A mom's 5 tips for a painless first week of school

"Where's my lunch?"

"I can't find my shoes!"

It's back-to-school season whenstuff magically disappears and low-level chaos reignsjust when you really, really need to makes it to work in time for the 8:45 a.m. conference call.

Rothesay mom Charlotte Pierce knows the struggle better than most.

She and her husband, Trevor, have five kids:a high schooler, two middle-schoolers and two elementary schoolers.

After a lot of practicegetting Charlie, 8, Bridget, 10. Henry, 11, Tom, 12, and Anna, 14, out the door and into class on time, the Pierce family has a few gems ofback-to-schoolwisdom to impart.

Here are 5 of thePierce'smom-approved tips.

1. Slow down

When the name of the game is getting out the door as quickly as possible, slowing downseems like a paradox but a little bit of zen is essential.

"The mornings can be really loud: lots of rushing and voices at the same time,cooking, can't find this, can't find that," said Charlotte Pierce.

Waking up a little bit earlier ensures that even the most careful, meticulous child doesn'tstart the day feeling harried.

If you're craving 20 more minutes of sleep, try to prepare as much as possible the night before: find essential items, talk about goals for the week, and pack lunches.

"The mornings are the only part of the day that we can count on to spend together," Pierce said. "The rest of the day is kind of a crapshoot. So give yourself lots of time."

2. Create a system

"We're a big fan of lists we love them," said Pierce, who uses a colour-coded sticky note board to ensure that all of the kids know where they're going after school and what activities they have on for the week.

In addition to the colour-coded system, she said, the family also uses little checklists at night to make sure the kids don't leave without a bookbag packed with everything they need for the day.

3. Don't compete

As anyone who braved the malls over the Labour Day weekend can attest, back-to-school shopping has become a hyped-up marketing event on par with someholidays.

Charlotte Pierce advises fellow parents not to cave in to the pressure to impulse-buy a bunch of supplies.

"We aren't big back-to-school shoppers," she said, adding that for her kids she follows the list of essential gear provided by most schools, then evaluates whether there are really any pressing needs.

"For clothes and shoes and those sorts of things, I wait until later in the fall when there are sales," Pierce said. "Let's face it: a lot of the things that they got forthe summer are still good to wear in September."

4. Co-ordinate cooking

Getting kids fed especially the picky eaters can be a time-consuming, assembly-line process.

It helps, Pierce said, to hit on a Sunday night supper that almost everyone likes and that can be easily reheated.

"We're cooking anyway, all the time, so it's really easy to pack up leftovers from the night before or a quick sandwich or pita wrap," said Pierce, who does most of the food prep for lunches, then leaves it to the kids to pack up. Her husband takes care of breakfast.

To make sure everyone gets what they want, "we also sit down and discuss lunch and snack ideas," Pierce said. "I keep a list of options on the side of the fridge for easy reference."

5. Play the long game

In the first few weeks of school, when everyone's still acclimatizing to the routine, parents can start to feel a little like dictators or that they're ready to crumple into a ball and beg the kids topleasejust get. Up.On. Time.

But it's important to not get caught up in the little battles and to remember that kids actually thrive on a solid routine, Pierce said.

"At the end of the day," she said, "it's our job to get these little people ready to be adults at some point. There are things that they have to learn, like how to prepare for their day and get organized.

The goal is to download some of this stuff onto them."