Mums share their top tips for a stress-free back-to-school season

Ah, September.

The buckets and spades been put away for the last time and the new school uniforms are hanging in the wardrobes. Now all that's left to do is entice a gaggle of sleepy kids out of bed, feed them something nutritious and ship them off to school in a flurry of lost pencil cases, PE kit and back-to-school emotions. Easy, right? Eh, no. Being a parent is hard work but it's even trickier when you're on a deadline. We asked six mums to reveal their tried and tested tips for ensuring everything runs like clockwork: "Make a big checklist. Before school starts, dig out the markers and a large sheet of paper and have every kid write their own morning checklist. Hang the list in the kitchen or hallway so they can tick off their jobs (brush teeth, put lunch box in school bag) as they go. Next Sunday, have a chat about any improvements that could be made and make a new checklist. - Nora Condon, Laois "Get up early. I can't stress this enough. I set my alarm 30 minutes earlier than the rest of the family so I have time to have a shower, get dressed, get my hair sorted and enjoy a coffee before the troops come tumbling down the stairs demanding cereal and orange juice." - Susan O'Shea, Balincollig, Cork "Make breakfast in advance. Last year we discovered overnight oats (mix 35g of oats with natural yogurt or almond milk and some berries or banana in a mug or a little jar, leave in the fridge overnight to soak) and they were a huge hit. This year I'll be making them in bulk on Sunday night - they last for four days in the fridge. Try apple and cinnamon or peanut butter and banana - the kids demolish them and there's no messing around with cereal bowls!" - Claire Allen, Enniscorthy "Pack school lunches the night before. If you're worried about soggy sandwiches, switch them out for hummus and crackers or cold pasta salad. Every morning everyone just grabs their lunchbox from the fridge and we hit the road. I wish someone had told me that when I was making sandwiches to order at 8:30am." - Gina White, Wicklow "Ban TV. When my eldest boy started school, I fell into the trap of allowing a little TV in the morning while he ate his breakfast. Then the 'five more minutes!' tantrums came along and it started the day on a negative note. Now I let him choose the music we listen to on Spotify the night before and we have one song for teeth brushing, another for eating etc. No more arguments." - Gillian O'Sullivan, Cork "Try shoe stickers. When my twins were learning left from right, I cut a monster sticker in half and put one in each shoe so they knew which one to put on each foot. Velcro shoes were also a god send on those busy mornings, they saved so much time!" - Gosha Krol, Offaly [caption id="attachment_275507" align="alignleft" width="727"] onecreativehousewife.com[/caption]   The people at MACE know how to provide the service you need so you always leave the store with a smile on your face. It's all about going the extra smile! Drop into your local shop to pick up your back to school essentials.