I’m working on my baby steps to move my family in the correct direction. We might never be the family to enjoy homemade pancakes before school, but hopefully we can move away from, “Why haven’t you finished your cereal yet? Get back here and eat!”

Moms across the country and around the world can agree: Mornings are rough. And until technology allows us to teleport our kids to class, those of us who drive are going to have to deal with the headaches of the school drop-off lane.

If you are already in a rut packing lunches or are just looking for fresh ideas, here are some foods to send with your child!

Our reasons might be varied, but the sentiment is the same – back-to-school isn’t all fun times and freedom for emotional mothers. But take heart! There are steps you can take to beat the back-to-school blues.

Thinking about sending my baby off to kindergarten makes me want to rewind time and burst into tears!

It’s crazy how some days it feels like my children are listening to EVERY word a person says, yet other days they don’t seem to hear a word they are told. When my children repeat something I wish they weren’t saying, I start to question where they could have heard that from.

What I want to talk about is what to DO with all those school supplies.  There are such great deals available; if you can, buy extra.

We started very simply when my daughters hunted for the first letters of their names by going on a “letter hunt.” I wrote the letter N on five star-shaped Post-it notes and the letter A on five more. I asked my girls to sit in a special spot out of view from the area I planned to hide the Post-its.

I am all for anything that will save time or make my life easier these days. It’s amazing how many things I *think* I will accomplish until all of the mundane day-to-day household and family responsibilities get in the way. Don’t get me wrong, I would much rather read stories and build towers with my kids than do dishes and laundry, but we do need clean dishes and clothes too. When I find a mom hack that works for us, I run with it.

I have decided to take a dose of my own medicine.  Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, I worked in a Preventive Cardiology clinic where, day in and day out, I helped patients set goals to better their own health.  The typical method I used when helping people set goals was to make a S.M.A.R.T goal.