It's hard to believe that the summer is almost over and soon the kids will be heading back to school. For many that means schedule changes, back-to-school shopping and school supply lists and to-dos for the upcoming school year will soon occupy your time. And all that is just the build up until school starts! After-school activities, piles of homework and changing your kids back to early morning risers may have you ducking for cover.

WCI has scoured the internet to find some helpful tips to make this year's back-to-school ritual as painless for everyone as possible!

• Time Schedules: Ease into the new time schedules early. Start enforcing school night bedtimes now and begin waking late sleepers earlier and earlier until school starts. Don't forget that the school year also means more structured meal times, so you'll want to get on track with those times sooner rather than later.

• Get Organized: Invest in a large monthly calendar to be placed in a central location. Mark down activities, parental responsibilities for each and school vacations. Having everything written down and visible throughout the month will help stay everyone on-schedule.

• Be savvy: The second biggest sales season is for back-to-school. August is a great month to save on apparel for the whole family. Stock up early on socks and garments to avoid a mid-week laundry crisis. Also, ask your child's school ahead of time for the school supply list. The earlier you can get everything taken care of in one trip, the better.

• Create a launch pad: This was a neat idea from OrganizedHome.com. Dedicate an area for every family member's "out the door" essentials like permission slips, lunch money, keys and the like. Do a quick scan of the launch pads the night before to avoid any last-minute delays the next morning.

What's your top tip for back-to-school?