Obviously, I’m a big fan of a schedule. Without one, I wander through some days like I’m lost and unsure what to do, and then overload myself trying to do all the things at once. A schedule keeps me on track and balanced.

But this is only true if your schedule is working for you. I have pretty grand ideas sometimes that don’t always play out the way I expect. What sounds great in theory may turn out to be a disaster.

If my schedule is not working, then I’m not either.  I’m just reacting.

One such disaster occurred when I tried to make a to-the-minute schedule of my day. I felt like I was going to be super productive, maximize my day, and just generally be a rockstar.

And just as you could have guessed (hindsight is 20-20), around 30 minutes into my new schedule, I was crashing and burning. Unexpected interruptions kept popping up and throwing me off, and nothing was fitting in its allotted time. Not to mention I was one frustrated, frazzled mama trying to single-handedly lift the train back onto the rails.

Believe it or not, I’m pretty stubborn. I kept trying this schedule for about a week, thinking if I just tried harder or did better, that it would work. Boy, was I wrong. While I had a schedule, it was totally wrong for my life and personality, and was destined for failure right out of the gate. As soon as I realized this and moved on, I was able to adjust and make a more productive (and happier) schedule for everyone!

Why Evaluation is Important

Schedules are designed to declutter your life and give everything a space – just like when you declutter your house. They bring order and structure to an otherwise chaotic existence of running around trying to get everything done. That said, schedules don’t always achieve this purpose! Sometimes we make schedules, trying desperately to control everything around us that feels like it’s falling apart, only to find we’re more exhausted and weary as a result. Evaluation is a great tool to lessen future burnout.

Schedules aren’t set in stone or written in Sharpie. A schedule is merely a tool for making your life easier. If it’s not doing that – if it’s stressing you out or just not working – by all means, adjust! We don’t live and die by a schedule, we rule it! If you’re in a place where you feel controlled by your schedule, keep reading. I’ve been there, and I’ve got some tips for you.

What To Do When Your Schedule Is Not Working

When you’re in the thick of things, it can be hard to see the forest for the trees. We might be able to discern how we’re feeling overall (frazzled, stressed, overwhelmed, or withdrawn, to name a few), but not be able to pinpoint why. Being able to visually see my schedule has been a huge help to me in narrowing down what might be the cause of the problem. When I’m ready to evaluate, here’s my plan.

1. If you haven’t already, write everything that you do down.
2. Make note of spaces and times that things are especially difficult, always have you rushing, or that make you frazzled. Look for overlapping events or when you have to rush from one place to another (like if one kid’s therapy ends at 10, and the other kid has practice at 10:15, with a 20 minute drive between the two), and spaces in your calendar where you don’t give yourself enough time for the activity (allowing 10 minutes to vacuum the entire house when it really takes 30 minutes).
3. Highlight the unchangeables (appointments, practices, events, etc)
4. See what’s left, and where you can move it

Once this is all written out where I can see everything in a glance, I can then move on and think critically about my schedule, and what isn’t working!

What to Change?

We need margins. If you don’t feel like you have space to breathe in your day because of your schedule – it’s too full. There are certainly seasons of busyness, and at times, our schedule is out of our control due to outside circumstances. But as we are able, we need to make sure there is blank space in our schedule. This will give you a buffer to allow for things that take more time than planned, as well as give you some time that isn’t running around frantically, but rather an opportunity to savor the day and opportunities before you.

From your evaluation above, take a long look at those moveable things in your schedule. Is there something that you could move to a different day or time that just makes more sense for your family? Maybe moving everything to one day, and knowing that day will be busy, but then the rest of the week flows easier, will work for you. Perhaps you’ve piled everything in your schedule at the beginning of the week, and each week you start out stressed and tired. Moving things to the end of the week, or spreading them out may help you tremendously.

Try Again!

Once you’ve moved some things around, the only way you can test a schedule is to try it on. Write it down, set reminders for yourself, and get busy doing it. It may look like the best schedule ever – until you add life into the mix.

Give yourself a week or two to get used to the new rhythm of things before deciding if it’s working or not. Sometimes, the newness can make things hard or awkward. Other times, just the opposite is true. The change makes things feel better, when in reality, it’s just different. If you allow yourself time to settle into the schedule, then you can really see if it is helping or hurting.

If you find that you still haven’t got it quite right after a couple of weeks, then don’t be afraid to repeat the process. Your schedule is just that – YOURS – and no one else can tell you how to best organize your life. If turning things completely upside down from what is normal works for you and your family, that is perfectly acceptable.

If you do family breakfast instead of lunch, or sleep in and stay up late, or love the 50 different extracurriculars your family squeezes in each week, then don’t change just because someone else says that doesn’t work for them. Keep trying, and you’ll find what works best for you – unique characteristics and all.

Consider Letting Go of Some Good Things (for greatness)

When fitting everything into your day and schedule that you have to do is nearly impossible, it might be time to consider your priorities. There are so, so, so many GOOD things that we can do, and often get busy doing, that we crowd out the GREAT.

We weren’t made to do it all, friends. When your schedule is pressing down on you and choking the life out of you, it’s time to say no to some good things. It will be hard. You will feel like you’re letting people down. But you have to find balance to be able to serve and love well in the roles that God has given you.

Progress, not Perfection

One word of caution about going back to the drawing board – at some point, you just have to be done.

Sometimes, you just have to let go of the desire to make a perfect schedule (as long as there’s housework to do, there will be no perfect schedule, am I right?) and just go with what you’ve got. I can get stuck in a trap of rearranging and planning for days, and actually accomplishing nothing that needs to do be done. This isn’t helping anyone or anything either.

When you’ve got some order that is working well with your family, then run with it. We will never be perfect. We can’t stay in planning mode forever. Get out there and live your best life – knowing that your schedule is there to help, and that it’s not your dictator when things get a little bit derailed!

Keep your eye on the great – loving God, and loving others, starting with your family. With these priorities in mind, slim down your schedule as needed, to free you up for what really matters.

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Why use a Kids Chore List Template?

I’m a big fan of kids doing chores. Not just because it is taking things off my to-do list (let’s be realistic here – it’s really adding things to my to-do list!), but rather for the valuable life lessons and work ethic it is teaching my kiddos.

However, I know just telling my kids what I want them to do, and hoping they remember is about as likely to happen as an elephant in a pink tutu doing ballet in my living room. If I can’t keep up with my to-do list, why on earth do I expect my kids to be able to? Kids need visual cues, reminders, and help to stay on task and get things done. (And, honestly, so do I!)

A kid’s chore list template is an awesome way to keep everyone on track and motivated. There is something so satisfying about marking a task complete, and the visual clues of a chore chart are awesome for readers and nonreaders alike.

It takes some training and practice for the whole family, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how well a kids chore list template keeps things running around here. My kids love completing the tasks set out for them on the chore chart, and I love knowing that my boys are learning that helping around the house is for everyone!

How to Start With a Chore Chart

A kids chore list template isn’t a miracle worker all by itself. It will take some patience, training, and explanation for everyone to get things started on the right foot. Investing the time at the beginning will pay off in big ways as your kids learn how to help around the house.

One of the easiest ways to introduce the concept of a chore list template is to start with something they enjoy doing. Washing dishes and feeding the dog are two big favorites around here.

After introducing the concept that “families help each other, so we will all help with taking care of the house,” it’s important to clearly explain their role as helper, and what is expected of them.

My kids love to help. It gives them a sense of pride and ownership of their place in the family. We will tell them what job they will have as a helper, walk through how to do the job with them, and talk about how we do our very best work with a happy heart because that is one way we can love and serve God and each other.

Start Small

One or two tasks, as they are getting the hang of the idea, are more than sufficient to establish a pattern of consistency. Giving too many chores from the beginning will just lead to overwhelm and frustration.

Praise, Praise, Praise

We give out lots of praise for working hard to help, trying their best, and working with a happy heart. The goal isn’t to shorten your to-do list, but rather to build a strong foundation of hard work and service in our kids – I try to never “re-do” the work they’ve done or criticize, but only focus on the positive. They are learning – and expecting perfection is a surefire way to deflate them and their desire to help.

Be the Example

Another important step in the learning process is to model for your kids the same behavior that you expect from them. I’ve caught myself grumbling about the work before me, while expecting my kids to work with happy hearts, and had to apologize. There’s lots of grace here – none of us are perfect – and these times are also excellent learning opportunities for our little ones.

Ready for your own kid’s chore list template?

There’s no one way to make a kids chore list template. The beauty of making your own is being able to find what works for you and your family. For us, I know the more elaborate, the less likely it is to succeed. With two fun-loving boys, function over frills is the way to make it happen.

That said, I realize our way is not the only way. I’ve seen several awesome chore list templates for kids, and maybe one of these would work fabulously for you and your crew.

Follow the links below the photos for more detailed instructions from these talented (and creative!) bloggers!

Pictures that flip closed to “Done” (what we use!)

A Magnet Board where pictures of chores move from To-Do to Done

A Printable or Dry Erase Checklist

Simple Chore Jar with Popsicle Sticks 

Clothespins that move from To-Do to Done

A Job Board to post available chores

However it looks for your family, I’ve found a chore list template helps tremendously! How does your family do (or not do!) chore charts?

Don’t forget to grab Chapter 1 of “A Clean House Without Stress” for free:

Raising kids to become functioning members of society (that live in their own house one day :)) is a job we take very seriously. For obvious reasons.

One of the areas we want our kiddos to grow in knowledge and understanding is in the area of finances. We want them to understand that things cost money (to both buy and replace, so we need to take care of what we have), that money is earned, and how to budget and spend wisely. We also want to instill in them a deep understanding of wants versus needs, and how to navigate through those often difficult choices of prioritizing.

This seems pretty heavy for the younger years, for sure. While we may start early on learning these things, we don’t expect complete understanding or perfection. We’ve found that life is often a great teacher with natural consequences, and allowing our kids to have real experiences with money while they are young and under our care is super valuable.

As we discussed this when our kids were little, we struggled through answering the question, “Should kids get paid to do chores?” Here are some of our thoughts behind our decision, and what we ultimately chose to do.

Should Kids Get Paid to do Chores?

At initial consideration, paying our kids for chores sounded like a great model for teaching our kids real life lessons and financial responsibility. It was something we had seen modeled by many parents before us, and we respected that. So, we decided to dig in a little deeper.

Paying for chores simulates the real world model of money received for hard work done at a job. When you don’t work, you don’t get paid. It provides a very motivating incentive for kids to get the chores done quickly and well and rewards them for a job well done. It can also teach responsibility, as they become in charge of their own, hard-earned money.

While these were all great and valid points, giving them money in exchange for doing chores indicates that chores are a “job” that can also be optional. As much as I’d like them to be, the tasks that need to be done around the house on a regular basis are not optional. The dog must be fed every day, dishes must be washed, and bathrooms must be cleaned, to name a few. Our children aren’t responsible for paying bills at this point in their life, so a job doesn’t seem necessary.

We also felt it was important for the kids to learn that we do chores as a part of the family – not for any monetary reward, but because we all help each other. We didn’t want to develop a mentality of “Oh well, I don’t want anything bad enough to earn the money I will get for doing my chores, so I won’t do them.” We wanted them to develop hearts of service that see what needs to be done and do it, no matter if anyone was watching or prepared to reward a job well done. As they grow into families of their own, there will be household responsibilities that they may not feel like doing, and they certainly won’t be monetarily rewarded for doing them!

Chores vs. Allowance

As we talked through it, we decided that for our family, it made the most sense not to tie money to chores. This isn’t to say that anyone who chooses otherwise is wrong, or made a bad decision – it was a personal decision that we deliberated through greatly, and we see the value in both sides. We felt the benefits of having chores to do as a family, simply to help one another, outweighed paying for chores.

Since we still wanted to teach our kids about money and financial responsibility, it was important for us to find a way to do so. We decided to use the idea of an allowance – a certain stipend given at a regular interval – for our kids to manage exclusively.

We explained that God provides for our family in many ways, and one of those ways is through Daddy’s job. As a family, we must be good stewards of what He gives us, and our kids will get a portion of this money to handle since they are members of the family too.

As our main goal was to teach them the concept of money and how to make wise choices, we felt that giving them a (small!) part of each paycheck to be in charge of would be a great way to do so. It kept the lesson simple, solidified their position as a valuable member of the family, and gave us a safe and structured way to help our kids understand how money works and valuable budgeting principles for moving forward.

How Much to Pay

We started giving an allowance to our oldest son when he was five, so we decided that $5 would be a good starting point. We’re learning as we go here – there’s no right or wrong answer. We knew that it needed to be enough for him to buy things that he really wanted with a little saving, but also not too much to make everything within reach financially.

We also have allowance day twice a month – just like Daddy gets paid. We tried to find a balance between waiting too long between allowances and making it a source of frustration, and also understanding that waiting is part of life, and not everything is given to us instantaneously. Giving an allowance every 2 weeks seemed to be the happy medium for us.

What to Do with the Money

Each allowance day, we let the kids know it’s time and set out their money, and 3 mason jars. After we help them count the money they have been given, we’ve personally decided to encourage giving and saving by allocating a specific portion of their allowance to each. We have a Give Jar, Save Jar, and Spend Jar. Each jar has a specific purpose that we talk about at length the first time.

Give Jar

Each allowance, we ask the kids to set aside 10% in the give jar to give to God. This is a big concept that we tried to introduce on a kid-friendly level, without using words like percent or tithe. We simply explain that God has given us all we have, and one way we can love Him and obey what He’s asked us to do in His word is to give money to the church each time we get money.

We make sure we give allowance with appropriate change for this as well – when it is $5, we give 4 $1 bills and 4 quarters. We go over every time that 4 quarters is equal to $1, and instead of saying we give 10% to God, we just say 50 cents or two quarters.  After we had done the routine several times, and everyone was familiar and comfortable, then I started saying 50 cents or 10% of what we have – I don’t want the concept to be lost, but I also don’t want to overwhelm him!

Save Jar

The next jar is our savings jar. 20% of allowance goes into savings. We don’t tell the kids what they can or cannot spend this money on – it is theirs. We encourage them to save for a big trip or expense. Last fall, we went to Disney World, and our oldest had been saving his money for this very thing. He very carefully weighed his options in the store until he found just the right Gaston Bow and Arrow Set, and then proudly took it and his dollar bills to the counter. Thankfully, the cashier was super nice and made a big fuss over him as she counted out $36 sweaty single bills that he was so proud of.

He had saved a long time for that money, and you could see that in the effort he put into his decision to spend the money. Savings doesn’t always have to be spent on something practical, but the decision to spend it should be carefully considered. He knew how long it took to save up this $36 dollars, and once it was gone, it would take just as long to save it back up again.

Spend Jar

What’s left goes in the spend jar – the most exciting for my kids. It starts to burn a hole in their pocket right away. I always remind them that they are welcome to look and see if there is anything they would like to buy with what they have, but if they would like to wait until their next allowance and add that money to what they have, they will have more choices.

Life Lessons

The most important thing I’ve seen in teaching my children how to be responsible with money is to allow them to make their own decisions. They are going to make some mistakes, regret some purchases, and get swept up in shiny object syndrome only to have buyer’s remorse. But how much better is it for them to learn these lessons when toys and games are all that is at stake, rather than homes and families?

I can spot a bad purchase from a mile away, so it has been super hard for me to take a backseat and encourage my kids in their own decisions. I’ve watched as they have failed, gotten back up, and made better decisions the next time – learning from their mistakes. It’s a beautiful thing, and life is truly sometimes the very best teacher.

As our kids are still young, I’m sure our lessons on managing money will only grow from here. Introducing these major concepts was our main concern for now, and we will have a great foundation to build on later. My oldest has started to put two and two together, and I’ve seen his heart for others grow as he dreams of ways to share what he has with those who don’t have enough. His latest project was called “Hearts for the Hungry” – he drew hearts to raise money for people who don’t have enough to eat, contributing his own allowance to the cause. As we give them freedom with money, it is amazing to watch them as they are learning to be generous givers from an early age – and that is worth it all to me!

What does your family do? How do you teach your kids about money? Let us know in the comments below!

Check out Chapter 1 of “A Clean House Without Stress” for free:

We have an unspoken rule in our house – if you live here, you help with things that need to be done. When everyone is making messes, it’s unfair for one person to be stuck cleaning up after everyone.

Just because our kids are little doesn’t mean they get a pass on being a helper. Granted, as they are learning, they often make a bigger mess instead of cleaning up one, but it’s an important learning process that I feel outweighs the few extra steps for me.

And truthfully? They LOVE to help. They are consistently asking me if they can help with anything I’m doing, and I would much rather channel that energy into something (semi) productive!

It also helps that I’ve learned to just let go of whatever job they are “helping” with, and allow however they do it to be good enough until next time. Here’s a deeper look at the why and how we do this in our home if you’re ready to try something different.

Why We Do Chores

My oldest, after watching an episode of Arthur on PBS, decided rather quickly that he would like to have a butler. (Thanks, Arthur. Wouldn’t we all?!) He told us he wanted someone to take his trash, bring him things, and buy him toys. Even though he didn’t grasp the concept perfectly, the root of his desire was the same – selfishness.

Granted, this was an innocent (and quite hilarious, but I managed to stifle the giggles) request to mimic what he saw on TV, but this attitude left unchecked, can wreak havoc on us all. I don’t want my kids (or myself!) growing up feeling entitled, above doing work, or only out for their personal gain.

My little ones would tell you that the reason we all help with things that need to be done around the house is because “We are a family, and family helps each other.” This is the simplest, yet most profound explanation as to why we feel everyone helping with chores is important.

We want our home to be a place where they safely learn how to love God and deal with the rest of the world. When we all pitch in to get things done, it provides valuable lessons in collaboration, humility, kindness, and working hard with a cheerful heart.

Do You Pay for Chores?

There is much debate in the parenting world over the exchange of money for chores, and I can identify with points on each side.

While we do give an allowance to our children, this isn’t tied to doing chores at all. For us, their allowance is a simple tool to help them learn financial responsibility at an age appropriate level. We felt at this point, for our family, tying the two together would undercut some of the other character lessons we are fostering through simply doing chores together without expecting anything in return.

Getting Started With Age Appropriate Chores

It’s important to keep in mind the age and skill level of your children when asking them to help with things around the house. The last thing you want to do is frustrate them from helping by giving them something they aren’t able to complete, or saddling them with the task that NO ONE wants to do. There’s a delicate balance here.

I found this chart super helpful in thinking through some ways my kids could help around the house. While it is divided by ages, it will be helpful to think through this chart with your children’s specific skills, strengths, and weaknesses to better match them with ways they can help.

While my youngest falls in the right age to empty the dishwasher, his nickname is “Wreck-it Ralph.” Considering him personally, handling fragile objects is probably not the best choice if we want us both to be frustration free.

(From Sports Mom Survival Guide)

Charts and Ideas to Keep Track of Chores

Once you’ve thought through the best chores for your kids, the next step would be to teach them what is expected and establish a pattern of everyone helping around the house.  After this groundwork, introducing chore charts is the next logical step. I tried introducing chore charts right off the bat and found that we just weren’t consistent because the pattern wasn’t established first. We have to lay the foundation, and then we can build on it.

My kids each have 5 chores to help around the house each day, in addition to taking their plates to the sink after mealtimes and cleaning up their toys as they finish playing with them. I made a magnetic flip chart that lives inside the pantry door that allows them to “close” the task as they complete it. They love being able to flip them shut.

The magnetic chart is what works best for us, but there are tons of options for chore charts. I wanted to keep things simple and effective for my boys. Any method that works for your family is a winner in my book!

What about you? How do you handle chores in your house? Leave your favorite tip or AH-HA moment in the comments!

In case you didn’t know it, kids accumulate stuff like nobody’s business. Kids’ meal toys, gifts from the grandparents, birthdays, Christmas… the list goes on and on. They also spread said “stuff” from one end of the house to the other faster than you can blink, but that’s another story for another day. As much as I dread it, the pile of toys has to be dealt with.

Now, I’m not a neat person by any stretch of the imagination. I have “creative brain,” often leaving plenty of evidence of where I’ve been and every project on which I’m simultaneously working. I seriously doubt my skills and abilities in organizing anything, much less the massive undertaking that is my boy’s room.

But quite frankly, I have a clutter tipping point. Seeing piles upon piles of toys strewn everywhere, wading through legos to help them find their shoes, clothes being “lost” frequently in the mess – I just can’t take the chaos. There’s no method to the madness, and it makes me crazy.

One of my main resistances to tackling the kid’s mess was this idea I had built up of all the whining and complaining I would hear from the boys. I’ve found this funny phenomenon, though – the more toys they have in their room, the less they can find to play with. I’m convinced the sheer volume of things in their room overwhelms them from being able to see individual things.

Something had to give.

Read More

Recently, I took both of our boys, ages 6 and 4, to the beach by myself. Knowing how much energy they have, and that I was outnumbered, I gave up any dreams of a relaxing day in the sun, and dove headfirst into a full day of sand castle building, wave jumping, creature catching, and everything else the boys could dream up.

By the end of the day, I was sandy, exhausted, slightly burnt, and most of all, happy.

And it was here that it hit me – my kids were so much more fun when I’m not distracted.

I spend so much “time with my family” half in the moment, half tending to my to do lists or catching up on Facebook drama that everything becomes a distracting interruption. It’s no wonder those strong family connections are passing me by.

Meaningful family time is hard to come by when we’re distracted and not fully present where we are.

Family Time is Disappearing

Meaningful family connections are often lost as we rocket through life.  It’s easy to forget that this life isn’t about simply getting from Point A to Point B most efficiently, but rather the journey it takes to get there.  We crave connection and community – to be understood and loved for who we are, and have the chance to reciprocate – and we’re shortchanging our families when we allow things and activities to get in the way of this.

It takes purpose and resolve to fight for family connection.  Growing our relationships with our spouse and kids is such a gift we have been given, and we’re going to look at ways to embrace this gift to the fullest instead of overlooking it, or taking it for granted.  With a little resolve and planning, the fulfillment of meaningful family connection is worth the effort, as we live genuinely with those closest to us.

I’m thrilled to be sharing some ideas for creating meaningful family connections on AHA Now!  Continue reading there for tips on reconnecting with your family, and I’d love to have you join in the conversation!

Continue Reading at AHAnow.com!

Let’s just be honest: school mornings are especially crazy and hectic. For kiddos who can’t sleep in on a weekend to save their lives, most school mornings, I’m hustling to wake them up in time for them to scarf down breakfast and head out the door with sleep-crusted eyes. It never fails.

Shuffling them out the door with the completed homework/signed note/lunchbox/project/nap blanket/whatever they need is quite the morning workout. I know that how your day begins sets the tone for how it will continue, and I would really like for that not to be a frazzled sprint. I don’t do “harried” well. Anything I can do to promote more peace in the mornings and set the tone for both my kiddos and myself for a great day is a win in my book.

This year, my focus has been on simplifying the lunchbox for a smoother morning.

I knew I needed to do something new. My lunchbox routine was spotty at best. The night before (if I remembered), I would throw together a hodge-podge of items in different containers, and then try to remember to get them all in the lunchbox (if they fit) with an ice pack the morning of. And that was the best case scenario. Talk about adding to the stress of the morning!

This year, we’re a couple of months in, and things are already looking better! Here’s what’s working for us!

Swap Out Lunch Containers

I needed lunches to be grab and go – not scattered throughout multiple containers. I spent a lot of time looking for just the right container- I wanted it to have multiple compartments to keep foods separate, but I also wanted it to be leak-proof, both between the compartments in the container and overall.

The challenge in finding this was also having a lid the kids were able to open themselves without too much struggle.

I finally settled on a set of 5 reusable “Portion Perfect” containers for each kiddo , and we’re all in love with them. They are strong and durable, leak-proof, hold PLENTY of food, and still able to be opened by their little hands. We’ve lost a corner or two on the lids so far, but they are still fully functional. That’s pretty impressive for my crew!

Go-To Lunch Ideas

When I had a quiet moment, I made a list of some of my boy’s favorite foods for protein, veggies, fruits, grains, and dairy. I tried to have at least three options in each category so they weren’t eating the same thing every day.
For our house, here’s what that looks like:

Prep Ahead of Time

Having 5 containers for each boy means all lunches for the week get made on Saturdays now. It takes up a bit of room in the fridge, but I’m willing to sacrifice that for the sanity it provides in the morning. A compact refrigerator might also be worth considering, so you don’t have to compromise on fridge space, but you’ll still get all the benefits of being prepared. And who knows? Maybe the mini-fridge reminder of college life will inspire your school lunch packing!

On Saturday afternoon, I lay out all 10 containers and start filling them from the Go-To Lunch list. The biggest section usually gets the protein, dairy, and veggies. The medium section I will fill with fruit. The smallest section I reserve for a treat!

Morning Routine

As the boys eat their breakfast in the mornings, I throw the container and an ice pack (these are great ones!) into their lunchbox, and they’re out the door. I keep individual servings of pretzels, pita chips, and granola bars together in the pantry, and put one of those in each lunchbox the night before so they don’t get soggy in the refrigerator.

I also keep spoons there as well, for the days they have something that requires one. Knowing where everything is (and making sure it gets returned to the right spot the day before) is huge. I don’t have to chase anything down in the morning, or remember tiny details pre-coffee. Winning!

Have an After School Routine

As soon as they get home each day, we empty out their lunchboxes and water bottles. After a quick wipe down, the containers go in the dishwasher, and the lunchboxes and water bottles go on top of the microwave where they will be ready for the next morning.

Routines are the glue of life. Making lunches a regular part of our week ensures that things get done. Pick a day to plan and prepare lunches. Have a specific time each night that you check to be sure everything is ready for the morning. Have a system for making note of lunch box supplies you need so they don’t get forgotten on the next grocery trip. Know who will put everything together and at what time, and then watch it happen like a well oiled machine!

A little planning and preparing has made all the difference for us in the mornings – I hope it helps you some too!

How do you handle school lunches? What are your tips for making it simple, quick, and easy?