Nesting With Grace

by Brooke Christen

Back to School- Sleep, Butterflies, Focus, Lunches and More

August 17, 2023

After summer’s free-for-all, returning to a back-to-school routine of bedtimes, alarm clocks, hurried mornings, and getting out the door on time can be a challenge. Especially if we aren’t ready for summer to end!! To make this seasonal switch easier, I put together a few simple tips to help you get ready for that first day of school hopefully without any tears or meltdowns. From get organized, setting up a routine, back to school schedule, sleep tips, calming back to school butterflies, lunch ideas, quick breakfast and more!

This summer we went through and organized everyone’s bedroom, donated clothes that didn’t fit or weren’t worn, and decluttered! I have also been working through common areas, making sure everything has a spot!

Start a Routine and Set Yourself up for Success-

This was when we organized Lola’s room, her friends and my mom helped! Highly recommend taking time to do this, especially helpful after each season ends to get rid of things that weren’t worn or grown out of. Also helpful to see what is really needed for back to school so you don’t spend money on things you don’t need.

Feels so good to have a fresh clean slate before school starts!

Let's Organize- Organizing Checklist By Room — Get all the organizing tips by room HERE

Start a Routine-

Finn's Schoolhouse bedroom-Utah Ranch House — Don’t wait until the night before school starts to set up new routines for the start of school. I know, this tip is easier said than done. We are all just soaking up summer to the very last second!

Finn has an echo dot that he can tell to wake him up, “Alexa set alarm for 7:30 am”, he enjoys taking on that responsibility! He also like to ask Alexa to sing a song or “how many days until Halloween?”

Print this Back to School Checklist Routine HERE

Sleep-

A good night’s sleep is the key for a good day. Many kids struggle with going to bed, so try these tricks to help make setting a bedtime easier. Did you know sleep is a huge part of our ability to focus, and our ability to retain information? Sleep is crucial for us and our little ones, especially during the school year.

Diffuser for Sleep-

We started with essential oils because my daughter needed help with calming her mind to go to sleep. It was a game changer for us. A weighted blanket helped too when she was younger, now she just uses her diffuser for sleep support. She starts her diffuser about 30 minutes before bed, honestly she has it going as soon as she get’s home from school! Her bedroom always smells so good. She also likes to put a few drops of oil behind her ears before bed or grab the Tranquil Roller or Sleepyize Roller and roll on her chest and behind ears.

Create a diffuser station for your kids to easily use their oils and support their needs. Ella has this disco ball diffuser and the Love of Lemons Diffuser in her room, with a bottle of water to easily refill her diffuser and a dish of her favorite oils (mostly Stress Away, Peace & Calming, Orange and KidsPower).

Sleep Diffuser Blends-

Lavender and Peace & Calming are top sleep oils! But we also love so many as you start to add to your collection.

Linen Spray-

Help calm down from a busy day with a relaxing bath or for a little extra help, spritz bedding with soothing nighttime linen spray, this is one of my daughters favorite things to do before bed!

Nighttime Linen Spray
+Start with a glass spray bottle
+Add 30 drops Peace & Calming and 15 drops Lavender
+Top with a Splash of witch hazel, this helps the water and oil combine
+Fill the rest of the bottle with water
+Shake before spraying, apply to sheets, blankets, stuffed animals and or just in the air

Supplements for Sleep-

On nights when high-energy children need extra help settling down or busy minds to calm, try KidScents Unwind. This magnesium-based supplement is our go-to for unwinding before bed. It also includes tryptophan and essential oils that help promote a calm state. Because it can help with restlessness and sleeplessness, it can also improve focus and concentration in the classroom

How to Handle Nerves and Butterflies-

Anyone get butterflies starting something new? Or have a child that needs a little support in that area? Chatting about why they are nervous and offering tools to support those feelings is a great place to start. One of my favorite things to do is have my kids help me make a calm or bravery roller. These rollers also double as perfume and or cologne. Finn puts on his cologne every morning (he loves KidPower ready made roller) and my girls make a roller that is similar to the brave roller recipe below.

To make a roller all you do is grab a 10 mll roller, drop your essential oils in then rill the rest with a carrier oil, we use Jojoba Oil (it doesn’t clog pores). After you make it kids can roll behind ears, on chest whenever needed!

Stay Well-

As kids go back to school, they’re inevitably exposed to more sicknesses. Then they bring those illnesses home and share with the whole family. It’s important to strengthen children’s immune systems. Incorporate children’s supplements into their morning routine to help your kids get a boost of vitamins and minerals to start their day.

One of the most powerful things we can do for our health is to balance and support our belly. Especially important when kids head back to school and are around a lot more people. Many today consider regularly taking a high quality probiotic to be one of the core pieces to a healthy gut which in turn is a key to brain, immune, skin health and more!

We love MightyPro for our probiotics and prebiotic, specially formulated for children. Packaged in easy, one-dose packets that can be taken almost anywhere you go. Tastes like a pixie stick! Features over 8 billion active, live cultures to support digestive and immune health. Children whose guts have healthy flora tend to feel calmer, crave less, and have more serotonin available to regulate their moods! There are foods with probiotics like yogurt, kefir, pickles, sauerkraut, miso, kombucha, some types of cheese and traditional buttermilk. If you are like me and my kids, and don’t eat those foods that often, a supplement is needed.

Back to School Mornings-

My kids top breakfast pick is usually mini waffles, quick and easy and gets their bellies full. But, have you ever made eggs in the mini waffle maker? Easiest egg clean up! This is Finn’s favorite breakfast, he get’s in a lot of protein and can make it himself! Just spray a little avocado spray in the mini waffle maker, crack and egg right inside, close the lid and let it cook for about 2 min or until how you like your eggs cooked!

Happy Hair for Happy Mornings-

8 Things I bought from Urban Outfitters! — You have to work smart when parenting because all the demands can start to weigh you down after a while. One smart parenting hack I’ve come to love are products with multiple uses. Here’s a quick back to school perfume that is not only a lice deterrent, and helps detangle hair, but also promotes emotional support & focus! Just spritz your kids hair or hairbrush before brushing every morning, we even use in Finn’s hair.

Back To School Perfume & Hair Spritz

In an 8 oz spray bottle add
20 drops Tea Tree
20 drops Lavender
15 drops Stress Away or 15 drops Geranium
Add a splash of witch hazel (helps the water and oil combine) and top with distilled water and shake before using.

More healthy hair recipes with essential oils (grab oils I use HERE)

Lunch Ideas-

EASY Lunch Ideas and School HACKS! — We actually do this at night, to help the morning run smooth. My kids love a home lunch, so we need a little extra time for them to pack their own lunch, or for when you need to help your littlest ones pack theirs. I have a blog post full of yummy and healthy lunch options here.

Nesting Container Trio– we love these when we want to put leftovers in a bag for lunch or fruit, veggies, snacks etc
Bento Box– this container is great for soup, and a variety of food, leak proof
Snack Containers– we have multiple of these for kids snacks at school
Reusable Ziplock Bags– the best reusable bags for lunches and I also love THESE too
Bento Box– great for homemade lunchables
Insulated Stanley– perfect for soup, yogurt, pasta or etc.
Stackable Insulated Bento Containers– another fun way to pack lunch!
Stackable Lunch Containers– these are a favorite!!! Ella packs her lunch in these and dinner to-go for soccer daily!
Lunch Bag // Nike Lunch Box // Lunch Bag
Stanley 30 oz // Stanley 20 oz (Finn 7, likes this size) // Stanley Retro Cup of **use code summerrefresh for 20% off

Diffusing for Focus, Wellness and More-

You know how much I love diffusing, of the best things about essential oils is that they not only smell incredible, they have a huge positive impact on our health! We can diffuse blends that support immunity, our respiratory systems, healthy sleep, focus, emotional support and more. I love these diffuser blends to support my kids from the moment they wake up until they are sleeping peacefully in bed. Find cute labels for all your kid supporting oily DIY’s here.

Oils are tools that you can reach for to support you and your family! We love the KidScents oils are some of my favorite oils for kids. We use all oils on kids, but the KidScents oils are mixed with a carrier oil, making them ready to go! KidPower is a really popular oil blend to use daily as a perfume or cologne.

I love when I get to hear success stories from friends after using oils. Ashley said this- “My youngest, Kaiden is 6 and has ADHD. We started him on GenYus right away and two weeks later, I got a call from his teacher saying “whatever you are doing, it’s working because he is doing so much better!” YAY!!” I love this bundle with all the KidScents oils that comes with the darling owl diffuser.

More Back to School Ideas-

EASY Lunch Ideas and School HACKS! — Back to School Lunch Ideas HERE

Back to School Teacher Gift Idea with Thieves — Back to School Teacher Basket HERE

I hope this helps you and your kids have a successful school year!

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