Five time-saving tips for simplifying your back-to-school routine

(ARA) - As summer winds down, it means fewer backyard barbecues, shorter days, and most of all, kids headed back to school. The transition from summer to school can be daunting for any parent and each year it seems the to-do list gets longer.

Lisa Gurry, one of Working Mother Magazine's 2009 Moms of the Year, has some ideas with the help of Bing.com that can make it a bit more manageable this fall. Her tips are:

* Back-to-school shopping: Every school requires certain school supplies and most kids love the process of choosing the perfect new backpack or lunchbox. Some online sites, like Bing.com, offer comparison shopping tools that make it easy for you to find everything you need at a great price and get it shipped to your house, beating the crowds.

* Pantry stock-up: Before the school year gets underway be sure to stock up on all of the essential pantry staples (snacks, desserts, PB%26J, etc) so you will be prepared to pack a great lunch at a moment's notice. Having well-stocked cupboards will help streamline your morning routine and by planning ahead you will be able to get the best prices on all your goods.

* Centralize the essentials: Don't let things get lost in the shuffle. Turn your home's coat closet or mud room into a school prep station so everyone knows where to find lunch boxes, backpacks, coats, etc, so when the morning rush to eat, dress and brush teeth has the household frenzied you can still make it out the door on time with everything you need for the day in hand. Check out www.bing.com/images to view some great design ideas.

* Avoid the jam: If you run late, your kids run late. Before you leave to take your child to school or to after school activities like sports, music or dance classes, use mapping and traffic applications to find the best route to avoid traffic, so your kids aren't stressing out about missing anything important from the things they enjoy.

* The back-up plan: Even the most prepared parent hits a snag once in a while. Realizing half-way to school the lunch box is on the kitchen counter or the gym shoes are at a friend's house can ruin a child's day. A handy mobile application for making mid-route stops is www.bing.com/maps. This application allows you to use your phone to easily find the closest grocery or discount chain to pick up what you need in a hurry and keep you from missing your 9 a.m. meeting at work.

Courtesy of ARAcontent