Let's make a grand understatement and say that being a mom isn't the easiest thing in the world. Add three boys and it can quickly be a recipe for chaos. A good 90% percent of the time I'm chasing one to keep his diaper on, the other to brush his hair and teeth, and then another to do his chores. It's a mixed bag of exhausted and excitement.
So when a great hack comes along, I'll take it where I can get it. Let's be real: we can always use a surprisingly painless win in our corner whenever (and almost wherever) it may come. So, when I heard that esurance was exactly that, I had to see for myself because one of my least favorite things to do when tackling things of the home and car is dealing with insurance. I mean, the hoops you have to jump through for quotes alone is crazy-making. Or at least used to be. Esurance makes things Surprisingly Painless when it comes to looking for the right insurance for your home or car. You can get a quick and easy quote, then compare and see what coverage is the right coverage for you with the Coverage Counselor® tool. Claims are made quick with their handy dandy app or online, and are easily managed as things progress. It makes getting and having insurance a breeze, sans the nonsense.
With surprisingly painless in mind, we have to start thinking about upcoming ripples in our little pond, most importantly back to school. I have a mixed bag of emotions over here about parting ways from the boys for 8 hours a day because one, I don't love getting up at the crack of dawn to rally two boys out of bed for school every morning; and two, of course I miss them. Even still, back to school is no easy feat. Especially with a toddler that wishes he could follow big brothers 1 & 2 to school. So with Esurance's Surprisingly Painless in mind, I put together a few fool-proof hacks to get you back-to-school with ease.
5 Ways To Make Back-To-School Surprisingly Painless
- Get Organized -
While I'm not perfect on the organized front, I love getting the boys back-to-school ready. It really gets me jazzed tracking down their entire list of school supplies and then putting it all together so they're prepared. For me, we have labeled baskets and bins in the boys room that have art & school supplies labeled and stored year round. While I'd love to say that the 9 & 7 old keep it that way, we definitely have to 'reorganize' every month or so because the containers quickly become a dropbox for anything and everything when it's bedroom cleanup time. We also have storage on the walls in their room that hold all the homework essentials: Pencils, Markers (Crayons & Colored Pencils) and Glue for easy access. It makes a huge difference and skips the last-minute digging and dreaded "I don't have a pencilllll" panic.
- Make A Schedule -
Usually a few weeks before school starts we get the boys back on their wake-up and bedtime routine. While we have an hour or two of reading during the day, we're just now implementing a dedicated time for reading and school work to get them back in the practice of doing homework when they get home from school. Putting together a clear and detailed calendar or chalk board wall with homework, after-school activities and chores, will keep both you and the kids in-the-know for what's next in the day. No PTA surprises here...
- Let Them Help -
We are big advocates on the boys doing chores and having responsibilities around the house. One of their requests during the school week is to make their own lunch. It took me a bit to get on board because at first that turns into managing messes for me. But I realized it's a small price to pay when I saw how proud they were of themselves, putting together their own lunches for the next day and the confidence it gave them. Plus they get good at it really quickly, so it was surprisingly painless moving forward. So let them help to not only take a little bit off your plate but to also give them the sense of responsibility & independence they crave.
- Do It The Night Before -
One of our bedtime routines is picking out their clothes and getting their room and backpacks bedtime and next day ready. It makes getting out the door a breeze and without 15 outfit changes (leave that unbreakable bad habit to mom and her indecisiveness).
- Snacks & Breaks -
After a full two months of basically running free, it's going to be an effort to instill that back to school, go do your homework motivation. One: let them run out their energy as soon as they get out of school. We go to the park across the street from the school for about an hour pre-homework. As soon as we get home they wash their hands, get out their books and are ready to go. We also give them snacks and water to avoid any 'hangry' outburst and happily on task. It doesn't sound like much but it makes a HUGE difference.
What are your back to school hacks and how to you keep things surprisingly painless?
Don't forget to check out Esurance for all of your insurance needs.
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