Monthly Musings: Back to school Edition 2023

 I always struggle so much with these back to school questions since we aren't a typical schooling family.  But I did my best to answer each question as fully as I could!  

If you aren't a regular follower to my blog I homeschooled my boys from the time they were in elementary school-- my oldest graduated from our homeschool to attend college a couple of years ago around the time my middle son decided he'd be better off at a local technical high school studying culinary arts.  I still homeschool my youngest who is entering his second year of high school.  

1. Where do you typically shop for back to school? Any tips? Alec's uniforms are bought through 2 different uniform companies; his academic uniforms consist of polo shirts and gym clothes with the school logo on them and chino pants we usually find on Amazon (he's an unusually tall boy and his size can be hard to find).  His culinary uniforms are ordered through a restaurant supply company the school has a contract with. 

My other boys rarely did/or do back to school shopping though this year Evan did need all new fall clothes since he had outgrown everything and we did really well at Old Navy this weekend buying everything he needs in one quick trip. 

2. How do your organize for back to school? For our homeschool I start "back to school" in the spring and pick out curriculum materials and order our books.  Otherwise I don't do much for back to school organization.  Alec's clothes are all set up in his closet with a system we organized in his freshman year and since he's in high school (and a senior at that) I leave him to organize himself. 

In the left most hanging bins are his culinary uniforms, middle row is his academic/ gym uniforms and then last year we added the right row which holds all this "front of house"/ restaurant server clothes since the school runs a restaurant that juniors and senior cook and serve for. 

3. Do you meal prep? Any fall recipes to share? I do meal plan year round though I have gotten out of the habit this last month and I'm trying to get back to it.  One of our favorite casserole recipes (which I just made last night) is this chicken/broccoli/rice casserole. It's Alec's favorite and since today is his first day of school I let him pick dinner last night. 

4. Any back to school traditions? Nope, for years when the boys were younger we had a "not back to school" week where we had park days, beach days, etc. with all our homeschooling friends. And enjoyed a bunch of field trips with all the zoos and museums and aquariums being pretty empty. 

5. How long does it take you to get into a new fall routine? Usually just a few days; but it can take Evan and I awhile to find a routine that we like as far as what subjects to do in what order each day (and sometimes we end up swapping materials entirely if we don't love the curriculum). 

6. Best lunchbox packing tip? Alec has always packed his own! 

7. Best tips for getting out the door in the morning? Now that Alec drives himself I don't have to get out the door in the morning.  

8. Slow cooker? Instant Pot? Both/ neither? Recipe? I have a slow cooker but I don't have an instant pot.  One of my favorite recipes is this crock pot lasagna soup.

9. School bus? Car pool? Walk to school? Since Alec attends a state run school in a different town than ours I used to drive him and now he drives himself. 

10. Start school before or after labor day? Most of the schools in our area of the state started sometime this week so they get in just a couple of days before the Labor Day weekend. And then we hopefully will get out in mid-June as long as we don't have too many snow days. With homeschooling we get to pick our own schedule and have started school anywhere from before labor day until after Columbus day in October! 

Linking up with: Thinking Out Loud,