This post is sponsored by Allstate.  I only work with brands I love, so thank you for helping me to support them. 

Back-to-school time!  And I’ve partnered up with my good friends at Allstate to give you safety and eco-friendly tips for the best start to the school year yet.  It’s been quite the transition for us as Hudson started Kindergarten, and Henley is in daycare now!  So, I really had to get everything in order from the get-go.

First, let’s discuss safety.  I was SO nervous for Hudson to start riding the school bus, but this article helped me coach him on how to stay safe: 

• At the bus stop children should stay 6 feet back from the stop and should NOT be running around. 
• Getting on and off the bus kids should: 
  • Wait for the bus to stop completely before getting out of their seats. 
  • Only get on or off once OK’d by the bus driver. 
  • Always face forward while on the bus. 
  • And if there is a seat belt, they need to use it! 
• Near the bus, children should NEVER cross behind the bus, should cross in front of the bus ONLY if there’s 10 feet between the child and the bus, and should let the bus driver know if they dropped something before picking it up. 

Now that I feel more comfortable with the safety of the kids with all this back-to-school madness, I wanted to also get more organized.  Personally, I pack the kids lunches every night before school the next day.  I also pack their lunches and go through their backpacks one more time to make sure I didn’t miss anything.  In the morning I wake up about an hour before they do to work etc., but 15 minutes before they wake up is prep time.  I get their clothes and breakfasts ready.  This schedule keeps us moving smoothly throughout the day and cuts out a lot of stress.  I also got some great tips and tricks from Allstate that helped me get organized, while also being eco-friendly: Re-usable containers can be great for storage of crayons, school projects, or as tupperware for school lunches.  Another tip I enjoyed was melting down all of our broken crayons into fun shapes for the kids to color with.  They make these beautiful rainbow-colored designs.  9/10 teachers will ask for toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, egg crates etc, so stock up and save them to be prepared.  The best I’ve saved for last.  Instead of using those plastic freeze packs, freeze your kid’s juice box instead!  It keeps the food cool all day while also giving your child a fun slushie surprise!

This post was written as part of the Allstate Influencer Program and sponsored by Allstate. All opinions are mine. As the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer, Allstate is dedicated not only to protecting what matters most–but to guiding people to live the Good Life, every day.