There are tons of commercials about back to school shopping, but that's not the most important part of your back to school planning. Getting the household back on the school day schedule can be more difficult that making sure the backpack is filled with all the right things.

Here are some steps you should take to make the transition back to school easier:

• Post a family master calendar in a central place. Each family member (plus parents and whole family) get their own color. Put things (school events, business trips, soccer practice, etc.) on the calendar as soon as firm. Block out a few days now as family time. If you don't do it, oither events will creep in and take it over.
• Set up an area of the house for backpacks, gym bags, etc. Ideally, it should be located near a table on which each child has a hanging folder for permissions slips and the like that require signatures or other actions.
• If you've been on a more laid back summer schedule, start returning incrementally to school year bed and wake up times. Bodies need some time to re-acclimate.
• Start getting back into bedtime and morning routines of bath, setting out clothes, breakfast and lunch prep, etc. If you've been more relaxed about these things all summer, it's good to rehearse. If a child is going to school for the first time, an actual physical rehearsal of leaving home and getting to the bus stop/school may help to reduce anxiety.
• Take another look at summer reading assignments and the like. You don't want to spend the last day before school in a tizzy, attempting to read 900 pages,write 3 essays, collect 50 leaves, etc.

What do you need to get ready for the school year to start?