5 days until back to school and counting

5 days until back to school and counting

We are down to the final five days of the summer holidays and, honestly, the wheels are wobbling. The kitchen sink hasn’t been empty since mid-July, the snack cupboard looks like a swarm of locusts moved in, and the phrase “I’m bored” now gives me a full body twitch.

This morning I executed a tactical evacuation with the 7-year-old and the 3-year-old before they triggered a sibling-level incident. My 9-year-old is finished with noise, my 13-year-old just wants to play VR without accidentally mowing down a smaller human, and at some point I’ll have to drag the 14-year-old out of his garden cabin before he completes his transformation into Dracula’s hillbilly distant cousin.

Basically, we’re all ready for the school bell.

The Parenting Hack That’s Saving My Sanity

Start the routine now, not Monday morning. I know, holiday mode is comfy — but easing in this week means fewer tears (from them and me).

• Bedtimes creep back by 10–15 minutes each night. No more midnight Minecraft.
• Uniforms staged the night before (including socks — the true villains).
• Grab-and-go breakfasts ready: overnight oats, cereal bars, chopped fruit.
• A visible family calendar so everyone knows what’s happening and I’m not the walking PA.

These two bits have genuinely helped:

• Reusable snack bags that survive a wash and stop the crumb apocalypse → click here
• A wall planner where PE kits, clubs, and homework live (no more “Mooom, you forgot!”) →click here

Mom’s Back-to-School Survival Kit (Things I Actually Use)

Short, sweet, and sanity-saving. Add to basket, breathe out.

1. Family Wall Planner/Calendar →  here
   Keep PE days, clubs and reading logs in one place. Stick it somewhere they can’t miss — like next to the snack cupboard they definitely can’t miss.
2. Reusable Snack Bags → Here
   Eco-friendly, machine-washable, and perfect for snacks, crayons, or the mysterious Lego pieces that turn up everywhere.
3. Bento-Style Lunch Box →  Here
   Keeps picky-eater sections separate and stops the “my bread touched the apple” drama.
4. Thermos Food Flask →  Here
   Hot pasta or noodles on chilly days = fewer after-school hangry meltdowns.
5. Personalised Water Bottle → Here
   No more lost bottles in the Year 3 abyss. Name on = it comes home (mostly).
6. Sunrise Alarm Clock  → Here
   Gentle wake-ups that don’t start World War Three.
7. Magnetic Meal Planner/Whiteboard →Here
   “What’s for dinner?” — point at the board like a boss.
8. Noise-Cancelling Headphones → Here
   For the teen who needs focus… or the parent who needs five minutes of blissful silence.

The Final Countdown

Five days left of bickering, snack negotiations and children lurking like feral cave dwellers. Also five days of cuddles, chaos and slightly sticky memories before routine returns. Sharpen those pencils, locate the missing shoe (just one, naturally), and let’s do this.