My SD Moms The new school year is coming. There’s no escape, nowhere to hide! But you have this on your side: life hacks from veteran parents who really do know what they’re talking about.
We asked the TODAY Parenting Team to share tips and tricks for surviving back-to-school season, and they responded with all sorts of hacks, shortcuts and sanity-saving measures for the benefit of parents everywhere. We’ve compiled a bunch of their great ideas here.
1. Begin by saving time and energy at the “meet the teacher” open house. (Brandy Yearous)
“Stick to the facts! … Look, when teachers (still in full summer brain) meet their class for the first time, they don’t want to know how smart they are — they are going to find that out on their own. They want to know how to keep them safe. That is all. How are they getting home from school? Are there any custody issues? Are they allergic to anything? Anything other than that is wasting your breath.”
2 (through 5!) Breakfast matters — so have a system for making it quickly! (Amanda Mushro)
3. “Easily cook a dozen eggs for breakfast sandwiches by baking eggs in a muffin tin. Using a lightly greased muffin tin, crack one egg into each cup and bake for 15 minutes on 350 degrees. Build your sandwich with English muffins, cheese and ham. Freeze the sandwiches and wrap in foil for later or heat and enjoy.”
4. “Cut down on breakfast mess by mixing pancake mix for the week and putting it into several freezerbags (to) store in the fridge. Be sure to leave room for the batter to expand. When ready to make, cut a bottom corner of the freezer bag and squeeze the mix into a hot pan.”
5. “Have a breakfast smoothie any morning by chopping up and freezing all the ingredients for a smoothie in individual sandwich bags. When you’re ready, grab a bag and throw the ingredients into a blender and enjoy!”
