

Big A is ready to start dabbling in the lunch-making routine so I’ll be having her make one lunch every week.  In Fearless Feeding, we have lunch-making templates to help school-age kids learn how to put a meal together (think food groups).  And I just ran across this PDF from Real Mom Nutrition aimed to help kids make their own lunches. Big A will also look through some cookbooks to get ideas including my favorite: Best Lunch Box Ever.

5. Clean Out One Area

Each week I plan to pick an area of our place to sort through (AKA throw stuff out!). Whether it’s toys, part of the kitchen, bookcase, or files, the idea is to slowly get rid of what we don’t use. Doing a little at a time should add up through the school year.

This all sounds great, doesn’t it?  Let’s see what really happens when I start to implement these every week. I’ll be sure to provide honest updates in my rotation meal plans.

Any new back-to-school routines you’ll be implementing?

 

Related Posts

  • Are School Running Clubs Really Good for Kids? [My Take]

    It was Jog-a-thon day at my kids’ school. I made a point to tell both…

  • Kale Chips [Recipe]

    Over the past couple of months, I've heard about Kale Chips from various people.  And…

  • Pancakes with syrup, blueberries and bananas
    Oat Pancakes [Recipe]

    This recipe for oat pancakes was submitted by Charlotte, a busy mom in France. She…

  • The New Rules of School Lunch

    In early December the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 was signed into law. It…

Tweet
Pin
Share33
Yum
Email
Share
33 Shares

Categories: Feeding School-Age Kids, Real Life Stories 2 Comments

« Why I Will Never Lie to My Children About Food
Monthly Meal Plan (September) »

Comments

  1. Lori says

    August 26, 2014 at 10:34 am

    Today I cleaned out the craft cabinet. I made sure to wait until school started. I’m also putting dinner on the table by 5. That gives us plenty of time to select outfits and get ready for bed by 7.

    Reply
    • Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, MS, RD says

      August 26, 2014 at 10:02 pm

      Dinner by 5 is impressive. I shoot for 6!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hi, I’m Maryann…

Hi, I’m a registered dietitian who focuses on developmental stages. Here, you won’t get one-size-fits-all advice. Instead, you’ll get information based on your (and your family’s) age and stage. Make your choice between family and midlife-focused newsletters below and subscribe. Find out more!

Recent Posts

  • Yes, Every Midlife Women Should Take a Multivitamin (And Here’s Why)
  • 10 Signs Intermittent Fasting Doesn’t Live Up to the Hype
  • What do the Latest Vitamin D Studies Really Tell Us?
  • 3 Breathing Exercises That Will Change Your Life with Nick Heath [Podcast]
  • 6 Dietary Supplements Most Teenagers Need

Random Posts

  • Hurry Curry [Recipe]Hurry Curry [Recipe]
  • 5 Barriers Keeping Your Adolescent From Healthy Independence5 Barriers Keeping Your Adolescent From Healthy Independence

Categories

Get the books!

The Alliance of Independent Authors - Author Member

Join the Newsletter

Sign up for Maryann’s E-mail Newsletter and get her ebook The Landmines of a Healthy Relationship with Food for FREE. Subscribe now!

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list. You're not done. Check your email to confirm your address. After you do that, you'll receive a link for the free e-book.

.

Copyright © 2023 — Maryann Jacobsen • All rights reserved • Powered by Femme Flora. Designed & Developed by BinaryTurf Privacy Policy

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.OK Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT