“Mom! Where’s my science booooook?”

“I don’t know, where did you have it last?”

“I don’t remember! I need it now, the bus is coming!”

Sound familiar? It’s that time of year again. Just when you finally get settled into a workable summertime routine with the kids, everything changes again. It’s back to school time and that means back to morning chaos, homework disorganization, and schedule overload. Make the transition smoother by getting your family organized.

Calendar

No household with school aged children can keep up with everything without a good calendar. Get a big calendar that you can put up on a wall in a prominent place in the house, preferably near the phone. Use either a dry erase or a paper version, but make sure it has large boxes and it is easy to write on when it’s hanging. As soon as school calendars are available, record all school events and holidays. Also, record family activities as they are scheduled. If possible, schedule all appointments for regular medical visits, like the orthodontist, six months in advance so you don’t have to try to squeeze them in after the calendar is full.

Use colored ink or highlighters to color code each member of the family’s activities and events so that anyone can easily look for their color on any given date. This will also prevent duplicate scheduling for anyone. Make a habit of recording all important dates for your children’s school and extracurricular activities as soon as you know about them, so they don’t get forgotten. It is also useful to mark due dates for your children’s school projects or test dates, so you can help them manage their time beforehand.

Get in the habit to look over the week in advance each weekend, so you can be prepared for everything. If your son has a presentation during the week, you can be sure you have all necessary materials like poster board and markers ahead of time. Or if you need to bake cupcakes for the class party on Friday, purchase the ingredients early and bake and freeze until needed. Also, it’s a good idea to plan ahead for carpooling on the weekend so everyone knows how he or she is getting to practice, the dentist or home.

Consider meals for the week too. If your son has a soccer game on Tuesday afternoon across town, assume you won’t have time to cook a full meal. But avoid the fast food temptation by planning on having reworked leftovers from the night before or fixing a crock-pot meal instead.

School Supplies

Everyone knows that kids need pencils, paper and binders for going back to school, but when you buy these items at the beginning of the year, also think about stocking up at home as well. How many times have you had to run to the store after dinner to get construction paper and glue sticks for your daughter to finish her project? When everything is on sale before school starts, buy a few extra notebooks, pens, art supplies, etc. and then you will have them when you need them.

Landing Zone

Every home should have a regular landing zone for backpacks, lunch boxes, and school paperwork. Choose a place in the house, preferably near the entrance, where the kids can deposit their stuff as they come home. Use bins, cubby holes or racks for each child, so everyone has his or her own spot. Train the kids to open their packs and remove lunch boxes, and any paperwork from school as soon as they come in. A small desktop basket is useful for depositing important papers for mom and dad to see. After homework is complete, have the kids pack up their bags and return them to the landing zone, so there’s no hunting for lost math homework in the morning.

Morning Routine

Getting everyone out the door, on time, with everything they need in the morning is an act of divine intervention. The key to calming the morning chaos is planning and routine. Make the morning routine an extension of the before bed routine. Everyone should plan what they are going to wear in the morning and actually lay it out the night before. This includes accessories like belts, vests, hats, socks, etc. so there is no last minute panic looking for the missing article. Have everyone locate their shoes and put them either near the front door, or near the door of their bedroom. If anyone needs clothes or gear for P.E. or after school activities, get it all loaded and placed in the landing zone too. Organize the meals the night before.

If your family is a cereal-eating crowd, you can set out bowls and cereal boxes for easy self-service in the morning. If you cook breakfast, do as much prep work the night before as you can, maybe while you’re cooking dinner. Do the same with lunches. If the kids take their lunch, assemble as much as possible the night before, like pre-packing non-perishables. Depending on the ages of your children, decide what aspect of these meals they can be responsible for preparing, so you don’t have to do all the work.

If bathroom overcrowding is an issue in your house, devise a schedule so that each week someone new gets the bathroom first. Set strict limits on how much time everyone gets to have the bathroom privately. Try having some people bathe at night and some in the morning.

If your family has trouble getting out the door on time, try setting all the clocks ten minutes early. It may be a psychological trick, but it seems to help create a buffer for running late. Some families have instituted time monitors, where each week someone new is in charge of watching the time and announcing how much time is left until departure in five or ten minute intervals.

Critical Phone List

In our amazingly hectic lives, it helps if we can all stay connected via telephone. Type up a comprehensive phone list on the computer and make sure everyone in the family has a copy in his or her backpack, purse, or briefcase, plus one on the fridge. Include the following numbers as they apply to your family: all family members’ cells, mom and dad’s office or pagers, schools, close neighbors, extended family members, kid’s friends, family friends, coaches, emergency numbers like police, fire and poison control. This way everyone will know how to get a hold of everyone else when plans change unexpectedly or someone becomes ill.

Training and Planning

The real key to effective organization is training your family. Whatever system works well for you, use it consistently so everyone knows what to expect and what is expected of them. As you start planning your family’s routines, involve everyone in the process so it becomes their plan, not just your plan. If you find something isn’t working as well as planned, have a family meeting to problem solve and fine tune your plan. Make this back to school season smooth sailing.