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School has started and so have all the after school activities, our after school routine is our life saver! With both parents running their own business and 3 kids at different schools, after school routines are the make or break of our happy home. It's takes a bit of coordination and some planning ahead. Get organized, prepare meals and snacks ahead of time and make sure to get the kids involved. Once you get the routine set up, your busy week might feel a little less busy and a lot more enjoyable!
Today I'm sharing our some tips we use for our after school routine and snack ideas with some Horizon ™ products we love.
After School Routine for Kids on the Go
Organizing an after school schedule and routine can be tricky. For my creative brain, some times this kind of organizing is great to set up but hard to stick to, so it's important to keep it simple and easy enough that the kids can stick to it too. Here are some tips how we stay on track in my house.
- Write it down – Always write down all the activities on an easily accessible calendar. We have a Google calendar synced for every family member. We also have a daily/weekly schedule posted on the pantry door.
- Coordinate – By writing down all the things, we can easily see, at a glance, where everyone needs to be every day.
- Plan ahead – Make sure to look at the week ahead, and think about what's needed. Which parent is driving the bus which days. Who isn't going to be home for dinner. When is homework getting done when practice is 5 days a week. Thinking ahead helps prevent the stress of last minute scrambles.
- Make it ready-to-go – One of the best pieces of advice I can give is accessorize your routine with as much “ready-to-go” items as possible. Pick out outfits the night before. Make lunches in batches. Offer snacks that are literally grab and go ready.
- Bring a go bag – From last minute drives to school when the bus is missed to long days at the football field, we have many unexpected events when we're gone from the house longer than we anticipated. Having a bag ready with snacks, water and some activities like on-the-go-games, is such a life saver!
Here's a great Mom Hack for putting together a snack basket the kids will love and Mom and Dad will be happy to offer the kids.
Quick favorite game idea: grab a handful of Peanut Butter Horizon™ Sandwich Crackers and a friend. Take turns stacking the crackers in a tower. The player that stacks the most before the stack falls, wins!
Extra Tip: I have a drawer in the kitchen and a shelf in the pantry that are filled with grab and go snack items. As the kids run in and run out, they know exactly where to find the yummy food they want. The drawer is full of single serving snacks and the shelf has things like drinks and larger containers.
About our Snacks
Today I'm featuring some yummy Horizon™ snack products and fresh fruit. I love this Horizon™ Organic Chocolate Protein Plus Milk. it comes in single serving bottles you can keep in the pantry (we like ours in the fridge because the kids like them cold). The kids really like the chocolate flavor so I don't have to remind them to drink their milk and I love that there's extra protein. We also like to keep snacks that we can throw in a little bag or container like these Peanut Butter Horizon™ Sandwich Crackers. Sometimes I put them in little baggies and mix with nuts and some fruit like grapes or apples. It's a great snacking combo that the kids love to eat.
Where to Buy Horizon™ Products
I purchased these yummy snacks at my local Walmart store. You'll find thePeanut Butter Horizon™ Sandwich Crackers in the snack aisle and the Horizon™ Organic Chocolate Protein Plus Milk with the shelf safe milk products.
The kids love to be able to come in, grab a drink and a bag of snacks and head out on their way. It's easy for all the grownups because it's one less thing we have to prepare… even the young kids get into this easy snacking routine.
What are you favorite routine tips for this busy time of year? Get more fun lunch and snacking tips from Horizon!
