Planning ahead is key to staying healthy and on track for back-to-school routines and I’ve been able to team up with some great companies to help make the process a bit easier, check it out!
By: Melissa Musen Gerstein

In the fall busy schedules start to pick up again and I always make sure I have nutritious snacks on hand for my kids. One of my favorite snack options is Tree Top Apple Sauce pouches which make it easier to squeeze in a little extra fruit when you’re on the run. Tree Top Apple Sauce pouches are mess-free and are made from 100 percent real fruit so parents can feel confident that they’re making the good pick and my kids love the taste, too!
And with eating on the go and kids back in classrooms, there are always plenty of germs and messes. This is why I love Wet Ones antibacterial hand wipes because they clean sticky and dirty hands when soap and water aren’t available killing 99 percent of germs. Their travel packs are the perfect size to stick in backpacks or and in your purse! Wet Ones also contain aloe and lanolin, which means they’re easy on even the smallest of hands.
Of course, the schools reopening means that your days become even more jam-packed with additional responsibilities and so, as you prepare your kids’ meals, lunch boxes, snacks, clothes, help them with their homework, and drive them from A to B, you’ll likely be wondering what all that does to YOUR schedule. It will mean that you will have to make some sacrifices in order to fit it all in. Chores may have to be pushed back a bit and, if you have a full-time career to keep on top of as well, these things might take ages until they are completed – especially cleaning! This is why many moms look at using a Houston maid service as this really frees up their time and relieves a lot of the stress of keeping the home in check from day to day. It’s a lifeline to many parents and makes the back-to-school period less of a pain. Another way of relieving some of this inevitable stress could be trying out CBD products, that can help reduce anxiety and stress, leaving you calm enough to be able to get through all the work that needs to be done. Perhaps you can start by getting a CBD balm from Lazarus Naturals or similar collections available online to see if you’re well suited with this product and other CBD products like it.
It’s important for our kids to have fun experiences both inside and outside of school. I have such great memories of being involved in the community as a Girl Scout and I can’t wait for my girls to do the same! We used to go on adventures like hiking and camping with each other (supervised, of course). Although as a mother, I don’t know if I will feel totally at ease if my daughters go camping with their Girl Scout buddies but I could equip them with emergency survival and first aid kits for their safety (look at our top pick for school emergency kits here). New data shows at least 90 percent of parents say their daughters are more confident, have more friends, and are happier because of their involvement with the Girl Scouts. Interested in making your daughter a Girl Scout? No problem, sign her up by going to girlscouts.org/join – it’s super easy, and I promise you your daughters will thank you!
As the day winds down, it’s important that you establish a bedtime routine with your kids The new Bedtime for Sarah Sullivan app based on the award-winning book is now available on Google play for Android and coming very soon to iOS. It offers a new twist on traditional bedtime stories and has great interactive features that will make bedtime fun and encourage imagination.
A friend of mine has recently invested in changing all her door handles to bronze ones, now that the kids have gone back to school. Bronze handles could be beneficial in reducing the amount of time that germs live on the surface of door handles. A suggestion could potentially be found from sites such as ait xia dialog or you might be able to find a local supplier after research if this option interested you. I currently am still sticking to sanitizer and wiping down surfaces the children have touched.
Packing lunches the night before, keeping your calendar updated are a few tricks to use when you’re trying to stay organized. But sometimes things are out of your control, like when you get a call from the school nurse and she tells you your little one has a tummy ache or even worse, has lice. Trust me, I know, my kids have had it before. But instead of stressing – try Vamousse lice treatment. It’s my go-to because it’s quick and easy to use. One application of Vamousse lice treatment is all you need as it kills 100 percent of lice and their eggs in only 15 minutes! It’s also non-toxic and pesticide-free which is great for kids and they also have a preventative shampoo which means you’re covered all year and a little less stress for mom!