Simplifying School Nights

It's juuuust about time to be getting back into our school life routines. As much as I'm dreading giving up these long summer days, I know it's good for all of us. It can be a little bit stress inducing thinking about everything that needs to get done in the day, which is why I try to simplify as much as possible. The after school rush is the worst for me. The sprint from the last school bell until bed time when all the things must get done. Homework, dinner, sports, playdates, etc. Here are just a few ways I try to get the upper hand: 

1. Keep a schedule in place. This probably seems so obvious, but I make sure we have a set time for homework, a set time that little guy can watch tv while I prep dinner, a set time for dinner, play, bath and bed. It might not always get followed to a T, but it helps keep us chugging along when we start to feel tired and run down. Schedules get adjusted of course when sports practices and lessons are added in. Here's what our schedule generally looks like during the school year:

2. Plan dinner ahead. Every Sunday I sit down and I outline our meals for the week. I make sure we have all the ingredients on hand and pick up anything at the store that we may need. Anything that I can prep the night before I do. Meat and veggie chopping, marinating, etc. all make things run smoother the following night. I try to stick to super simple, quick meals during the week and I promise to write a post soon with all our favorites! 

3. Avoid messy cleanups. I LOVE using Reynolds Kitchens products because they cut my clean up time in half. If I'm using the crock pot then I add one of their crock pot liners to the bowl ahead of time. They also have oven liners that go in baking dishes and precut parchment paper that fits cookie sheets that I use when roasting vegetables. These kitchen helpers make it so easy to just pitch the dirty liner and put away the clean pan without scrubbing. Nights when we are really in a hurry we use Hefty foam plates and cups, so there are no dishes to wash. Any spare minutes I can gain in our night time routine are a huge win! 

 Reynolds Kitchens™ and Hefty support Box Tops for Education  which helps schools raise money for supplies, technology and more. Find Box Tops on most Reynolds Kitchens™ products like Parchment Paper, Oven Bags, Slow Cooker Liners and Bakeware Pans. You can also find Box Tops on Hefty Trash Bags, Hefty Foam Plates and Hefty Cups—all things you need to make life easier during the busy school year!

Now through August 29 you can enter here to be one of 50 daily instant winners and enter to win the grand prize of $1,000 worth of Box Tops for your school! A total of five schools will be chosen for the grand prize and you can enter daily until 8/29 so make sure to bookmark the site and visit often!!