(photo cred: Renee Lara) Hi everyone!  Hope you've all had a fantastic, safe, happy and healthy Summer.  Hopefully you've had the chance to spend some great family time together.  I haven't blogged in quite some time as my website is still in the middle of a make-over.  Hopefully you've been following me on Facebook and Instagram.  If not, then click the links and join our parenting community! September is that time of year where as parents we are forced to do some "house-keeping" to get back to school ready.  The Summer is coming to an end and the new school year is fast approaching.  Whether we are ready or not, it's something that needs to be done.  Many parents are faced with the facts that routines, schedules and possibly proper behavior have gone out the door. School is starting back up and somehow we need to get a grasp on reality and whip things back into shape.  To make life easier this September follow my house-keeping to do's and get ready to sail into September struggle free! HOW CAN I POSSIBLY FIX ALL OF THESE BAD SUMMER HABITS?? I tend to get a large influx of parents around the time of September. They come to me frantic and ready to pull out their hair. If you’re able to relate to this don’t worry. EVERYTHING IS FIXABLE and YOU ARE NOT ALONE! 3 SIMPLE STRATEGIES TO EASE BACK INTO SEPTEMBER

• BE SURE BEDTIME ROUTINES ARE BACK IN PLACE

If you found summer nights kept your kids up later and you were more lax on sticking to their proper bedtime you may be wondering how you can get them to bed earlier for school. Begin a 3-7 days before school starts. Simply back up bedtime little my little every couple of nights. This way they ease their way back into their proper bedtime routine. Good sleep and well-rested kids is half the battle of parenting!

• SET UP CHARTS AND ROUTINES

Visual aids are concrete for kids. It helps them know exactly what is expected and how to succeed. Even older kids benefit from charts to ease them back into school routines. Teach, train and practice the routines before school starts. This will ensure on that first morning of school the house is ready to run like a well-oiled machine.  Check my Resources for printable charts.

• GET YOURSELF READY FIRST

Parents often wonder how this will help improve the morning routine. The way this works is that when you are stressed or rushed your kids feel it. They too begin to feel stressed and rushed and before long the house is yelling and nagging again. To avoid this, get up ahead of your kids shower, enjoy a cup of coffee or read the paper. Do something to start your morning off right and this will help your kids follow in your footsteps. Let's face it, life happens and sometimes things get out of whack. Summer is typically one of these times where we let a few things slide.  This is totally fine to do, but we must remember that what we let slide, must at some point get put back into place.  If you are feeling like summer has happened in a big way and it feels like everyone is running around like chickens with their heads cut off, then take a deep breath and relax. Simple tools can make a huge impact. Get out of summer mode and ease back into September with these 3 easy to implement parenting tools. Don’t wait until later, but rather start now for a smooth transition back to school! If you need help with your house-keeping this September and you feel like your parenting has gone off the rails - BOOK NOW - Easy tools today for an easier tomorrow!