Tips for Surviving Back-to-School Season With A Little Help From McDonald’s + $25 Giveaway
I received compensation from McDonald’s in exchange for writing this review. Although this is a sponsored post, all opinions are my own.
Now that the boys are getting older it’s getting harder and harder to sit down and have a family dinner. With my husband’s ever rotating work schedule, soccer practice, hockey practice and now kickball we are always on the go as soon as the boys get out of school. While I try to plan our meals a week in advance there are just some nights where I can use a break from cooking, and some days where an extra meeting or event comes up and I need to get the kids fed before we head off to a night of sports practices.
Tips for surviving back-to-school season:
Stick to a night time routine: We started a bedtime schedule 2 weeks before the boys started school, and while we have stuck to it for the most part, a few days this week they stayed up late. Big mistake! Dealing with grumpy kids in the morning who refused to get out of bed because they were too tired is not my idea of fun. We start getting ready for bed every night at 6:45pm, and by 7:30 they are tucked in bed with lights out. Nights go much easier when we don’t disrupt their routines.
Prep school lunches ahead of time: On Sunday, I prep all of the kid’s school lunches for the week which helps during the morning rush. We have bento lunch style containers, and each child helps me make a variety of meals for the week. In the morning, the pre-made lunch as well as a freezer pack goes into the lunchbox.
Plan ahead: Pick out outfits and snacks the night before, and don’t forget to set the coffee maker before you head to bed. Leave the morning time for getting dressed, and eating breakfast. Start off day off as calm as possible.
….and don’t be afraid to cut yourself some slack. We all need a break sometimes.
Want a night off from cooking dinner, or need to grab a quick bite for the kids before heading off to hockey practice? At $2.99, a McDonald’s Happy Meal is a quick and easy option for children. Each Happy Meal provides wholesome options such as Apple Slices and Go-GURT Low-Fat Strawberry yogurt. Children, especially mine enjoy visiting McDonald’s, and the availability of both the apple slices and low-fat yogurt increase their access to fruit and low-fat dairy while we’re out on-the-go. Jonathan and Trevor look forward to the apple slices in their Happy Meal, and are now excited that one of their favorite snacks, yogurt, is now also an option. While they prefer 1% low-fat while milk, fat-free chocolate milk and 100% apple juice are also an option.
Do you children enjoy clementines like mine do?
Keep an eye out later this fall, Cuties clementines from Sun Pacific will also be included as a Happy Meal side.
To stay up to date on new promotions and product offerings, visit the McDonald’s website, and connect with McDonald’s on Twitter.
Although this is a sponsored post, all opinions are my own.
Back to school season is important to have things done as much in advance as possible, we survived by selecting outfits, including shoes and socks at night before bed, that way everything was ready, when possible we made lunches at night and put in refrigerator, the boys had two clocks in their room one near bed other on other side of room, if I had worked the night before, then dozed off, it would wake them up again, vey helpful.
I try and prepare as much as possible the night before. I also try and get the kids on a back to school schedule 2 weeks before school starts so they get used to going to bed and getting up early.
A family calendar is a must for us. As soon as we have something new, it goes on.
lay the clothes out the night before.