How to help a toddler through Back to School

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It's not always easy saying good-bye to big brother or sister.

Poooooor Luci got herself all dressed up and ready the first day of school...

(she's not in school yet) And saying good-bye those first few days was really hard!

It is NOT fair that Gia gets to go and you have to stay here with me.



You will get to go next year.

All Charlie Brown Wa Waaaa Wa Waaaa to her.

With the little man now in full run/grab mode, we needed a solution to keep the peace for 8 hours! My solution? We model our day in the same way school would, and stick HARD by the routine.

In the morning, EVERYONE gets ready as though we have a life, and as though we will see other humans. (Yeah I am jealous of Gia too!!) THIS has been a point of challenge for me. 1 bathroom....3 kids and me....crammed together, oftentimes 2 or more of us are naked, or pooping.

We eat breakfast together, and I try not to do cereal more than twice a week...I TRY. Then Gia's bus comes, and so begins art class.

Art class consists of Nico being strapped down in his booster chair with a bucket of dish soap bubbles, and Luci making the largest possible area of the kitchen covered with small paper clippings, glitter, crayons, GLITTER (Now covered with dish soap bubbles)...but she is happy :)

I am actually able to get some dishes done at this point just in time to feed them snack! We like to make creatures out of apple slices, but I have found it to be MOST important that they get the SAME THINGS; the same small bite-sized things. We have had many a smashed PB & J before I learned this lesson!


Settling down after snack time....LOL I'm just kidding- next is GYM class! That's right, out the door they go! This is time for them to burn off the crazies, and NOT feel like a caged animal. This step has really been the greatest change for us, and their behaviors!

Lunchtime is straightforward, soup and sandwich, and I rush myself right through, because next comes NAP-TIME!!!

NAP-TIME!!!

NAP TIME!!!