Getting Ready for Back to School: Behind the Scenes

I took a class over the summer, towards TESOL certification.  Some of you already know this.  I enjoyed it, but it ended Monday, and, honestly, I was ready for it to end.  I decided that this week of summer would be finishing up things around the house.  Starting next week, I need to get serious about school. I am moving to a new school, and sharing a classroom.  I have had push-in teachers before for certain periods, and I have had people come into my room to teach a period, but this will be different.  I am sharing a room, and then sharing office space.  I am supposed to meet with the teacher I'm sharing a room with next week.  I think I have an idea what I'm teaching, but I really don't know for sure.  I'm taking that as a sign that I should start serious work next week.

So this week is things to help 'get ready' for school, but indirectly.  Here are some of my projects:

• Clean the windows and blinds.  By the way, I HATE cleaning windows.  And how do you clean Roman shades?? 
• Cook food ahead to freeze for the first few weeks of school.  There are freezer recipies all over pinterest, and books available.  For the first time, I am trying one of the menus from Once a Month Mom.  I have done some of their "mini menus" before, but never done a full menu.  Today we did all the chopping and prep for the diet menu.  I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.  Even when I haven't done that, but just frozen some dinners, extra spaghetti sauce, etc. ahead it makes a HUGE difference.  Both in terms of time saved, ease when I get home, and especially decision making or choice.  I can just take something out and be ready to go.

Here it is in visual format.  We will see if mine look anything like it!

• Finish up some of those projects around the house that I've been meaning to do, but haven't finished.  We moved here 7 years ago.  Moved when I was 8 months pregnant with my older son.  In between I had a second child, changed schools and grade levels, and didn't do much to the house.  When we moved in one of the things that we liked was that it was in good shape, and we didn't HAVE to do much.  But there were things we wanted to do.  Now we are doing some of them.  The rest will probably wait until next summer.  But, we paid to get wood floor in the living room, changed a light fixture in the dining room, did a little decorating in the bathrooms, and cleaned and shined up the cupboards, as well as installed new hardware.  They look so different!  Feels good to update a little.

• School shopping - new shoes all around, kids' school supplies, a few things for my classroom (even though I haven't seen it yet).  
• Go through some of my boxes of papers from school and try to toss things and organize (and move LESS back to school)
• Decide what 'fun' things I still want to do this summer, and find a time to do them. Squeeze as much fun as I can into these last couple weeks!

What do you do to 'get ready' before the summer really ends?  What do you do that helps you ease into the school transition?