Back-to-School Amidst COVID-19: Family Organization Tips

It’s hard to believe we are headed back to school in the midst of a pandemic. If your children attend Austin ISD, they will not be starting back to school until September 8th. Students at other schools in the City of Austin or Travis County will be doing remote learning until at least September 7th. It is unclear what will happen beyond September 7th/8th. To help support your family in this “new normal”, I have created an updated and expanded post with back-to-school family organization tips specifically focused on prepping for back-to-school amidst COVID. This is not your typical school supplies, back-to-school clothes, lunch ideas type of post. I focus on a variety of information and resources specific to back-to-school in a pandemic, such as: setting up an ergonomic work or school station for all members of the family; supply recommendations for working and learning from home; how to ensure that you have sufficient internet bandwidth to handle all the Zoom calls; setting up the kids’ annual appointments and vaccine booster appointments (and options for this if you do not have insurance); tutoring and learning pod options; setting up the back-to-school schedule; household organization tips; strategies to support the dual career balancing act; and support groups for parents and teachers. As always, all information provided is based on Enriched Family’s independent research. Enriched Family does not receive any kick-backs or payments from any of the resources included below, nor do we accept advertising on our site.

If you are looking for information on alternative schooling options, check out our previous blog post, Enriched Family Roundup: Alternative Schooling Options for the Fall. As always, use the ideas that seem like they would be helpful to you and your family, and disregard those that do not. And bear in mind, you do not have to finish all of your organizing before the first day of school. Prioritize the most important things for your family and then ease into the rest as time allows.

Back-to-School Family Organization Tips 2019

Hey y’all! With plenty of anticipation, it is time to shift back into school mode. Some of you have already made the initial transition. We start next week in our district. My girls are both excited and a tad nervous about beginning 4th and 2nd grades. I am happy to get back to regular schedules, but still have some work to do to get my kids and household organized to start the new school year off as smoothly as possible. To help support your family, I have created an updated and expanded post with back-to-school family organization tips. As always, use the ideas that seem like they would be helpful to you and your family, and disregard those that do not. And bear in mind, you do not have to finish all of your organizing before the first day of school. Prioritize the most important things for your family and then ease into the rest in August and September.

Enriched Family's Guide to College Application Planning and Resources - Part 2

In my work as an education consultant, I help families explore the best educational options for their unique children. This includes researching and comparing a wide-variety of educational selections at all life stages — from preschools, daycares, private and public schools, and enrichment activities, to college comparisons. I love helping families clarify their preferences and providing them with the specific information they need to inform and simplify their decision-making process.

As we move into fall, many families are pondering college planning and college applications. In part two of the Enriched Family Guide to College Application Planning and Resources, I focus on resources for letters of recommendation, college essays, financial aid planning, and scholarship planning…

Guide to College Application Planning and Resources - Part 1

Many families are entering the season of college planning and college applications. This guide will help you with planning and resources no matter what grade your child is in currently. It is never too early to start thinking through the college process. This first installment focuses on establishing your family team and setting expectations; college application planning tools; deciding where to apply (college search and comparison tools); resources for the application process and requirements for selected colleges; and planning to take the SAT or ACT. Part 2 in this series will focus on resources for letters of recommendation, college essays, financial aid planning, and scholarship planning.

Resources to Help you Find After-School Activities for your Children

With the school year starting up again, many parents are looking for after-school activities for their kids. To aid in this process, this week’s blog post focuses on some resources for exploring after-school activities for children of all ages…

Back to School To-Do List & Organizing Tips

Mamas and papas: we are on the home stretch! It’s almost back to school time!

We are nearly there, but still have some work to do to get our kids and households organized to start the new school year off as smoothly as possible. As I am working to do this at my house, I thought I would share with you my list of to-do items and organizing recommendations...

Bringing Home Lucky: Preparing Your Family and Home For a Puppy

Our children have been asking for a pet for a long time. My initial, internal reaction was: "Like I need another thing to take care of!" However, our children are currently 8 and 6, and I work from home now, so somehow it seemed more doable. Cats were out of the question as our neighborhood is always losing cats to coyotes. So, we started looking around for the right rescue dog. It took about six months, but thanks to @austinanimalcenter and @happyfosterdog, we found our dog! As you can see from the picture, he is adorable (yes, I am biased, but objectively, he is just darn cute).

I am discovering daily what a joy it is to have a puppy, and also what an undertaking! Whew. As I didn't grow up with dogs due to family allergies, this is pretty new for me. So, I did what I always do when facing the unknown and put on my researcher hat. I thought I would share the results of my research for other folks out there who are getting a dog for the first time.

Make Time for Self-Care

Day 3: Get serious about creating time for self-care.

We have all heard that self-care is important, but how often do we leave this very last on the proverbial list? It wasn't until I was in my late-thirties, early forties (and admittedly when I was out of the trenches of babyhood/toddlerhood with my kids), that I got serious about self-care.

When I say get serious, I mean: I made it a priority by scheduling it and sticking to that schedule as much as possible. I suggest you start out simply and don't overwhelm yourself (in the past, I have been guilty of being the queen of setting unrealistically high and undoable expectations). Choose one area to focus on at a time (such as regular exercise) and don't add a new self-care area until exercise is firmly part of your weekly routine (at whatever frequency goal you have set for yourself)...

Planning, Organizing Strategies, Informational, Self-CareEsha ClearfieldJanuary 31, 2018Self-care, 5days5ideas

'Tis the season for giving - Create your Giving Plan

In light of our recent post on allowances and teaching children the value of saving as well as giving, I recently came across a great New York Times article, "How to Make a Personal Plan for Giving" by Carl Richards, that I want to share. The article and simple worksheet is a great resource to help us adults (although kids could certainly use it too) clarify and articulate why we want to give, what we want to give, and how we want to give. Whether you have a little or a lot to give, check it out. I'm off to fill out my worksheet...

Informational, Money, PlanningEsha ClearfieldDecember 12, 2017Giving Plan

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