With a daughter heading to college and a son entering his final year of high school, Nicole Ari Parker knows a thing or two about the hustle and bustle of back-to-school.
“With the help of organization everything can get done and it doesn’t have to make you crazy. The crazy is when there is no structure,” Parker told 21Ninety.
Parker says the key to staying organized is planning out your needs and tasks, big or small. That includes that half and half you may be running low on.
“In order to not lose your mind, itemizing those things throughout the day, no matter how silly they are, from getting the half and half, to the manicure, to the kid’s doctors appointment. We can’t wing it in the morning with the half and half,” Parker advised.
Post-it Brand Partnership
Ahead of the new school year, Parker has partnered with Post-it Brand for a back-to-school sweepstakes. Parents can enter the Think Loud sweepstakes by posting a picture on Instagram of their to-do lists, goals and thoughts written out on a Post-it Note. Winners will be awarded $5000 for a back-to-school shopping spree and $5000 to simply enjoy a little self-care.
“And sometimes half and half is part of the self-care,” Parker joked.
She’s been a long time fan of the brand that has helped her keep it all together throughout the years.
“They’ve really helped me with two kids, a husband two dogs a career travel schedule my own parents and I just love it,” she said.
Messy Moments, Fun Moments
While back-to-school can be a fun time to share your child’s big moments on social media, doing so can sometimes lead to playing the the comparison game, judging your parenting against other social media users. Parker says to avoid comparison being the thief of her joy, she’s made sure to remain hyper focused on her immediate family unit.
“I just kept it in my family and in our success and our little goals achieved. It became its own perfect,” Parker said.
Finding her own version of perfect in parenting was important to the mom of two. She says in the early years she and husband Boris Kodjoe had many messy moments that they now laugh about.
“Like first and second grade, it’s so funny, Boris and I are on the floor laughing sometimes. ‘Do you realize you might have had a towel on your head when you dropped her off for school?’ because we were running so late. There were so many hysterical hot mess moments from when they were little,” Parker shared laughing.
As Parker’s own children continue on their educational paths, another year older, she says she looks back fondly on the years she was there to hold their hands each back-to-school season no matter how messy.
“Those messy moments were also the fun moments,” Parker remembered. “Picking them up from school and seeing them run towards you happy to see you.”
Parents can enter the Think Loud sweepstakes through September 15.