From custom hair stations to kitchen lists... Cork mums share their back-to-school hacks
Schools are beginning to re-open their doors this week after the summer break.
To be honest, I am really looking forward to the routine of returning to school. However, the after-school activities are another kettle of fish.
Our son is turning 10 soon and heading into 4th class, and our little girl is six and will be starting 1st class, so we are in the midst of the glorious primary school days. I enjoy these days so much, and I know I will miss them terribly when they are behind us.
We have had a fantastic summer with a good stint in Portugal and a few summer camps, but when you hit mid-August, they start to miss their friends. They are excited to meet their new teacher, and I feel are just looking forward to more of a routine in general themselves.
Things I do to get organised include making the lunches the night before; I find this a big help. I know it would cause me stress in the mornings if I didn’t. There is always something unpredictable that will pop up in the morning, so having one less thing that you have to do early in the morning helps. Sandwiches or crackers are well wrapped up and secured in the lunch box and into the fridge, ready to just pop in the school bag in the mornings.
My biggest struggle when it comes to back to school is homework. They are tired when they come in from school, but I find if we don’t do homework straight away, then it becomes a bigger task. So for me, it’s school, the park for a little while, then home to do their homework. Then relax, watch TV or play outside. Usually dinner first, then training, have a snack, relax, then bed. My two love to read, so I don’t mind them reading in bed for half an hour before lights out. I think it’s a good way for them to unwind. I will not be giving my kids any sort of phone, smartwatch, etc. for many years yet, but that’s a conversation for another day.
Usually, in July, I feel like the summer is going to last forever and we have so many plans, but August comes all too quickly and I do start to get the Glenroe feeling of back to school. Hellie (12) is going into 6th class, Marty (9), 4th class, and Sara (8), 2nd class. I love having them off in the summer so much that I do dread them having to go back, but usually by the first morning waving them off, I feel a sense of relief in the familiar routine and a new beginning that only comes in September.
In our house, we share the school runs depending on our work shifts. The way I do things and the way my husband does it can be totally different, but the main aim is to get there by whatever means possible! Definitely, the first week, we have things ready the night before, but as the winter sets in, the motivation does wear thin and we go into survival mode.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a morning person. That said, I am pretty good at figuring out how many times I can hit the snooze button before I actually need to get moving.
One thing we do is having a list in our kitchen that tells the kids what to do for their morning routine in order of when to do it - for example, brush teeth after breakfast but before putting on your jumper! This has helped over the years so that we don’t have to manage everyone at once and we can get on with our own list.
For after-school, we have another list which builds in a snack, and once the list is done, they are free and easy. This helps give them a bit of control over their evening.
WhatsApp groups for the kids’ classes are always great, and can be a hive of information between parents - a reminder pops up about a bake sale, which cues a trip to the shop, and car pooling to activities is also a great way to help each other out while keeping the children happy.
I am not an organised person. I’d love to tell you that uniforms are laid out the night before, lunches are pre-made, and my car keys are always waiting obediently by the door. They are not. But after a fair few years of back-to-school Septembers, I’ve identified the areas where I can be organised, and I lean heavily into those.
Lunches made the night before? Never going to happen. But I will bake or make things ahead for the freezer because, in our house, the real pinch point is after school, when hungry children and activities collide. My four girls do so many in their earlier years, but I grew up in a busy house where the opportunity to experience different avenues was always offered so I play taxi to my children to afford them the same opportunity. By their teenage years, the activities slimline so there is only a few years (and a lot of euros!) in it!
I’m also not buying school supplies in June for September, but experience has taught me not to leave it too late either. Early August is my sweet spot, particularly if you want an actual choice of sizes. Learn from my mistakes!
Then there’s my pride and joy: the hair station in the hall. With four heads of hair to tame every morning, brushes and a plentiful supply of bobbins and hair ties live permanently by the door. Keeping it stocked is practically a part-time job, but it removes one daily panic.
The truth is, I generally hate back to school. I grieve the loss of summer freedom and the return of schedules, the rushing and the relentless thumbs up or down in WhatsApp groups. Yet I’ve reluctantly accepted that the routine suits both me and the children, so I try to embrace its arrival along with the falling leaves.
I take the small organisational wins where I can and accept the chaos when it comes. And enjoy the laughter that comes with the other busy parents I meet along the way, all just trying to do our best!
I have to admit to being unashamedly last minute when it comes to back to school – I usually do everything around three days before my girls (one is going into Junior Cert and the other 6th class) start back.
I’m reminded of that episode of – being left with the last few options when it comes to shoes - but the important thing is that everyone goes to school with shoes!
I honestly don’t get stressed over it. I know I should probably sort it all when they break up for the summer holidays, but I find they always have a growth spurt over the summer, so why risk buying things that might not fit?
I’ve never been one for laying out uniforms or doing the lunches the night before. My husband travels a bit for work, and so me and the girls have always been a good team at rallying together and getting things done when we need to, they really make it easy.
Although now they’re sometimes the ones reminding me about things like school tours!
Once September comes, we always naturally find our groove, and now that my daughters are older, it’s definitely getting easier - but my advice is not to stress, as we’ll all get there in our own way!
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