You know that mom? That mom who seems to have it all under control with her smooth-sailing school days and enviable organizational skills? Well, it turns out that she’s not all that different from us, actually. It’s just that mom has her own arsenal of tips, tricks, hacks and habits to keep all those balls impressively in the air. We talked to a bunch of busy Bergen County moms to learn their secrets for keeping organized and sane all school year long. You have our permission to steal them.
Rosie Pope, mother of 4, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Rosie Pope Maternity + Baby, Author of Mommy IQ (Harper Collins 2012) and star of the hit reality TV series Pregnant in Heels"Play Hide and Seek during dinner prep or house clean up. It's amazing how long they will hide while I finish what I'm working on!"
Holly T. Schepisi, mother of 2, Assemblywoman, 39th District and Special Legal Counsel, Huntington Bailey, LLP"The month of September is always hellish and every two years more so as the election cycle kicks into high gear as well. My daughter just started high school and my son is starting first grade. A couple of organizational measures: 1. Order school lunches through December break (if possible). 2. All outfits for the next morning must be picked out before bedtime. 3. Keep a big erasable whiteboard calendar on the wall closest to the garage. At the start of every month put all doctor’s appointments, extracurricular events, birthday parties, meetings at night, early morning days, etc. so that everyone in the household knows what schedule everyone has each day."
Tracy Wolfson Reichel, mother of 3 and Lead Sideline Reporter for CBS Sports "I use the app Team Snap to keep all my boys' sports games and practices organized so everyone knows when and where they need to be (including my husband!)."
Iris Shamus, mother of 3 and Founder and CEO of AllerMates"In my foyer I have a console with six drawers. Three of the drawers are dedicated to my three children. All of their school papers, books, etc. that I find lying around go right into their drawer."
Trang Lio, mother of 3 and Owner of Marcia's Attic for Kids, Englewood NJ"Prep breakfast at night, have water bottles filled at night, set outfits out at night and keep bins in the car for each child for their after-school activity gear. Plus, the moment a schedule is out, it goes right into my phone calendar and is synched with all family members!"
Erin Cacciabaudo, mother of 4, Owner of catchy. cafe & catering, Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ "My favorite hack is the 'Double Up.' Sunday is a major cooking day. Rather than just cook a Sunday dinner, I double up that night's meal, slice loads of veggies, make a large double batch of an Italian wedding soup or minestrone and then some tuna fish or chicken salad so we have easy, light and healthy meals to pop into a thermos for school lunches or make for dinner after sports run late."
