Aug. 4, 2025

We Are The Hansons Back To School Vibes; New Desk, New Routines and a Fresh Start

We Are The Hansons Back To School Vibes; New Desk, New Routines and a Fresh Start

It’s that time of year again! "We Are the Hansons" returns with Back to School Vibes — a lighthearted and heartwarming episode celebrating fresh starts, brand-new desks, and the beauty of new routines. Join the Hanson family as they dive into organizing chaos, setting goals, and embracing the transition from summer fun to school-day structure. Whether you're a parent, student, or just love a fresh planner, this episode is full of laughs, lessons, and a touch of that nostalgic back-to-school magic.

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Hey, and welcome back to We are the Hansons. I'm

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your host, Maya, and today we're diving into one of

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the most exciting and chaotic times of year for us,

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back to school season, and this year we've got some

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fresh changes to talk about. August nineteenth is a big day.

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That's when school officially starts again for our kiddos. And yes,

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we're sticking with virtual public school again this year. Doing

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school from home might not be for every family, but

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for us it has been a huge blessing, especially with

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our big crew. It keeps our routines more manageable, our

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kids close, and our schedule a bit more flexible. With

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that said, virtual school is still school. It takes planning, structure, patience,

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and more snacks than I care to admit. This year,

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we realized it was time to upgrade the school set

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up for the three younger girls. We decided to get

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them each their own new desk, and y'all, they are

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so thrilled. There's just something magical about having your own workspace,

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especially when you're a kid in a big family. It

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gives them a sense of independence and pride. We let

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each of them pick out their own style. That way,

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the desk wouldn't just be a place to do school,

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it would be their little zone, something they had ownership of.

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One of the girls went with a pretty pink desk,

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another picked out something that was like white with brown

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with drawers, you know, because it's something. And then I

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got a like a light brown desk as well. Of course,

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once the dusk came in, it was chaos. Boxes everywhere,

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alan wrenches, screwdrivers in every corner of the living room,

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and the kids begging to help, even when they had

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no idea how I'll say this. Assembling the one desk

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it was a nightmare, but eventually they all came together.

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We cleared a space in the living room, gave each

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of their desks its place, and made sure every girl

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had a chair to fit just right. We also made

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a little back to school checklist notebooks, check, pencils, check,

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laptop chargers check. Though who knows where they'll be in

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two weeks. One of my favorite parts back to school

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prep is that moment when the house feels like it's

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almost ready, like a calm before the storm, but in

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a good way. The girls have already started organizing their

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desk strawers like little pros there are sticky notes and

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stickers everywhere, and I'm pretty sure one of them hid

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some candy in their desk stra already. Every year we

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try to improve our homeschool set up a little more,

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and this desk stupgrade just felt like the next step

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in helping them take their learning seriously. Virtual school might

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not come with a traditional classroom, but we do our

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best to create the same feeling of routine and readiness.

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We even did a little practice day last night, logged

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into their school site, checked cameras and microphones, and made

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sure everyone remembers their login info. That always tends to

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be a nightmare. Let me tell you, nothing test your

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patience more than trying to recover passwords for three kids

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at once while someone else is yelling about snack time.

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But hey, we made it through, and honestly, the girls

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are excited. They're proud of their new setup and eager

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to learn. We also made a big deal out of

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deck or their study space. We got some posters, fun pens,

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personal whiteboards, the little things that keep learning from feeling

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like a chore. Even strung up some twinkle lights that

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make them feel cozy, because if you're going to do

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long division, you might as well do it under fairy lights.

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With so many kids in our house, everyone feeds off

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of each other's energy, so having these designed spaces helps

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lower the noise and raise the focus. We talk to

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the girls about the responsibility that comes with their new desks,

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how it's their job to keep them organized and clean,

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and let's be real, we'll probably still find slime hidden

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in a drawer by October, but the intention is there.

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We've started doing little morning meetings as a family to

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prep for school days, just a few minutes to set

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intentions and review the schedule. It helps set the tone

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for the day, even when they're chaos. We try to

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bring in calm where we can, and that's kind of

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the theme this school year, building routines, creating space and

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encouraging independence. One big difference this year is how much

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more confident the kids are after a few years of

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virtual learning. They know what to expect. The younger girls

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are even helping each other now, logging in reading directions,

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solving tech issues. It's really cool to see them grow.

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We also took time to talk about goals this year,

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not just grades, but attitude, effort, and creativity. Each girl

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wrote down one thing they wanted to get better at

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this year. Some said math, one said not getting distracted

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by my sister will take it. We made it fun

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by turning it into a vision board, activity scissors, magazines, glue.

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It was a whole arts and craft moment. Their vision

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boards are now going to hang above their desks as

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little daily reminders of what they're working toward. This is

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one of the reasons I love online school for our family.

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It gives us more room to parent intentionally around learning.

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We can stop and take breaks when someone's overwhelmed. We

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can celebrate little wins all day long. We also keep

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a snack station nearby, because hungry kids are cranky learners,

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and I'm not trying to fight over goldfish every ten minutes.

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Another part of prep was going over screen rules. School first,

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fun later. YouTube is not educational just because there's a

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cartoon explaining the planets. The new desk help reinforce that boundary.

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School happens at that desk, not on the couch or

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in bed with a laptop on a pillow. We found

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that giving each kid ownership over their space helps them

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take pride in their work. They were so excited to

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show their new desks off. It was like a whole

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house tour moment. We also took first day photos early

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just to capture their setups. The smiles set it all

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behind the screens, though Mom and Dad are still scrambling

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to make sure everything runs smoothly. We're still waiting on

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a few school books in the mail, and you know

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how it is half the time the mailman drops it

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at the neighbors. Still, we feel prepared more than other years. Honestly,

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the kids are growing and so are we as parents.

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One of the biggest takeaways from doing virtual school flexibility

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is everything you've got to bend without breaking. There are

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still days where someone has a meltdown, or the Wi

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Fi cuts out, and somebody spills juice on someone's workbook.

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But we've learned to breathe, reset and keep going. That's

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what school and life is really about. We've also learned

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the value of grace for ourselves, for our kids, and

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for the process. Not every day will be perfect, but

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we show up with love and patience. It counts. There's

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also something special about having the girls together as they learn,

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the way they laugh through heart assignments, carry each other on.

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These are the memories I hope they carry into adulthood

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not just equations and facts, but the feeling of being supported.

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As we head into August nineteenth, our hearts are full

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full of excitement, nervousness, and a whole lot of love.

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We've learned to trust ourselves as parents and trust our

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kids as learners. We're not chasing perfection. We're building something

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more valuable, connection, character and confidence. That's what our school

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year is really about. So whether you're sending kids off

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on a school bus or logging in from your living

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room like us, know this, you're doing great. The fact

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that you care, that you're showing up, that's what matters.

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We'll keep sharing our journey throughout the year, the good days,

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the hard ones, and all the moments in between, because

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this is real life with a big family. It's not

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always easy, but it's always worth it. We hope you're

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getting your family ready too, and maybe even considering a

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little desk upgrade if you haven't yet. And hey, if

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your kids are nervous about starting school, remind them they're

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not alone. Ours are two and that's okay. Learning to

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work through nerves is part of growing up and part

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of parenting too. We've got this one log in, one desk,

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one day at a time. Before we wrap up, I

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just want to say how proud I am of our

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girls for embracing change, for getting excited, and for taking

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their education seriously. And to all the parents listening, you're

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doing an incredible job. This season is wild, but you're

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not alone. As always, we'll keep it honest here and

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we'll tell you what works, what doesn't, and what we're

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learning along the way. We're not experts. We're just a big, loving,

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loud family trying to make it all work. We believe

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in showing up for our kids and doing the best

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we can with what we have, and this year that

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includes three adorable new desks and a whole lot of hope.

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Thanks for joining me and letting me share a little

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slice of our back to school chaos. We're cheering you

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on as you head into the school year, whether it's

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virtual or in person, or a mix of both. Don't

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forget to celebrate the small wins and take lots of pictures,

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even of the messy moments. From our home to yours.

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We wish you a school year full of growth, laughter,

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and way fewer missing pencils. Be sure to follow us

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on our we are the Hanson's Facebook page. You can

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also send me a message on our We're THEE. Hansen's

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Show at gmail dot com. And please get on over

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to our YouTube channel we are the Hansens and subscribe

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until next time. Keep loving, keep learning, and keep showing up.

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We've got this. See you soon