3 Tips for Getting Through the After School Hustle

I don’t know about you, but once I pick up the kids from school, it seems like the rest of the day is a complete whirlwind until I tuck them into bed. Preschool pickup at 1, with not much time before 1st grade car pool, then it’s homework, activities, cleaning up and prepping for lunch then next day, and dinner – – all while attempting to get the littlest to nap so I have some free hands to get it all done!

Sound familiar? I thought I’d share with you a few of my secrets for surviving those few hours between school getting out and bedtime to help with the hustle.

1. Prepare before you pick them up. I always, always, always have a little station set up at our table with snacks, drinks, & whatever they’ll need to get their homework done (and a coloring station for my older daughter, because she likes to be like big brother, but doesn’t have the homework yet!) Our new favorite snack are these Betty Crocker Sweet Rewards bars you can grab in three different flavors, Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar, Caramel Brownie Bar (my favorite!,) or Butterscotch Blondie Bar.
2. Chore Charts! I made Chore Charts for my kids to let them earn iPad or electronics time. After they do their homework, they go through their Chore Charts.. it keeps the afternoon less chaotic and they know what to expect when they get home. Then they can cash in their time and watch a tv show or play their iPad while I get diner prepped – win, win! {free printable coming soon!!}
3. Reward them. While I’m a stickler for healthy eating and try to reduce sugar and sweets, the Sweet Rewards bars by Betty Crocker I mentioned above are a nice fun treat. I give them options like an apple or an orange to have for their snack, but I reward them with something sweet too. After a long day of structure at school, they behave way better if they get a few minutes to relax with a treat. You can even reward them with stickers, a new game – anything! Just keep it simple, they’ll love any small little reward you have tucked away as a surprise!

The biggest tip I have for you honestly is just being prepared. I know sometimes we moms just want to lay on the couch and not have any responsibility, but I try to have as much ready for whatever the day has coming as possible. When I have the table ready for the kids to get their homework done, it sets us up for having a much smoother transition between after school and bedtime. The chore charts, a sweet treat, having snacks set out ready to go all helps my kids know my expectations for them and allows me time to do what I need to do and have dinner ready on time too. You can even sneak in your own guilt free treat, because these Sweet Rewards bars are only 210 calories! So.. have at it moms, reward yourselves too!

Make your rewards even sweeter with this coupon

to try one or all of the yummy flavors too!

You can also enter to win $15 in PayPal cash to reward yourself with something sweet too! Share your own busiest time of day and what you do to get through it and reward yourself on social media using #MySweetRewards!

*giveaway entries will be verified. I reserve the right to disqualify any winner chosen if they do not complete the required ways of entry.