Getting Organized Before Starting School

TRichter · Aug 11, 2005

Hire a maid to come in once a week if possible. Realize that there are somethings that just won't get done. Prioritise. If it can wait. let it. I also taped all lectures and listened to them while doing house work, and while driving to and from school. Get used to surviving a little sleep, before school starts. Good Luck. You will do fine. Oh, I just started a Master's program, so I am right there with ya.

I, like many of us, am staring my first semester in August. I've been a stay-at-home mom since the birth of my twins six years ago. I have been going to school for the last two years but I know that nursing school will demand a whole lot more of my time. I'm looking for ideas on what kinds of things others have done to make life easier at home before school starts so that the house runs smoothly during school. I am not the best housekeeper on the norm, and of course, I do all the shopping and pay the bills and set all the doc/dentist appts., etc. Have any of you found a routine that works for you? I hope this makes sense. LOL!!! I'm just down to one month before school starts and I want to get all my ducks in a row. Thanks in advance for any input.

twinmommy+2, ADN, BSN, MSN · Aug 11, 2005

I don't think I replyed to this already, but I was in your situation 2 years ago. I'm just graduating in December and I also have twins (3 1/2 year girls) and Trinity is 4 1/2. I only do the cleaning in the house which is critical and I have the energy for. I try not to stress about the rest of it. Most days of the week, I get them up at about 5:30 (4:30 clinical days) , breakfast, clothes, hair, pack lunches, and off to school. 4pm I pick them up. 5 is dinner. 7 is bath time. 9 is their bedtime. 10 is my bedtime. Everything in the house during a semester has to run off a schedule. All the kids appiontments are done in between semesters (as much as I can) cause like you, I schedule those too. I also do the WIC appt.s (when we had it until recently), child care voucher recertifications, any ER visits (happens from time to time).

When I think about it all at one time I even get overwhelmed and start thinking, ok, did I get everything done before this next semester on the 29th. I think I have it all done. We still have to make the twins dental appt.s next week. Still have to reschedule my OB appt to another time but thats it.

Try and make sure on sat and sun that all the clothes are done and washed. Every dish is washed the night before class, lunches packed, clothes laid out the night before also. That helps big time. Also getting done your homework done while the kids are at school helps you have time with them at night.

Good luck to all the mommies out there starting this semester. You can do it!!!!

spazmom · Aug 11, 2005

I lurk here a lot but now that I'm finally in and will start school on Sept 26th I guess I should start posting :chuckle

I'm a single mom to an almost 4 year old with a 50+ mile round trip commute every day for school-I can't move closer because my daughter's preschool/daycare for which i get a scholarship (meaning cheap for this poor student).

So far this summer I've organized my house completely. I've picked everything up and made sure it has its "place." I went through toys and clothes and have several HUGE bags going to charity soon and I'm also making sure my daughter understands the importance of picking her toys up herself every night. I have ADD so if my place is cluttered I can't concentrate at all-not a problem during the summer but when school is going it makes me crazy.

I've pounded my fall schedule into my ex's head so he knows he has to have her two nights a week when I have clinicals because I have to be there too early to drop her off at daycare in the mornings.

I have my palm pilot primed and ready and am going to use it religiously-that's the only way I can function.

As for food, it's a challenge for me to cook because it seems like by the time I get home and cook it's 7:30 before we're eating dinner. I guess I need to do the freeze dinners ahead of time.

Anyway I'm rambling-thank you everyone for the wonderful organization tips!!

corrie

lola4525 · Aug 12, 2005

Welcome Spazmom,

Good luck to you. You should check out the crockpot thread for ideas about the cooking situation.:chuckle :chuckle :chuckle

kayel · Aug 16, 2005

This is a great post, just bumping it up again!!

~ bump!

Yet2bRN · May 12, 2006

I found this "old" thread after doing a search to find tips/ways to organize my family and my own schedule before nursing school starts in September. I found some great ideas - I am sure others will too. My problem at the moment is trying to work out what to do with my 8 and 6 year old at 6am in the morning! I have a feeling I will work it out but am getting a little nervous. Anyone else having issues with before-school care? Any other organizational tips?

NICU_nurse2b · May 13, 2006

I found this "old" thread after doing a search to find tips/ways to organize my family and my own schedule before nursing school starts in September. I found some great ideas - I am sure others will too. My problem at the moment is trying to work out what to do with my 8 and 6 year old at 6am in the morning! I have a feeling I will work it out but am getting a little nervous. Anyone else having issues with before-school care? Any other organizational tips?

Thanks for finding this great thread. It has a lot of great tips I am sure I will use this fall.

My husband bought me this great cookbook that I think will help a lot this fall. It is called Cheap. Fast. Good! - Hundreds of ways to eat well for less. How to plan smart, shop smart, and cook smart. With 275 delicious, thrifty, family-friendly recipes. By Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross It only cost $13.95. We bought it at my daughters book fair, but I saw it at Barnes & Noble for the same price. I have tried a few recipes and the batch cooking. They worked great.

gauge14iv, MSN, APRN, NP · May 13, 2006

If no one has mentioned it yet - there are places called Super Suppers, Dinner Solutions, Dinners my Way, Dinner Station etc where you can go and put together meals for an entire month - It takes about 2 hours to put together a months worth of healthy meals (although a little higher in Na+ than I'd like but still MUCH better than fast food) It's actually about the same or less than the grocery bill for the same items so you save money and you have a freezer full of meals you just take out and cook as you go - next month you go back and do it again.

This saved my sanity and kept us from filling up on fast food! AND we got to all eat dinner together!

atrice, BSN, RN · May 13, 2006

I found this "old" thread after doing a search to find tips/ways to organize my family and my own schedule before nursing school starts in September. I found some great ideas - I am sure others will too. My problem at the moment is trying to work out what to do with my 8 and 6 year old at 6am in the morning! I have a feeling I will work it out but am getting a little nervous. Anyone else having issues with before-school care? Any other organizational tips?

I have a 6 and soon to be 5 yr old....Luckily next school yr the county i live in started the full day kindergarten program. My son was in kinder. this yr and it was still a half day program.....So that is a blessing. I don't know what i am going to do about clinicals b/c they start at 6:45 a.m. and I can't drop the kids off at school until 7:20 a.m. My husband has been doing a lot of out of town work since the hurricane's last yr. When he is here he can adjust his schedule and drop off the kids. When he's not here i don't know what i am going to do.......Hopefully i find something or someone.....it's only 2 days a wk....and the other days of the week class don't start until 8 a.m........so i can fly to school after i drop the kids off......everything will work out i hope