My kids don’t go back to school until after Labor Day. But I know for a lot of families this week or next marks the beginning of the school year.
So in that spirit, this week’s episode of Best of Both Worlds is all about that back-to-school energy. Sarah and I discuss what will be new for our families this year (in my case, a driver with his own parking spot! And kid #5 goes to full-day school… plus all the school start times have changed).
The new school year is always a time when routines change and new logistics must be figured out. That can be stressful…but it’s also an opportunity to buy yourself some school supplies while shopping for your kids. So there’s that too.
In any case, please give the episode a listen! What’s new for your family this year?
Laura, I see your 9:10am elementary start time and raise you 9:25am!!! It is SO LATE. And we did not get into before/after care for the second year running! (okay rant over)
I am channeling previous suggestions from BOBW and we are currently working on a three-family neighborhood swap. We all have some number of days in office and at home so are trying to work it out that each family takes 1-2 days a week to shepherd the kids to/from the bus so the others can have normal working hours…except we’re also trying to build in three soccer practices a week (my older kid) that are sometimes at 5pm which means that we can’t host the neighbor kids those days AND I will still have to leave work at 3:30pm to make it all work (so I don’t get the benefit of having a normal workday). It is a ton of moving parts, a shared spreadsheet, and the feeling that because I have a graduate degree this should be easier to work out. So far the only sticking point is Tuesdays, as apparently all three families are in-office that day so one of us may just have to shift schedules around.
I really enjoyed listening to yours and SHU’s logistics about back to school because – quite frankly – I can use all the tips and help I can get!!! We start August 26th, so a little over a week to figure it all out…
@KGC – yes, that sounds like you have quite the situation to figure out…and to make sure you still get a full work day. Not easy!
Actually, Ms. Laura Vanderkam, nothing’s new for my family this year.
I noticed, Ms. Laura Vanderkam, that this is the first time since I read your blog posts and listened to your podcasts – since 2022 – that you announced the names of all 5 people in your household who are not adults. It could be that you also have other blog posts or episodes of podcasts in the past where you did the same but I didn’t notice.
Since the time that the schools start in the morning in your area has changed to no-so-early-in-the-morning times, I wonder what time it is going to be now. If the times they start in the morning are all different, you can also just tell me so.
I also didn’t anticipate that you and Dr. Sarah Hart-Unger are stuck in a situation where when you buy water bottles, you have got to notice “What is ‘trending’” —- whatever that term refers to.
I noticed that you and Dr. Sarah Hart-Unger are also going to release an episode that will specifically address post-secondary institution applications. I suspect that I’ll need to be able to directly message you or Dr. Sarah Hart-Unger first before I give that episode a listen. I’ll explain the list of factors that prevent me from just going ahead and listening to that episode in the direct messages as opposed to explaining it in this comment. I prefer not to turn this comment into a 1000-word-long comment.
While we are on post-secondary institutions, I noticed that not only do most grade schools start in September, but most post-secondary institutions also start in September. That is also true of where I’m living right now, in Calgary, Canada.
@Yukun – yep, we’ll be talking about college applications in the Sept 3 episode so stay tuned for that!
Our oldest is going to secondary school – big change, as we don’t have his lesson plan yet, so a bit hard to plan. But we’ve got all the supplies of the list (I think), books have arrived and the school laptop has been ordered. Let’s see how it all works out.
@Elinoora- I’m sure it will work out – but the first week is always rough…
I loved this episode. We will have 3 kids in 3 different schools, but the two oldest are quite capable of getting themselves around and don’t NEED help in the mornings. I currently make lunches for everyone except the husband in the mornings. The kids could all make their own but I think their choices would be way less healthy than if I did it. Unfortunately none of our schools offer anything other than a vending machine with surprisingly expensive products.
@SK- so glad you liked the episode! And ugh on nothing being provided other than a vending machine…