Parenting

Get back to school ready and stay organized with some of these super gorgeous homework stations for kids!

Homework Station Ideas

I love this homework station because it can be wheeled into the corner or a closet if you are limited on space!

Use a lazy susan to make this super simple homework station for kids.

This homework caddy was made with canning jars and is easy to carry from room to room!

How cute is this DIY Ikea homework station!? It is so clean and simple looking!

If you are short on space you can use this DIY portable homework station that is made with a 3 ring binder.

Is your home filled with rustic decor? Use this DIY wood crate homework station!

I love this galvanized planter and caddy set for holding school supplies at home!

This homework station is budget friendly, using organization bins from Dollar Tree.

Here is another super efficient rolling homework station!

I love this idea of including a designated “to be signed” area at your homework station so mom doesn’t miss any important papers.

This homework station setup is really adorable for young kids!

Creating a homework hideaway is great for saving space and keeping multiple children separated during homework time.

Save room with over the door school supplies organization!

Homework Station Organization

Here are a ton of really cool carts, caddies, baskets, etc that you can use for your homework station to keep things organized!

This hanging homework caddy takes the DIY out of making your own homework station.

I love this rustic desk organizer that you could use for school supplies. It is almost just like the one I listed above, but this one you don’t have to make!

Use a plastic classroom caddy to organize your at home school supplies.

Here is a multi-drawer organizer to use for your homework station too!

I am obsessed with this school supplies storage center!

Here is a rolling caddy almost exactly like the DIY one above!

All of these are super great options to get your kids motivated to do homework every day after school!!

More Back to School Stuff

This post was sponsored by Nabisco as part of an Integrated Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

How hectic is after school time at your house?

I’m guessing that it doesn’t matter if you have one kid or five, after school is almost always crazy.

Consistency with Kids

In almost all areas of parenting, when you are dealing with kids, consistency always wins. Consistency is how we keep bedtime running so smoothly in our house!

And what goes hand in hand with consistency? A schedule.

Believe it or not, kids really thrive in a structured environment. Our daughter knows that every night after dinner it is time to brush her teeth and head to bed. Now, she even goes to bed after dinner without us even telling her to!

Having that consistent schedule every night makes parenting significantly easier on us and completely eliminates the power struggle that a lot of parents go through with their kids.

Not that she doesn’t have her days, because she does. But most nights she is in bed with no complaints by 8pm.

After School Schedule for Kids

If you aren’t careful after school can be a disaster and next thing you know it is 10 pm and the kids are still running around without baths or being prepared for the next school day.

I truly believe that with enough consistency (and it will probably be hard to stick to at first) you can get your kids into an after-school routine that not only runs seamlessly, but gives you extra quality time to spend as a family before bed.

When the kids first get home, have them put away their shoes, hang up/empty their backpacks, and sit down for an after school snack. When emptying their backpacks this is where they should get out their homework, make a pile of any important papers for mom, and clean out their lunchboxes as well.

Since most of us moms are busy after school I suggest keeping easy snacks around the house that the kids can grab themselves like TEDDY SOFT BAKED Filled Snacks.

They are a fun teddy bear shape and kids love them. There are 2 different flavors, one filled with vanilla and one filled with chocolate so there are options for your kids who have different tastes.

TEDDY SOFT BAKED Filled Snacks are made with quality ingredients and contain no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial flavors, and no artificial colors so they are mom approved! We keep them in a small plastic basket in the cabinet so our daughter knows what her choices are for a snack and she can just grab it herself.

We get our TEDDY SOFT BAKED Filled Snacks from Walmart in the cookie/cracker aisle. Nabisco is actually giving away a few gift cards to Walmart where you can purchase your own TEDDY SOFT BAKED Filled Snacks! Enter below!

Nabisco Snacktime Sweepstakes

“I-C will randomly select 14 winners from all program entries and will facilitate fulfillment of the winning prizes.”

After the kids finish their snack it is a good idea for them to get homework out of the way so that they don’t have to worry about it for the rest of the night and so that mom has time to check over it before the kids head to bed.

When homework time is over this is when the kids can have free time to play outside or whatever else they feel like doing to unwind.

After dinner, your kids can do baths, teeth brushing, and reading. You can also set aside a little time before bed for them to lay out their clothes for the next day so that your mornings can run more smoothly.

Obviously, a schedule like this will look different for every family and it won’t go according to plan every single day, but having a solid schedule can take a lot of stress out of your day.

Printable After School Checklist

Here is a FREE printable after school checklist that you can feel free to download and print for use in your home! Just enter your name and email address in the box below and it should send right to your email address. Then just print it from there! 🙂

One of the best first day of school traditions is of course the first day of school photo to look back on each year.

B isn’t quite in school yet, but I still love seeing all of the unique back to school photo ideas!

First Day of School Photo Ideas

Order and print a customizable first day of school sign that has “all about me” facts via Etsy.

Here is a festive and customizable back to school photo booth prop you can order via Etsy.

You can easily make this first day of school photo frame to take to class on the first day too via Mommy Upgrade.

If you have a chalkboard wall this is the most adorable way to track each year in photos via Livingly

Grab a chalkboard letter from Hobby Lobby to make your own cute prop via Pinterest.

Use this simple idea and paint the grade level kids are in on an apple and have your kiddos hold it via Pinterest.

Take a photo in a photo every year on the first day! The results are too cute via She’s Making Cards

These back to school banners are super adorable. You can make them yourself, but if you are short on time just order one via Etsy.

A great last minute idea is to use sidewalk chalk to get a photo on the first day via Pinterest.

This DIY chalk photo frame might take you a little longer to do, but it is oh so adorable and can easily be used year after year via eHow

Check out this super cute first day of school photoshoot you can get inspiration from! via Pigskins & Pigtails

This first and last day of school comparison photo is such a great idea via How Does She

Using a balloon you can create the perfect first day of school photo each year via Livingly

With just a few materials, you can make a back to school sign to use over and over again via Fynes Designs

Here is another unique sidewalk chalk art idea for your first day of school photo via Paging Fun Mums

This post has a really cute idea where you take a picture of your child in the same “Class of” shirt every year to see how they grow into it! via Journey of Parenthood

Use crayons to make this one of a kind crayon photo frame for your first day of school photos via Modern Mom Life

This traditional looking back to school sign with apples and rulers as decoration would be cute to make once and use every year via Fireflies and Mudpies

More First Day of School Photo Ideas 

Here are more great ideas…

24 Ideas for Adorable First Day of School Pictures via Kids Activities Blog

15 Ideas for Adorable First Day of School Pictures via Kids Activities Blog

First Day of School Photo Ideas via Passion for Savings

23 Adorable First Day of School Photo Ideas via Momtastic

13 Hilarious Back to School Photo Ideas via One Crazy House

16 Amazing Back to School Photo Ideas via It’s Always Autumn

Back to school is really stressful for teachers! Here are a few back to school teacher gift ideas to help brighten their day!

Back to School Teacher Gift Ideas

Treat your teachers to a thoughtful little note and one of the things they need the most, supplies, with this cute DIY Sharpie gift via The Suburban Mom

What kind of teacher doesn’t love candy? Give the gift of sweets with a cute jolly rancher filled cup that they can use over and over again via Trish Sutton

Slip your teachers a Starbucks gift card on meet the teacher night to help them recuperate from the long nights planning for the new year!

This back to school teacher survival kit is such a thoughtful way to let your teachers know that you support them via Moms Without Answers

This back to school emergency kit is full of supplies that teachers might need during the year and the presentation is too cute via A Pumpkin & A Princess

You can easily make this adorable apple jar and fill it with sweet treats for your teachers to keep on their desks via 36th Avenue

This apple lip balm gift is the cutest back to school present and not to mention inexpensive via The Suburban Mom

Grab your favorite teachers a cute mug and attach this sweet “even superheroes need caffeine” note to make them feel supported via Teachers Pay Teachers

Make your teachers this adorable personalized pencil door hanger for their classrooms via 3 Little Greenwoods

If you really want to wow your new teachers make them a school supplies cake full of the things that they need most via Hip2Save

You can make this DIY ruler planter to gift your favorite teacher a plant for their classroom via I Should Be Mopping the Floor

Use this “dinner is our treat” printable and gift teachers a gift card for dinner at meet the teacher night via Giggles Galore

Have your kiddos help make back to school ruler art to give to their teacher via Hometalk

Gift your teachers something they can use every day with this DIY latte kit via Thirty Handmade Days

I love this pink themed teacher gift basket full of goodies and it comes with a free printable via Thirty Handmade Days

More Back to School Ideas…

Old Navy Toddler Girl Summer Clothing

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and NicePak, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #NicenCleanatHEB  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

I’ve always heard that the transition from one child to two is harder than any other. I can’t say that this was the same for me and I think that each child is so different that the level of challenge will be different for everyone, but it is still super hard no matter how many kids you have!

Today, I’m excited to share how Nice ‘n CLEAN Baby Wipes have helped make it easier to go from one baby to two.

Our transition from one child to two has been equal parts amazing and difficult. Many days I go to bed feeling guilty that the house isn’t clean enough, I didn’t play with my oldest enough, or that I hardly was able to speak to words to my husband before bed. BUT, I also love our family of 4 and love seeing how much my oldest daughter loves her new sister.

There is only so much you can do to prepare for this transition. Sometimes you have to just be thrown into the craziness and embrace it to find out what works for you, but here are some tips that have helped me in our transition from one child to two.

Give Yourself Grace

The first and most important piece of advice I have is to give yourself grace. Your dishes won’t always be washed, dinner won’t always be perfect, and your kids might go to bed dirty every now and then… it’s okay. 

Your kids aren’t going to remember that you left the dishes in the sink one or two nights. They are going to remember that their mom was happy and not stressed out.

Include Older Siblings

One of the best things I’ve done for my oldest daughter is to make sure she feels included. I let her “change diapers”, wipe bottoms (we use Nice ‘n CLEAN Baby Wipes they are made of 100% plant-based fibers so they are super soft, but durable and they are made of 99% naturally derived ingredients), and dress the baby. I even let her pick out outfits and bows for the baby.

Doing this has really made her feel included and not pushed aside. She feels super important and I am always sure to give her a ton of extra praise about what a great sister she is and how helpful she is.

Be Prepared

The other day we left to go to the grocery store (40 minutes away) and when we got there we realized that in all the chaos of loading up and leaving, we forgot the diaper bag.

A month or so before the baby was born I had backed a bag to keep in the car that was filled with extra bottles, outfits, Nice ‘n CLEAN Baby Wipes, and other baby necessities. Thank goodness I did this because even with forgetting the diaper bag, we had everything we needed in the car already! 

At HEB, you can get different sized packs of these wipes too. We buy the large boxes for at home and keep the smaller individual packs in the car. There are 2 different types, unscented wipes or green tea cucumber!

So I keep little baskets and/or totes around the house, in the car, etc. filled with things that I might need if I ever forgot or ran out of something. It relieved so much stress being prepared and having everything stocked up.

Also, having Nice ‘n CLEAN Baby Wipes on hand EVERYWHERE is useful for my older daughter too. They are super soft so we use them for her hands and face if she gets dirty at a restaurant or at the park.

One on One Time

It is super hard with a new baby, but try to carve out some one on one time for you and the older kids. You can do this by having Dad watch the baby so you can get out for lunch or to the park or you can even do it at home by having a “movie day” while the baby is napping.

We turn the living room into a “movie theatre” and have snacks and popcorn while watching Netflix. My daughter loves it and it doesn’t take much effort on my part!

I hope these tips help make your transition from one child to two as easy as possible! You can head to HEB to purchase Nice ‘n CLEAN Baby Wipes today!