10 Healthy Tips For Back To School Success!

Even though it's a bizillion degrees outside, school is only a few weeks away. Hard to believe.


Also hard to believe that it's time to get our acts back together. Our kids deserve a healthy start to their new school year, and who else can give it to them but us, their parents.


So - with that in mind - presenting


10 Healthy Tips for Back To School Success!

1. pack healthy sandwiches. You can't control what your kids are eating if they are buying it at school. We streamlined the process at our house and pack a week's worth of sandwiches on Sunday nights, then pop them into the freezer. I've yet to meet a kid friendly sandwich that doesn't freeze well.
2. ditto for desserts. Bake a batch of cookies (made with white whole wheat flour) on Sunday, package them up and let the kids pack their own lunches each day.
3. wean the kids off any drink except water. And send them off with a refillable water bottle each day.
4. time for new sneakers! Take them somewhere they can be professional measured. Having them try on the shoes at a big box store and asking them how they feel won't cut it when they are little. Wait until they reach adult sizes before you go the big box store route.
5. Even if they had their eyes checked at school and got a glowing report, take them to the eye doctor for an yearly exam. Case in point: My 11 year old came home from school saying he got 20/20 on his eye exam at school, but he can't see the White Board. Off to the eye doctor we went - and surprise - he needed glasses.
6. be sure the backpack they are carrying distributes the weight evenly. Once they hit middle school, the weight of their backpack is astounding. Since you can't change the amount of what they need to carry, be sure you get them a backpack that protects their back.
7. be sure to have healthy snacks for them when they get home. All goes back to what you are providing for them at home. They can't eat junk if you don't buy/make junk.
8. establish a bedtime. Earlier is better then later. Growing bodies and minds need rest to grow. And crankiness and general blahness can usually be traced back to not enough sleep. Start with set bedtimes when they are little, and keep it up until they go off to college1 You'll all win in the long run.
9. have a family reading time every night. At our house we all read for 1/2 hour before bedtime, after pj's are on and teeth are brushed. When the boys were little, we read out loud to them, now we all read our own books together in the same room. I do read out loud if I'm trying to interest them in a new series.
10. work out your family schedule so most nights you all eat dinner together. Click here for 8 reasons why families should eat together. http://tinyurl.com/eattogether

That's it! 10 tips to get you and your kids off to a great start of the school year, no matter how old they are. These tips will help you organize your school routines and streamline your life. 


be organized.....evelyn


I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Transitions Lenses blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.