Sometimes going back to school in January can be harder than going back to school in September.


We’ve all got comfy at school, our kids have started to get the school blues, homework battles have commenced, sports have ended and started again & you’re suppose to make the next year better than the previous.


But HOW!?
You’re a busy lady.
Work & home.
Husbands & co-parenting.
Homework & Sports.
Time for yourself & play time with them.
Friends & Family.
Life can be busy.
Every year most of us start the year with goals.
Make life easier.
Spend more time with the kids.
Eat healthier.
Make time for yourself.
Get a promotion.
Keep your home cleaner.
Whatever it may be, you’ve got something you want to achieve this year.


We’ve come up with some easy ways to prepare for daily life with kids to allow you the ability to grow and achieve what you set out to! The goals you set are the goals you get.

1. Make a list. What do you want to do this year? What are your goals? Are they realistic? Can you measure how close you are? What are the steps to get there?
2. Plan your year. What vacations are coming up? Do you plan on doing any home improvements? It’s important to think ahead about things that can affect your finances. Life doesn’t get so stressful when you can save for expenses.
3. Plan your months out ahead of time. If you have a partner, communicate with them what you have going on. Write it down or use your smart phone, but get yourself in the habit of knowing your schedule a month ahead of time.
4. Plan your weeks, confirm appointments and add in any events that have popped up. Use your planner or digital calendar. This is a great place to write down a checklist for yourself, go back to your yearly goals and make sure you have items that are keeping you on the path of Achieving your goals.
5. Be prepared!
6. As a mom, it’s not just you that you have to prepare for the day, you’ve got one or more other people to dress, feed and of course remind to potty. These little people need you to help to prepare them for life, make them feel special, loved and confident. Mornings can be tough, with two little ones in our home, we might have a bit of yelling going on. So make it easier on yourself with these simply steps.
   1. Set clothes out for the next day. This is HUGE at our house. We have fashionista disguised as a 6 year old, and we’ve recently started letting her pick out her own clothing. Which as you can imagine can be very colorful at times. So I have her pick out her clothes while I pick out our 3 year olds clothes at night. If she chooses something that doesn’t quite match, it’s much easier to discuss/argue with her in the evening as opposed to a crabby patty in the morning.
   2. Pack lunches & fill water bottles, if you eat breakfast on the way to school (like we do! Just bein real) or at school, pack that too if you can! This makes it easy to grab and go in the morning. Fill water bottles with water so you don’t have any extra tasks. My kids are also big milk drinkers so I also fill their morning milk cups so I can just grab them!
   3. Set everything by the door! Don’t run around the house like a frazzled hot mess looking for watches, homework, chargers, etc. have everything you need sitting by the door. I have a purse and a “day bag” which is pretty much a carry on piece of luggage. It’s like my “working moms” briefcase. I use it for my calendars and work documents, make up case, charger case, lotion, body spray, random diaper and a few ninja turtles too ;). But it’s easy to throw stuff that needs to go with us and easy to carry.
   4. PROGRAM YOUR COFFEE POT. For the love of god woman, set your coffee pot so it’s just like a “Folgers” commercial as you awake to the lovely smell of warm caffeine! Set your coffee cups by the coffee pot if you’re a to-go drinker.
   5. If you allow your kids to watch tv as you get ready (no judging) make them get dressed and do hair before turning it on. We have a rule in our house that whoever wakes up and is dressed first, gets to choose what show to watch that day. It’s usually an all out brawl, but their dressed!
   6. Set and alarm on your phone for a 20 minute “pack it up” alarm. This gives me enough time to pack everything and everyone up in the car for the day and I don’t feel overly rushed.

The New Year can leave us all a little bit of a Hot Mess. We have goals we’re trying to achieve, move forward, but then we’ve got a ton of everyday tasks that can bog us down holding us back from getting those goals!
Change this year with our steps to make life just a bit smoother!




Planners we love!
-Erin Condren
-Plum Planner
-Happy Planner


Here’s the Digital Planner our family LOVES!



Cozi is a family organizing app that I use and love. It's free, try it. http://www.cozi.com/friends