Back-to-school hacks that will change your life
IT'S the beginning of a new school year, but that does not mean you have to get all stressed about it.
Here is a list of nifty hacks to make back-to-school smooth sailing:
• Shop for shoes without having to drag your children along. Simply trace the outlines of their feet onto a piece of paper and take the paper with you to know their exact measurements.
• Apply a clear coat of nail polish over uniform buttons to secure them.
• Forget about name tags that fade after a few washes - embroider your child’s name onto his or her uniform.
• A photo keyring (with a photo of your child's face) is an excellent way to mark his or her backpack for easy identification. This works wonderfully well when your child is still young and in a class where not everyone is necessarily able to read yet.
• Always feeling groggy in the morning? Drink a glass of water before going to bed the previous night, as well as the first thing when you wake up. Our bodies dehydrate during the night and a good dose of H2O will make you feel brighteyed and bushy tailed.
• Get dressed before you wake the kids. That's one thing less to stress about.
• Write down or draw pictures of the kids' morning routine and put it up where they can see it. Many mommy bloggers claim that children are really great at following a list of instructions.
• Set a timer. A simple countdown is a great motivator, especially for slow breakfast eaters.
• Better yet, make a playlist exactly as long as you have to get ready. Everyone has to finish one task before the end of a song.
• Keep all your daughter's hair accessories (brushes, rubber bands, etc) in the bathroom and do her hair while she brushes her teeth.
• Prepare everyone's lunches the night before. You'll be surprised at how long it takes to make five sets of peanut butter sarmies!
• Set up a morning ‘launch pad’ that houses everything needed to get out of the door.
• To keep sliced apples from going brown during the day, sprinkle lemon juice over them and tie up the pieces with an elastic band.
•Freeze a wet sponge inside a ziplock bag to serve as an ice pack for your lunch box. Or freeze your drinks the night before.
• If all the notebooks in your backpack look the same, mark the top corner of each book in a different colour so you can tell which ones they are at one glance.
• Keep some mint in your pencil case to help reduce headaches and increase concentration.
• Migraine coming up? Try drinking grape juice to stop it in its tracks.
• When studying, write down your notes in blue. Studies have proven than it is easier to remember things written in blue than in black ink.
• When doing research for an assignment, instead of searching for information on Google, try Scholar. google.com for much better resources.