Happy New Year: We’re Going Back To School!
Posted: September 5, 2016
Updated; August 12, 2024
Happy New Year!
It’s every parent's favorite time of the year: back-to-school season.
Conversely, sunset on the Monday of Labor Day Weekend is arguably one of the saddest nights of the year for many students. Even though it's technically not the official start of Fall - it kind of is, right?
At this point, some schools are already in full swing. Back to early morning routines, carpooling and buses, homework, school newsletters, and after-school activities. The days are busy, but the routine is back. Ahead of your children is a whole fresh start, a clean slate, a blank page. It's your new year now, too. I spent 13 years in my previous career as a teacher, so I've come to think of September as my New Year. I love the summer and all the fun that it brings, but I'm also happy to get back to a consistent schedule, which makes my life so much easier. Sure, the mornings are earlier, and the homework is nightly, but with that, your children are occupied and account for 8 hours!
Keep reading below for my tips on how to make the school year a fantastic one.
4 Tips for a Fantastic September and Rest of The Year...
Take Down The "Home Gallery": Take down any and all artwork, whether it be in the hall, on the fridge, or on a door. Photograph all of these items with your phone and upload them to whatever photo site you prefer. Create an album of your Children's artwork. As the year progresses and more pieces come home, snap a photo of each piece and upload it to the album. One day, when there is a sale or promotion, you can turn the album into a beautiful coffee table book of your children's artwork. I've been doing this for years, and I highly recommend it!
Make Way For a Permanent Record: Create a file for each child and their current grade. Here, you stash all the quizzes and tests, papers, and poems. When the folders come home at the end of the day, don't let the piles build on your desk or kitchen counters. (This does not mean you save everything! I have recycled many an item in the dark of night, past bedtime, which my daughter will never know.)
Take Advantage of The Evening: Math has never been my strong suit, but trust me when I say that 5 minutes spent in the evening saves you 15 in the morning. Promise. Make the lunches, put the backpacks by the back door, and lay out the clothes the night before. While you're at it figuring out how to set the alarm on the coffee maker, you will wake up just like the Folgers ad with the smell of coffee brewing, but it will be better because the coffee won't be Folgers.
Meet The Parents: It's a busy month, but take the time to meet the parents in your child's class. Make the effort to have a coffee, friend them on Facebook, or better yet organize a night out. It makes it easier to organize playdates when you know the parents, you will have people you can text with questions about the soccer schedule, find someone to help you out in a pinch, or even fellow parents to complain to about homework. Remember it takes a village!
Going Away to College? Let’s Do This!
Preparing to go away for college is one of the most anticipated moves that a student and parent will experience. There’s so much to think about and prepare for, which can feel overwhelming and stressful. Home Perspective is here to make this transition easier.
Moving assistance includes donating or consigning your student’s unwanted possessions. I will pack, label, and sort items so their move-in runs as seamlessly as possible. I will keep the movers fed and hydrated (if needed) and promise to not let you cry and snot on them. I will make sure that on their first night in their new dorm, they know where the sheets are, their toothbrush, and fresh towels so they can shower and be well-rested for class. I treat every client that I move as if they are one of my closest friends. I will even let you cry into my shoulder if need to 😉
-Ashley
Check Out This Essential First-Year College Dorm Packing Checklist from Big Future!
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Contact Ashley today to learn more about Home Perspective’s moving service!
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Ashley Ingraham is a very organized Mom of a daughter in Baltimore, Maryland. Always creative she was a double major of Studio Art and Education at Furman University and spent the beginning of her career as a teacher in Baltimore City. After staying home with her daughter she founded Home Perspective to share her Organization skills and life experience to make others homes and lives better. Her business has been featured in Baltimore Magazine, Oprah & Entrepreneur. When not busy helping people organize their lives she can be found at concerts all over the country or busy raising her tween daughter.