Being a teacher requires the purchases of many items for your classroom.
Being a mommy requires the purchase of many items for your home.
When the two roles merge, there are a few extra items that can save the day.
As a mother of two child, let me share with you 10 items every teacher mom NEEDS.
Each year for back to school, we make sure to buy a stash of snack and drinks for after school.
My daughter gets a morning snack this year, then lunch.
But when dismissal comes she is HUNGRY.
It also provides the perfect change to grab a snack and chill while mommy finished she afternoon duties.
I have learned to get a variety pack of snacks.
And I don’t replenish until this stash is empty.
I also know my daughter grabs snacks from other teachers from time to time,
so keeping extras and sharing is always a good idea to repay the favor.
This method is also easier and cheaper than vending machine purchases.
Plus, sometimes I need an afternoon snack as well.
Okay, that was the nice way of saying chocolate is sometimes a last minute necessity.
Getting our teeth brushes is the last step my families does before we head out the door.
And sometimes my little ones run out of time or forgets.
I always buy a new toothbrush and toothpaste and keep it at school for my daughter.
If we are running late, she can brush her teeth at school.
I also love using the toothbrush and mini tooth paste the dentist’s office gives instead of buying our own.
Every momma know that little, little ones make messes all the time.
I had to start layering my clothes when each of my girls was a baby.
This helps with spitting up and formula messes as well as sticky fingers.
I take off the extra shirt just as I am walking out the door.
I also keep a share shirt for myself at school because messes happen!
My own daughter gets a full outfit,
but I honestly don’t have enough clothes to leave a whole set at school.
And extra shirt has come in handy several times a year.
Some of the times it is for myself, while other times it is for student messes.
And soemtimes a teacher has to jump in to help paint or clean soemthing unexpected.
Or a student gets sick on you… or blows their nose on you.
It happens.
Just plan ahead.
This is a MUST.
Buy and use proitics and vitamins daily.
It is just smart.
And your whole family needs them.
Most teachers develop and amazing immune system pretty fast.
BUT… it doesn’t matter if you are well,
because if the baby gets sick you are taking a day off work!
We use both Probiotics and vitamins daily to help our immune systems.
We wash hands often too, but germs happen.
Sickness is going to occur.
I would rather spend $30 a month on these items to prevent sickness.
I can’t leave the doctor’s office with a visit and a perscription for less an $50 per kid!
So if we get bad germs, I am sure we will be out a few hundred.
And this doesn’t count time off work.
I budget probiotics and vitamins monthly and never skip it.
This is the exact probotic I use for my 6 year old and 2 year old.
I know it says colic drops.
We have used this for all 6 years of S’s life.
It was called something else BEFORE Gerber bought it and renamed it.
They labeled it for colic, but it does much more than just that!
The most important part of using whatever healthcare items,
there is nothing worse than a sick child!
Prevention is key.
I like to find a new book or simple game to bring to school each year
that is specifically for my own child to play with after school.
Teachers have lots of meetings and duties.
It can get a little boring if there are not other staff children to play with as well.
Books are great for faculty meetings if you need to keep your child next to you.
I also recommend lego sets. They are quiet and the creations are endless.
Just buy one… a good one!
It is worth it to have good pictures you can cherish.
Plus, I love to have someone grab my camera and
capture a good pic for me when I can’t be there.
It is not fun to miss an event only to get crumby phone quality pics in place, as a teacher.
I offer my camera up to the classroom teacher if she wants to use it
and I also always share my photos with other pictures.
Other mommies (including my students’ families) are beyond appreciative to get good quality images.
I am not great with lighting and angles, but a good camera can help ya out!
And we know what good cameras give us… GOOD pictures.
I keep a picture of S on the first day I went back to work after having her.
I look at it daily as my reminder that I AM INTRUSTED
with the lives of these students who are someone’s babies.
I buy several of lip balms for back to school
I always give one to my daughter in her bookbag.
It is one less thing she might need to come see me about.
I also put another in my purse.
And I put another in my desk… for my students.
We wash our hands, then use it with our fingers only, then wash our hands again.
I have used q-tips and Vaseline too, whatever works for you.
It is just a cheap way to resolve problems before they start for your child, yourself, and your students.
Your life went from busy to crazy the week of preplanning.
And it gets insane the first month of school.
You simply have no time to spare.
Get organized now to save your brain space.
I personally enter all dates into my iphone.
It shows up on my iWatch so it is very helpful.
My county also uses Google Calendar.
Those events can connect to my phone and watch if I allow them to.
This means you can keep all your errands and events in one place.
Lots of people use fancy planner or organizers.
I love them too.
But I carry around too much stuff now.
Most don’t fit in the diaper bag either.
Nor do I want them to smell like the diaper bag smells sometimes.
So this is the system that works for me.
If a paper planner works for you, awesome! Totally do it.
Too bad you can’t just run out to pick up an awesome, back up babysitter at the local store,.
They are very hard to find.
But soooo valuable.
I highly suggest securing a grandparent, reliable neighbor,
or paid sitter who you can call last minute to help take care of your personal kids when needed.
My own children seems to get sick the day of a field trip or an end of the year performance,
and so on.
I also make sure to add this person to the emergency consent card at the beginning of the school year.
You have to make plans for your children in the event that you yourself gets hurt too.
And as teachers, we do get hurt from time to time.
If the mommy does down, we are all in trouble.
PLAN now and get someone lined up.
Lots of you drink coffee. I do not.
I am a HUGE fan of Spark instead.
Whatever you go to source of energy is…
plan ahead and have back up ready for those bad mommy days and/or bad teaching days.
For example, our first day of school was Friday.
My littlest woke up and was ready for the world at 4:30 am.
Yes, the two year old. Seriously.
We tried to get her back down, and so did she.
By 5 am mommy and baby were having some great bonding time before school started.
Did I mentions hubs got home at 11pm from a business trip the night before?
Then we had to plan out who was taking who where for the first day of school.
and 4 hours of sleep the night before school starting isn’t ideal for anyone.
But I am a mommy first, then I am a teacher.
Spark was my friend on Friday.
{If you don’t know what Spark is… click here.}
What items did I miss from this list and that NEED to be added to part two?
Did this help out any NEW teacher moms out there?
I'm not a mom, but I can identify with many of these things for me! I have clothes at school; my hour commute does not make it idea to run home and change if needed! I also keep snacks for me and a toothbrush in my room. Hope your year is off to a great start!
Amanda
A Very Curious Class
3 weeks in and my Spark canister is almost empty!! Eeekkkk!!!!! A friend of mine swears the Walmart equivalent, C4, is better. I'll be finding out soon…the thought of not having my energy drink in the morning (and who am I kidding…at lunch and after school too!) frightens me!!