10 Back-to-School Goals I Set For Myself as a Mom This Year

I wonder how many hours I've spent looking for socks and underwear in the wee hours of the morning. I can't keep up with my son's ever-changing underwear preferences, and socks disappear as if my home were the Bermuda Triangle. I'm stocking up this year, and everyone in my house will have 14 pairs of fresh, plain, white, easily-matchable socks. Hell, I'll even schedule in a sock and underwear inventory day in November to make sure we're still in good standing.

I can't, for the life of me, figure out these damn Ziploc bags. Every single time I purchase said bags, I pay careful attention to the sizing information and compare and contrast my options. Without a doubt, when I get home, the bags are either way too small or large enough to fit an entire pizza. My poor kids go to school with their food in plastic grocery bags, tied in a knot because I just can't get it right. I need a brief lesson in basic math and the not-so-simple measuring system of ounces.

Speaking of lunches, I vow to pack them the night before school this year as often as possible. I wish I could pack them all on Sunday for an even easier school week, but I know I should keep my goals realistic. I would much rather wake up knowing the lunches are packed and ready to go than scrounge around in the morning to get it all done.

I'm a go-to-the-grocery-store-every-day type of shopper, when I really, really want to be a once-a-week-only type. I'm going to be better this year. I will keep a running list on the fridge each week and designate one weekend day as my shopping day. I will not go to the store every single day. We will eat what we have in the house, and if that means I have to get creative, so be it.

I promise that the words that come out of my mouth will loosely match the words I think in the privacy of own my own mind. So when the teacher asks for volunteers to lead an arts and crafts activity at the holiday party even though I just volunteered the week before, I'll say, "No, I can't" without an ounce of guilt. My sanity is a priority.

On the other hand, sometimes it feels like I say no to all of the wrong things, like when my kids ask me to play soccer outside or to cuddle with them before bed. This year is going to be about changing my priorities and remembering how short life actually is. I must stop, put down the phone and computer, and say yes to my children more often.

My poor car is often neglected, left with a mess of clothes and sports equipment inside and with only the bare minimum amount of gas in its tank. This year, I will always pump a full tank, and I will do my best to keep it clean so that when my kids say, "Can we give so-and-so a ride?" I won't feel embarrassed by the old McDonald's french fries under the front seat.

The bathroom door, that is. This is the year for setting and keeping bathroom boundaries. There will be no walking in on me this year, no talking through the door (a mom can dream, cant she?), and no homework help given while I am in the bathroom. End of story.

In my house, music has healing properties. I like to wake my kids up with music in the morning to guarantee a positive start to the day. We sometimes dance in the kitchen at night to unwind before bed, and in the car, we dance and sing like no one is watching. I need to remember the soothing power of music and rely on it more often.

My expectations of myself and others will be low this year. We're all human trying to navigate through life's chaos as best we can. It's unlikely that I'll be able to stick to all of my goals for the entire year, but I'll aim to at least be better than last year. When I fail, I'll simply dust myself off and try again. And if I don't? That's perfectly OK, too.