How Did You Establish A Back To School Routine?

Back to school. I’ve been looking forward to it for months. But I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into! My son Ethan is five and just started kindergarten. He went to preschool last year, but I never worried about homework (except an occasional project for a special event) or after school activities. Nope, when he came home from preschool, the day was ours.

My husband’s schedule is a crazy one – it rotates between working days and evenings and it varies between weekdays and weekends. When Ethan was in preschool, if we wanted to take the kids somewhere (let’s say the beach or Disneyland or away for a couple of days), we were able to do it in the middle of the week to avoid the crowds. With Ethan in kindergarten 5 days a week now, we can’t do that anymore.

Our lives are no longer as simple as they once had been.

On Mondays, he goes to school at 11 and I pick him up at 3. He has Tae Kwon Do from 3 to 4.

On Tuesdays, he goes to school at 11 and I pick him up at 3. The girls go to preschool from noon to 4.

On Wednesdays, he goes to school at 11 and I pick him up at 2 (early dismissal day), and he has Tae Kwon Do from 2 to 3.

On Thursdays, he goes to school at 11 and I pick him up at 3. The girls go to preschool from 1 to 4.

On Fridays, he goes to school at 11 and I pick him up at 3.

See? Crazy. It’s different everyday.

And then we have to throw homework in the mix. He averages about 3-4 pages of homework a night, not including the reading he is expected to do and the 150 sight words he has to learn this year.

Dinner anyone? Housework? Running errands?

I just can’t seem to pull a schedule together!

Now a smart mom knows when to ask for help. So I’m asking you more seasoned moms who have already “been there, done that” with establishing school routines, how do you do it? How do you get everything done that needs to get done and still have time for anything else? I welcome any advice you have!