Back to School Tips and Chicken Pot Pie Recipe, a favorite of ours and perfect for the first night of school.

I’m sharing Febreze in my life as part of a sponsored series for Socialstars™

Summer was here and gone in a blink of an eye, I cannot believe that my boys start back to middle and high school in just two short weeks. To be honest, the thought nearly brings me to tears. How can my babies be so big and how can my oldest only have four years of school left and be driving?

When you hear people tell you that they grow up in a “blink of an eye”, it’s the truth. My oldest son turned 14 last October and got his permit not long after. Here in Iowa, he can get a school permit that allows him to drive ON HIS OWN to school. Gasp! It’s only a few short blocks but that’s still a huge amount of responsibility.

It’s only a few short blocks but that’s still a huge amount of responsibility. He also saved up and bought his first car! Which means he has to maintain and clean it as well as just driving it. Let’s be honest, there are times I don’t want to take a ride in his car because of the mess and smell coming out of that thing. We have a tip for you if you have kids that are driving and have their own car – actually this works well in your own car too!

The only way I can ride around in his car is if he has a Febreze Car Vent Clip to help eliminate tough odors that try to hitch a ride in his car. He’s pretty lucky we found these little lifesavers, otherwise, he’d have a hard time getting girls to ride in his car when he gets his license!

All he has to do is slip these on the vent until he hears a click, that’s it and his car will start to smell better right away! Plus, the Febreze Car Vent Clips last about 30 days! Control the scent intensity with the dial found on the top of each CAR Vent Clip, for a range from light freshness to scent-tastic.

Here’s a list of some tips to make back to school easier for your kids! Remember, the less stress involved in going back to school, the easier it will go!

Tips for Back to School

Do as much the night before as possible!

Mornings are pure chaos at our house so getting everything done that’s humanly possible the night before is a MUST! Lay out the kids outfits, get backpacks ready to go, sign papers, make lunches, put instruments by the door, prep breakfast, and anything else you can think of. Do it the night before. This isn’t just for the first day of school but every single day – it’s a tip that we’ve learned to live by and on the nights we don’t prep the morning is crazy.

We also have some great back to school printables that will help you get organized and STAY organized!

Have your kids help out!

I know that my boys are older, but we started this years ago. We have them make their own lunch if they want to take it. We have everything organized so they can grab and pack easily without ending up with four candy bars and a Soda in their lunch box. We have a lunch making station in the kitchen which makes this a simple task for them and they love having the independence to pack their own lunch. I try to add in some lunch box jokes for them after they pack their food, it’s a nice little surprise for them at school.

Talk about supper in the morning!

I like to talk to my family about supper in the morning when we’re having breakast. I usually have a plan for what I’m going to make, but there are plenty of times that gets changed because someone will be gone for football practice or other activities. That means I change it up to an easier on the go recipe. By talking about what’s coming up that night with the family, it really makes my life easier and I don’t wait until the last minute to decide on dinner. The first night of school, we have Chicken Pot Pies. It’s one of my families favorites and they look forward to having it each year. You can find the recipe below.

How to Make Mini Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients You Need

1 Tube of Refridgerator Biscuit, I use Grands if I have them or two of the smaller biscuits
1 Bag of Freezer Veggies, with corn, carrots, beans, and peas
1 can of Chicken
1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup

Instructions

Start by spraying a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Next, place your refrigerator biscuits in the muffin tin, spreading it up the sides so that it makes a cup of the chicken mixture. Use a medium bowl and mix together the freezer veggies, chicken and cream of chicken. Place a large scoop of the mixture in each biscuit. Cook at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Enjoy!

You can use two chicken breasts cooked and diced up in place of the can chicken if you prefer. I use the can chicken because it’s so quick and easy, and after you bake these you really can’t tell a difference!

If you’ve never purchased can chicken before, you can find it at the grocery store with the tuna. The cans are a bit larger than tuna cans so they stand out.

I’m sharing Febreze in my life as part of a sponsored series for Socialstars™