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A few things I'm NOT doing for back-to-school
Published 2 days ago • 5 min read
There are so many things that seem to come along with “back to school” these days.
New wardrobes. New backpacks. Elaborate first-day photos. Meal prep. Lunch packing. Special breakfasts. A perfectly organized homework station. A whole new morning routine.
And if those things make your life easier or you truly enjoy doing them, go for it!
But I also think sometimes we need a reminder that just because something is popular on the internet doesn't mean it's something we actually need to do. Because honestly, who has time for all of that?!
So here are a few things I'm not doing for back-to-school this year:
Packing lunches. This is one thing we've simply chosen to skip. The kids eat hot lunch at school, and since cold lunch isn't really presented as an option, they never question it. And I feel like they eat a better variety of foods through school lunch than they would if I packed the same turkey sandwich every single day of the year.
Back-to-school clothes shopping. My kids can continue wearing the clothes they've been wearing all summer. No need to rush out and buy a whole new wardrobe just because the school year is starting! I prefer to shop sales throughout the year rather than create the pressure to buy everything at once in August. Yes, I've bought them some new clothing because both have outgrown a lot of their closet lately, but I'm not going overboard here.
Getting new backpacks. I've set the expectation with my kids that they get a new backpack every few years, not every year. My son got a new one for preschool last August and it's still in perfect shape for kindergarten. My daughter used hers for three years and it was looking pretty tattered, so she'll get a new one this year. If it's still working, we're still using it.
Making breakfast. I know this goes against everything you see moms doing on the internet, but I basically never make my kids breakfast. 😂 They survive on cereal, toast, packaged muffins and granola bars for the most part. They'll eat the same breakfast they always eat when school starts. I'm not trying to win an award for serving my kids a rotating menu of hot breakfasts every morning.
Elaborate back-to-school photos. No coordinating outfits or fancy backdrops here. Just my kids wearing something they feel good in, posing for a picture on the front porch. I do usually find a free printable sign or flag with their grade that they can hold, but that's as fancy as we get around here.
Buying teacher gifts. I love teachers, but I don't feel the need to send my kids to school on the first day carrying a gift for their teacher. We choose to show our appreciation to teachers with a nice gift card at Christmas time and a handwritten thank you note from the kids during Teacher Appreciation Week. I've seen some absolutely adorable teacher gifts in my Instagram feed lately, but I really don't think teachers want more stuff, so I just don't do it. One less thing to worry about!
A big first-week-of-school celebration. One of the most helpful things I've learned from other moms on the internet is to keep the first weekend after school starts completely free. No big plans for family outings, no obligations—just a quiet weekend to chill out and recover from a really exhausting first week of school. So all those pinterest-perfect tablescapes and parties don't really make sense to me.
Having our entire school routine figured out before school starts. I'm all for having systems, but I've generally found there's no point in over-planning for a problem we don't actually have yet. We'll see how our mornings and afternoons go, then adjust from there. I'd much rather create a system based on what our family actually needs than spend a bunch of time preparing for problems that might never happen.
And I'll leave you with my biggest back-to-school reminder: You don't have to do all the things.
You don't have to recreate the routines you see other moms doing. You don't have to buy all the new things. You don't have to make August into a giant project.
I hope my list above serves as a little permission slip to stop doing something just because you think you should be doing it. There's no award for going overboard in this area.
Here's to a simpler start to the school year.
-Emily
On My Mind This Week
I have been working on getting much more consistent with walking over the last month, and I've started leaving my walking pad set up at my desk before I go to bed. As much as I enjoy walking around the neighborhood, sometimes I have little motivation to get dressed, the weather isn't great, or I feel like I don't have enough time (all the excuses!). There's less friction involved if I just go downstairs and turn on the walking pad (sometimes still in my pjs). I walk pretty slow a lot of mornings, but it's been a great way to wake up and move a little while I'm scrolling my phone or checking messages for 10-15 minutes. And today I had extra time, so I actually walked a full 30 minutes barefoot in my pajamas!A good reminder that you don't have to completely change clothes and walk fast for it to count as movement.
This is my all-time favorite book series, and I just finished the final book which was absolutely delightful but also bittersweet to think there's not another one to read. I'll be impatiently waiting for the next book to come out next year! I'll also take this as a reason to plug my beloved reading light because I think everyone should have one.😉
Logan turns 5 on the first day of school and is so excited for transitional kindergarten. He's young and tiny so still in his big carseat and can't quite get it unbuckled on his own yet. His big sister can help, but I got him one of these gadgets and it's been so great! It gives him enough leverage to press the button on his own and we've been practicing using it so he's ready to quickly unbuckle himself in the drop-off line.
Speaking of school, do yourself a favor and get a pack of these slim ice packs. I know I already said I don't pack school lunches, but I still use these often in our cooler bag on trips or to keep food cold for after-school activities.
Our daughter hosted a little end-of-summer party over the weekend, and these sticker scenes were a big hit with all the 8-year-olds! I love doing them too, so I'd say they are great for ages 8+ and think teens will enjoy them, too.
And you can always shop my recent posts and find things I'm loving in my Amazon Shop and the LTK app.
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