Nope, the bliss still hasn’t worn off in week 2 of back to school for us. The kids are happily off to school and I have more time to focus on business and blogging.

We’ve gotten off to a good start but I’m still not as organized as I’d like to be. Actually, I will probably NEVER be that organized, it’s just not in me. But I’m trying.When the girls get home at the end of the day, I’ve been trying to immediately take out their lunches and clean out whatever grossness is left in there. Then they have to take their backpacks and hang them on their hooks by the back door. We’re still working on this one… but seriously, how hard is it to hang a bag on the hook? They do it at school!

But honestly, it’s the mornings that are the worst! Scrambling to find everything, rushing to get out the door, packing those dreaded lunches! If I had one piece of advice on how to get through mornings more efficiently, it’s don’t strive for perfection. Seriously. The goal is to get out the door without a major meltdown by anyone (me included). It’s a sucky start to the day when someone gets dropped off still in tears from an early morning altercation.

So my new mantra is all about just getting to the church on time, I mean school! So what if their hair isn’t perfect, it’ll be messed up before they even get into the school. Clothes wrinkly? Oh well… call the cops! As long as they are dressed in (somewhat) clean clothes, have a full belly (love those microwave pancakes) and have a smile on their face… then I am happy!

Something else that has really helped us to get stuff done in the morning is the Chore Contract my husband had the girls sign last Spring. They know exactly what needs to be done in order to get their allowance at the end of the week. Now there is no fighting about making beds, brushing teeth, feeding the dog and putting dirty clothes in the basket… we basically bribed them! Works for us. I’m not above bribery to make things run a bit smother.

What’s your secret to continued bliss? I mean, besides wine, of course!