How many times have you been tucking your child in only to find out they haven’t finished a homework assignment because they forgot? It’s happened in my house, I’m afraid, and the times that it has happened was when our afternoon schedule was crammed with activities and we didn’t make readjust the schedule to fit “homework” in.

Schedule a time, daily, for homework. If you return home right after school, have the kids immediately sit down and do it! If there are afternoon activities, plan to do it as soon as they return home. Make it a policy to have it done before dinner. Of course, there will be times when that doesn’t work because soccer or baseball practice runs later, but no matter what, schedule it!

Whether it’s in the kitchen, family room or bedroom, create a dedicated, clutter-free workspace. This is a great way for your child to focus and accomplish the task at hand. Try the Stuck on You Subject Labels for notebooks for your child to easily identify the notebook they need. Set up the space to include pens/pencils, extra paper, sufficient lighting and a comfortable chair.

Over scheduling is a common occurrence these days, and it’s important to remember that there are only so many hours in the day. If you’re feeling like a taxi driver, then perhaps it’s time to consider either “sharing the ride” (carpool) or backing off on the sheer number of activities.

But let’s discuss, for a moment, how to easily keep track of who, what, where and when with ease. Using a calendar where you can view the entire month is helpful because you know from week-to-week what to expect and you can also see what’s coming up. Use a different colored highlighter for each family member so you can record their activity without having to put a name (the color will be the indicator of the family member). Put the activities in order of times, so if you need to drop off and pick up, the activities are already in sequential order.

Viewing all of the activities in one place on one calendar is a great visual tool for seeing whether you’re overbooked or could allot your time better in the future.

Remember to enlist the help of others by carpooling, when needed. This could save you time if you drive your child and his friend one way and the other parent picks up. Who knows, you may even be able to get in a load of laundry from start to finish so it doesn’t wind up on the sofa unfolded.

Busy schedules means it’s easy to lose time and belongings! Keep track of both with calendars and labels. It will help you kids stay on track too!

What’s your back-to-school schedule like? Please tell us your experience.

As you prepare for back to school and think about the morning rush, here are some suggestions for creating a simple plan for everyone when it comes time to get the kids out the door for school.

• Choose your children’s outfits for the week. This saves time each morning, so you’re not frantically searching for socks or that favorite pair of jeans.
• Each night, set out the lunchboxes (make lunch the night before…again, this will save time) and place the backpacks and shoes by the front door (or whichever door you use to enter/exit the home).
• The key is to prepare as much as you can before the week even begins. Take a few hours on Sunday, and you’ll be glad you did. This is a great time to get all the laundry put away for the week, pick outfits for the week, and plan the meals. It’s amazing how those tasks can help ease your stress level and create the time for family meals instead of hurrying out the door because there’s no time to actually sit and have breakfast.

Items that will help you organize your kids even further are personalized lunchboxes, knapsacks and sports sacks. The kids can help pack up, you can easily identify what belongs to who and, if you children are younger, it will also help caregivers and teachers. Visit our web site.

So your child is headed off to college! What an exciting time. However, this can be also be a potentially nerve racking time for you and your child, even though your child probably won’t let on. There are a few key things you can do to help ease this transition for everyone.

1. Know what to pack – Download our College Checklist
2. Label and Organize
3. Provide Support

First, go to your child’s college web site and download the list of recommended items to pack. This list will most likely provide the guidelines that parents need to buy the right items. For example, if you send a coffee post, most likely it will need an automatic shut off feature—make sure.

Next, if you—or your child—likes it, then put a label on it. College means communal living: Bathrooms, study space and laundry. Best way to ensure your child hangs onto his or her belongings is if they are easily identified with a personalized name label.

Finally, your child will need your support. Whether it’s through texting throughout the day just to touch base and know you’re there, or it may be they call you each night for a while. Make sure they have an economical cell phone plan with unlimited texting. You can also set up Skype on your computer and his so you can actually check in and see their face.

Here’s a helpful video of what your student needs:

Get your Sanity Savers, click here!

]]> http://www.stuckonyoublog.biz/uncategorized/were-getting-ready-for-back-to-school-are-you/feed/ 0 http://www.stuckonyoublog.biz/blog-entry/send-your-campers-some-love-from-home/ http://www.stuckonyoublog.biz/blog-entry/send-your-campers-some-love-from-home/#comments Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:20:22 +0000 Stuck On You http://www.stuckonyoublog.biz/?p=1164 Camp season is underway and although your kids are busy having a good time, you may want to send them a mid-summer care package. Most sleep away camps discourage care packages containing any type of food, so here are some ideas that your child will not only love, but they are useful too!

Surprise your kids with a mid-summer package containing Call Me Cards. Kids are bound to make new friends at camp and the perfect way to keep in touch with camp friends is to make sure that your kids can easily exchange information. These are not only made from 100% recycled materials (and are recyclable), but they are waterproof. Therefore, if a camper puts it in their swim trunks and goes in the water, NO PROBLEM! The card will not be harmed in any way!

Kids will have no excuse for staying in touch is you send them Notepads, envelopes and stamps to keep in touch with you while they’re away. Make it simple for everyone!

And, just for fun, send along some washable Skin Prints for your child to share with his or her bunk mates. Sharing with their new friends will be fun for everyone in their bunk.

If your vision of traveling with the children is a groan rather than a giggle, you may be suffering from the get-out-of-town blues. Just the thought of organizing your luggage and your family can seem like a monumental task. Here are some tips to help to make it easy and fun!

• Pack light. Summer travel is definitely easier than winter because the clothing is less bulky. Plan outfits for yourself and the kids. Place each outfit (including socks and underwear) in plastic Ziploc® bags labeled with the day of the week so there’s no thinking about it while you’re relaxing on vacation. Keep it to a minimum: Two pairs of shoes each (flip flops/sandals and sneakers). We know moms are the exception when it comes to shoes. Thank goodness sandals don’t take up much space!
• Keep track. Although you’re excited about site seeing and visiting amusement parks with you kids, the keeping track of them can be challenging. Amy Lipton, President of Stuck on You USA, says, “I’m always out and about with my kids and have often wondered what I’d do if we became separated—especially when we’re in unfamiliar places or on vacation in another town or state. The Stick-with-Me Wristbands have become an essential safety item when we are out of town or at a big public event or shopping center.” Order a set for all the children, and hand-write their names yourself.
• Carousel Chaos Controlled. Collecting your bags from the luggage carousel can be chaotic, so play “who can spot the bag tag” with your children. The brightly-colored Stuck on You bag tags can be personalized with each child’s name. They are waterproof and UV resistant, which also makes them great for beach bags.
• Beach & Pool Toys. How many summers have gone by where, by the end, you’ve inadvertently misplaced sand and pool toys because you couldn’t identify whether they were yours or someone else’s? We’ve all done that. You congregate at the beach or pool with other families and before you know it, all the toys are co-mingled and you can’t tell what belongs to whom. The Stuck on You large name labels or jumbo dots take care of that! They are waterproof and stay stuck. When it comes time to pack up, you can easily identify what’s yours and the labels make it fun for kids to help with clean up too!
• Shoe Labels. Kids can easily identify their flip-flops if they have a shoe label on them, and if they are left behind at the community pool or Hotel Kids Club, they won’t wind up in the Lost & Found because whoever finds them will know they belong to your child!

Clothing Labels These work great on beach towels, bathing suits, beach bags—anything made of fabric! Helps kids keep track of their own stuff!

Remember to always involve your children in the packing, unpacking and toy clean up. Great training for later when you may only have to suggest they get their stuff together versus doing it for them!

…and it’s time to get ready for fun! Camp, activities, and the beach are on the horizon and with that is a lot of stuff to keep track of. Here are some ideas to help you get your kids—and yourself—organized for the summer season:

Make Space—Now is a great time to create a space in your home—preferably where you enter/exit most frequently, so it’s convenient—for backpacks , beach bags, towels, shoes (apply shoe labels to flip flops and sneakers so everyone knows which shoes belong to whom). Also, create a space, in the kitchen perhaps, for sunscreen and get into the habit of applying it to the kids and yourself each morning before heading out. Place a basket on the porch for flip flops to keep the sand outside!

Enlist Children’s Help—Rinse suits each afternoon when you return from the pool, wash towels, so everything is ready to be packed up in the morning. Teach kids to refill their own bag each morning (for example, bathing suit, beach towel, goggles, magazine or book, etc.).

Pack a bag—Whether it’s for sports or beach, have a bag on hand that contains what you need for an impromptu visit to the beach, pool or park. Keep a bag in the car that contains workout clothing, beach towels, bathing suits, and sun screen. Don’t forget your beach chair too!

Buy in Bulk—Summer is a great time to stock up on healthy snacks just in case you decide to stay a little longer at the pool or beach. Keep water bottles on hand (make sure they’re labeled!) so everyone stays hydrated.

The mini-vinyl, Basics Collection or Endless Summer are great label choices for ALL your summer items and jumbo dots will cover you for big and small items!

Whether it’s golf clubs, power tools or electronics, Dad’s like their stuff! Recently, one of our customers told us that their husband left behind an expensive golf gadget (a Sky Caddie) in the cart while playing a round of golf. Later that day, he received a phone call from one of the pro shop employees letting him know that they found the item. Whew! That little gadget cost more than $200 and he was happy that his wife had purchased the labels and placed them on his golf equipment.

Dad can use the labels for other items too! How about coolers and beach chairs, sporting equipment, toiletry items for traveling, that special baseball cap he covets because one of the players on his favorite baseball team signed the inside, and so much more!

Personalized mini-vinyl labels are perfect for smaller items, the clothing labels are great for anything that is fabric, including a golf towel, beach towel, or bathing suit. Try the large vinyl labels for coolers and beach chairs, luggage, and lawn equipment.

Help dad keep track of his belongings with personalized labels that include his name and phone number. Labels are useful, fun and will make him think of you each and every time he looks at it! Have a great time celebrating Dad! Remember Grandfather and Uncles too.

Get Personalized for Father’s Day!

The end of the school year is approaching quickly and it will be time for your children to say good-bye to their teachers who they’ve been with all year long.

A special way to say thank you and be remembered is a personalized gift that can be used for years to come. Teachers are notorious for having well-organized classrooms, so help them take their organization to the next level with personalized labels!

Teachers can label everything from their desk supplies to remote controls for their smart boards to books that belong in their classroom.

If your child’s teacher is really special to you and likes to cook, perhaps you want to consider a set of Kitchen Labels wrapped up with a cookbook.

Also include handwritten note of thanks for taking special care of your little scholarship.

The Kitchen Labels are also ideal for housewarming or hostess gifts.  Stocking up on them is a surefire way to always have a quick gift on hand for visits to friend’s homes over the summer vacation or when you attend a dinner party. Combine with your favorite gourmet jam, a bottle of wine or a homemade dessert for a unique gift. Each set includes more than 80 peel-and-stick labels. Stuck on You labels are the detail that everyone’s kitchen cupboards have been missing, until now.