An Open Letter To My Family

I QUIT!

(Reasons to come in exit letter.)

New (School) Year Resolutions

In just under a week, my three darling children will start back to school. With two of them in Jr. High and one attending public school for the first time in her student career, I feel the need to make some resolutions. I am hoping that all of my internet friends can help me stay on track like you did when I quit smoking.

1. No cocktails on school nights. (Unless a child drops a major project on me at the last minute and I will be forced to stay up extra late finishing said project while they get their much needed beauty sleep.)

2. Cook a decent meal on school nights. I actually saw a great article here about time saving tips. I absolutely hate meal planning but one of the ideas was to set out a weekly calendar and give each member of the family a night that they are to plan and prepare a meal. I am not sure if the younger two are quite old enough to actually prepare a meal but they can certainly plan a meal and help me.

3. Get up early or at least on time. Okay, so this one should probably be stated as Get the kids up early then go back to bed while they get ready then get myself up just in time to half-assed get ready and run out the door. That would be much more realistic and attainable.

4. Check Search Scour each child's backpack daily even if they tell me that they have nothing in it. Last year I made the mistake of trusting my kids when they told me that a) they didn't have any homework or b) there were no notes/project information sent home from their teachers. Won't make that mistake again.

5. Make the kids get ALL of their things together and set by the door the night before so that we don't have another episode that makes me wish I had 3 highly hormonal teenage girls.

If I can just keep up with #2 - 5, that should make #1 so much easier! Anyone have any other ideas for me that made your school year easier?