10 reassuring and helpful tips for getting organised: for mums whose children are starting school

Little Miss George started in Reception just over a week ago. Already she has brought home two reading books without any words in them; a sponsor form to raise money for the school; 3 separate newsletters with dates for parent evenings, school photo sessions, coffee mornings and encouraging suggestions that I attend the annual general meeting of the "mums and dads" committee; and lots of tales of playing with lots of Lego. If she was my elder daughter I would be wondering what on earth the school was playing at and would be feeling completely overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information.

If she was our first, I would have diligently attending the welcome meeting for new parents last week in order to be told exactly how important it was to read the reading books "the same night" and return the next day to ensure that the book was available for the next child.

I would be feeling under pressure to attend every meeting, and already panicking about the potential risk of forgetting to dress my daughter in appropriate "dress-up" gear on various fancy dress days to come.

I would be scanning every letter and marking in my diary every single event, without having a clue which pieces of information were more important than others.

As it is, I know better.

This year I am much more relaxed. Here's my list of top tips that will help you work out what information is important, what to prioritise and what to just ignore. I hope it helps.

Meal planning: the big reveal?

I promised a meal planning big reveal didn't I.

My post, about taking the stress out of meal times, has forced me to actually do it.  To actually plan.

Well it's not a whole month, but it is a week's worth and it did inform my shopping list this weekend, which interestingly led to my shopping bill being roughly 30 % cheaper than it has been.

I guess that's one of the advantages of planning.

So here's the plan and the list.  I apologise profusely for the writing quality.  I was unfortunately taught to write in a school that still felt that calligraphy was vital and the use of an italic pen was a necessity.  It means that I naturally want to make my 'o's look like upside down triangles.  Over the years it's evolved into, well, a scribble.  Sorry.

Essentially I have to plan for feed the two girls (Age 6 and 3 respectively).  In the week my hubby and I often don't eat the same meal as we take it in turn to go to the Gym, so if I'm going out, he will sort his own dinner out and vice versa.  It's a funny week this week too as we have a nursery trip on Thursday, so they'll be a picnic lunch required and I'll be home alot earlier than usual for a Thursday.  If I hadn't completed this plan I'd have forgotten that and arrived at Thursday night with no clue what to eat!

We are doing well so far.  The meal's aren't inspiring, but I know what we are having so it's taking the stress out of it all.  Baby steps.

And you know what.  There may just be something in this "forward-planning" lark!

Meal planners. Do you do them?

My attempts at meeting the 'Yummy Mummy' criteria I've set in my head tend to rely on getting the basics right.  You know, like getting enough sleep for instance.  Like smiling a lot as you are so organised and calm you have nothing to frown about.

Unfortunately I'm not the sort of person who can avoid frowning.  In fact my lips, unfortunately, sit at a naturally downturned angle even when I'm doing the screensaver face.  You know the one.  When you are sat staring at the TV or laptop and your face goes into it's screensaver mode; it's default setting.  Just be careful that it's not one with mouth slightly open.  I've found myself watching TV with mouth open before.  It's not a great look.

So; chocolates, beer & banoffee pie for tea!

My frowning would be dramatically reduced if I didn't create things to get stressed about.  Meal times for example.  If I planned out my meals for the week, or even month, knowing who would be in for tea and how much preparation and cooking time I'd have each day.  If I shopped accordingly and followed the plan, then meal times would be stress free occasions where the entire family received a balanced nutritious and tasty meal without fuss.

What do you think actually happens in our house?

Yep.  Unorganised last minute chaos because I don't plan meals.

What does happen is that Hubby goes off at the weekend to do the grocery shopping with the girls leaving me time to get the chores done.  If there are offers on, then great, he buys things with the intention of freezing them thinking we're getting a great deal.  He buys a few bits and pieces for sandwiches (Bread, cucumber, cooked ham - you know the sort of thing).  And we'll probably get a roast, with potatoes and vegetables to go with it.

So that covers maybe three days, realistically.  Because for the rest of the week, though we have cupboards full of tins and packets and a freezer full to bursting, we don't have the fresh food we need to cook with.  So there's me, not even thinking about tea time until I've picked up the girls from school and nursery on my way home from work, arriving home at 4pm and not having a clue what to make for dinner.

Any meat we have is in the freezer and don't even get me started on using a microwave for that!  I don't trust it for defrosting.  Never have. So, as a consequence of this, and the fact that I don't think to take any meat out of the freezer to defrost naturally overnight, then food has a tendency to go to our freezer to die.

What do the girls end up with for tea? Beans on Toast, Sandwiches or Fish fingers, steamed (frozen) vegetables and rice.  It's not inspiring, but I don't worry much on the days they've been to school and nursery as they have hot dinners there, so it's only really a light tea I need to give them.  This is what I tell myself to feel better.  Funnily enough it doesn't work.

It's my husband I feel most sorry for.  He's not exactly getting a lovingly made pie on his return from work at 8pm.  In fact often I've eaten sandwiches with the girls and he is left to fend for himself.  I am such a poor wife when it comes to feeding my man!  And on the basis that I'm home, with the time to cook it, I feel I should be doing so.

Recipe Junkie shared her monthly meal planner on her blog the other day.  I was astounded.  I didn't realise people actually planned meals like that.  It looks fabulous.  There are meals on there I can't even pronounce.

And so she inspired me to have a go.  I am going to set a plan for the next month.  The only tricky thing is; I don't actually know how to cook much!?  Help!  If you have any ideas for quick and easy nutritious meals, feel free to share your recipes. Please!

Stay tuned for the meal planner big reveal next time.

Still trying to get the kids to school on time...!

Time to school bell : 30 minutes

So I’m sat on my knees on a wooden floor.. (don’t snigger)…. And I’m pleading with my daughter to put her pink all-in-one waterproof suit on to go to Chatsworth County Estate on her first ever school trip. She’s not having any of it, and I’ve no idea where her other waterproof coat is.

25 minutes.

I could put my foot down, but I‘m stressed, and I don’t want to be the mother that spoilt her first trip for her. So I run around the hall, flinging coats about in an attempt to trace at least one waterproof coat (rain’s definitely forecast). In the chaos the youngest is happily putting her waterproof on. Of course she isn’t going on a trip – just to Nursery. But irony wouldn’t have a job otherwise.

23 minutes…

Eureka! Brainwave! All waterproofs are in the utility after we wore them to do the gardening at the weekend. I grab them in relief.
Which is short lived.

20 mins…

They are, of course, covered in mud, since the girls helped us plant our spring garden so well.

Cue a sprint through the house to the kitchen cupboard for baby wipes, which come to the rescue, and a quick wipe down makes one coat suitable to wear; though whether it passes the in-law test remains to be seen.

Ok, so she’s got her packed lunch, her 2 (not 1) drinks, her trainers (in case of rain), her waterproof (freshly wiped down), sun-cream on (the weather is really that temperamental), and her sun hat…… no. No sunhat.

19 minutes…

Now don’t laugh. I know I’ve just stressed about the waterproof, so why on earth would she need a sun hat as well? Easy. It’s May. In the Midlands. It’s 20 degrees Celsius one minute and hailing the next. But her sun hat is no where to be found.

17 minutes…

She’s had her sun hat roughly 3 weeks. What was I saying about irony.
I find two other old hats. Neither will squeeze onto her head. The youngest finds hers and promptly struts around in waterproof and sun hat as if to mock us.

15 minutes…

I still have the youngest to drop at Nursery so we run to the car. (I run, the children are encouraged in a very exuberant way that results in them slowing down.)

We drop off the youngest. Who is still wearing her waterproof all in one, and her sun hat, and I haven’t the heart to argue with her.

2 minutes…

We park the car and run……….


I so hope she has a good time!

Getting the kids to school on time!

I have read the works of such greats as Anthea Turner, Trinny and Susannah, Nigella Lawson, in the promise that they held the key to some great secret of time.  How to save time to be exact.  One particular publication by the Trinny and Susannah team gave plenty of space to the concept of 'saving time'.  Tips on how best to pack for a holiday, get the kids to school on time etc... 

These works however, misled me.  I foolishly believed there was indeed some great secret and that every other mother in the world was quietly and gently sipping their coffee in the mornings, whilst children dressed themselves, hats and scarfs miraculously appeared on their heads, and school bags were packed full of all the paraphernalia that they seem to require these days (often including money for various trips, but sometimes randomly requiring empty boxes, spare t-shirts, or a piece of homework on 'people that help us').

Finally, after nearly 5 years of being a mother I've discovered the truth that they wished to keep hidden.  I'm really sorry to tell you that you can't 'save' time.  There is no quick fix special methodology that will enable you to do all the chores that being a mother entail.


There is though, a way of traversing the shark invested shores of motherdom in a stress free way.  And it's that way that enables you to sip that coffee whilst hot, instead of throwing it back in the microwave for the 4th time.

In short it's as obvious as the 'more exercise, less food = better fitness' equation that we all refuse to acknowledge is so simple.  The ONLY way to save time in the morning is to move the chores to some other, less time-pressured time.  Such as the night before.

Yes I know that's mumsndads time and shouldn't be further infringed upon.  But seriously, the only way to not tear your hair out throwing the children and their bags into the car on time in the morning (not literally - no need to write in) is to get their bags set out the night before with all the reading books and so forth pre-packed.  To ensure they have a clean uniform (including underwear) all ready and waiting.  To set out the hats, scarfs, and gloves in the hall ready for the last minute dash.  To get your own outfit laid out the night before so you don't throw on the first clean thing you lay your hands on (still trying to be yummy here), and to set out your shoes, makeup, contact lens etc etc, the night before.

However obsessive it may sound, however freaky you may look with your tights laid out neatly by your shoes., it sure beats tearing around the house looking for a clean pair of socks at a quarter to nine when school starts in 5 minutes.

Boring?  Yes.
Sanity saving? Absolutely.

Now where's my packed lunchbox?