Practical Tips To Manage Mom's Back-To-School Days

With most Filipino students going back to school on June 13, millions of moms across the country are starting to brace themselves for t...

With most Filipino students going back to school on June 13, millions of moms across the country are starting to brace themselves for the new school year ahead. Just like, or more so than the students themselves, moms are in need of time, budget and stress management strategies during school days, what with meals to cook, school uniforms to prepare, kids to wake up, and “baons” to pack. 

Being organized goes a long way in surmounting these challenges. But where to begin? Hanabishi, a leading brand of quality and affordable home products, proves to be quite a practical partner during these stressful times. Here, Hanabishi provides some helpful advice.  

Stick to a shopping list

Back-to-school sales in various stores are up. It’s time to take advantage of the discounts and promos on bulk purchases such as getting three pairs of socks for the price of two. There are pitfalls to this, though. Sometimes, undershirts might seem cheaper by the dozen but what if 5 pieces are enough? Or, maybe Junior’s bag from last school year can still be used this year.

To curb impulsive buying, the whole family can make a list of school items that can still be used to determine the items that really need to be bought. The key is to stick to the list. Also, before getting overly excited about a store sale, first  check the Department of Trade and Industry’s 2016 Price Guide for School Supplies or “Gabay sa Presyo ng School Supplies” to make sure the family is really getting a bargain.

Put the ‘fast’ in breakfast

Even though it is the most important meal of the day, breakfast doesn’t have to take an hour in the morning to prepare. Meals can be pre-cooked during the weekend or the night before, frozen, then reheated in the Hanabishi microwave oven, which features a non-ionizing radio frequency. This means it’s safe and won’t cause cancer. With the Hanabishi microwave oven, it will only take a minute or two to come up with a hot breakfast, plus moms can simply pop in the food and leave it so she can multitask and save more time.

On other days when a pre-cooked meal is not available for reheating and it’s too early to run to the  bakery for some hot pandesal, turn to the Hanabishi toaster oven. It has a timer, auto-shut off feature and an automatic temperature limit to prevent burning the bread.      

Another time-saving tool is the Hanabishi water kettle. It has a leak-proof body and heavy duty heating element that concentrates heat to the water container to accelerate the process of heating. Cleaning up is also easy-peasy thanks to its washable water tank and net filter. 

Time is of the essence

Plan things ahead to avoid early morning stress. Don’t wait for the last minute to book a school bus or service as those may get quickly fully booked. Lay out clothes, shoes, socks, bags and items that are easy to forget such as ID’s, projects and water bottles the night before. And as an extra measure, set the clock 5 to 10 minutes ahead so everybody gets to be out the door earlier. 

Outsmart the weather

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA) announced on May 24 that the rainy season may last until October or November this year. With La Niña set to bring excessive rainfall starting August, it will be a rough battle drying up clothes, especially the school uniform that kids wear on a daily basis. Finding a suitable washer is therefore a must.

The Hanabishi top load washing machine has quick-wash, auto-sensing, and fully-automatic programs that do not need manual intervention during washing, rinsing and drying for a no-hassle washing routine.

Just breathe

When the alarm clock doesn’t go off, the traffic becomes exceptionally bad, or the kids just get extra slow, it is important not to panic. Stressing about it doesn’t help, and might even cause mistakes (such as putting on socks that don’t match) leading to more delays. And after the kids are already in school, what’s wrong with slowing down with a cup of freshly brewed coffee made using the Hanabishi coffee maker? All moms deserve a little indulgence before facing tasks the rest of the day.

With a little planning, and some help from Hanabishi, school days can be fun days for mom!