School Mornings

In just three days my boys are back to school!  We went to open house last week and they were able to meet their teachers and see the classrooms.  Luke is excited for kindergarten!  Zach is a little bit more nervous about 2nd grade, with a new school and new people, but it seemed to help after he met his nice teacher.  :)

We have had a very lazy, non-scheduled summer......isn't that how it's supposed to be though?  And I've been wondering dreading how the mornings would go once school time came around.  A few nights ago I made up this chart to help my boys with all the tasks they need to do before heading out the door to school:

(Get Dressed, Put Dirty Clothes In Basket, Take Care Of Buddy,
Go To Bathroom, Brush Teeth, Comb Hair, Eat Breakfast,
Take Backpack & Lunch)

I made one for each boy and  will slip them inside a plastic cover and hang it on the fridge, within their reach.  Once they complete something on the list, they will mark it off with a dry-erase marker.  My hope is that this will not only keep us organized in the mornings, but also  give the boys more ownership for what they are responsible for.  Also, I am getting tired of repeating myself over and over ......"did you put your dirty clothes in the basket?....."why are your clothes still on the floor?  They need to go in the basket!......."  I made a deal with both boys that if they can complete each task without me having to remind them, then at the end of each week they'll earn a small reward for a job well done!

School starts Wednesday, so we are going to have Monday and Tuesday mornings be practice days.

I also have put together a little "back to school" gift for their teachers.  I'm going to be sharing more about that tomorrow!