Back to school: Teamwork makes routine work for Bloomington Family
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The summer is winding down and David and Angela Dutrieuille are gearing up for another school year.
"Dutrielles this morning we're probably going to leave here in about 10 minutes," Angela said. "The older kids are going to help the younger kids with their school supplies."
The working parents have five children, from a few months old to 9 years old. It takes teamwork to make the routine work at their Bloomington home.
"As a person that always likes to be on time or early, having teamwork is crucial to get out the door in my opinion," Angela said.
This year, the family is shopping in-store for their two preschoolers.
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"Our older kids, PTA association, they allow us to order supplies online ... it's all prepackaged, which has been a lifesaver for our family," Angela said.
The parents look for ways to keep their older children engaged while shopping for their younger siblings in store.
"The older kids love being leaders and that's something that's really important for our family as we're developing new leaders," David said.
This includes giving siblings tasks to complete like looking for specific items.
"I think that it helped that we had the older kids help with the younger kids. It seemed a little more of a role everybody had a role," Angela said.
Inside the store, everyone does their part to check items of the school supply lists. The list includes items like glue sticks, crayons, Play-Doh, paper towels, wide-rule composition notebooks, and washable markers.
"New school means a new backpack so let's take a look at a new backpack," David said.
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The goal is to make sure the family's youngest members headed to school are ready.
"Let's pick out one that you feel best represents you," David said. "Let's go team!"
When asked about one of his family's keys to success David shared this.
"I think one of the keys here is to positive discipline. The children know that we like to have fun but fun is dependent upon good behavior. We're not overly consequence driven but we have to run a tight ship," David said.
"Fun is predicated on good listening and good behavior. As long as those things are met, we can have as much fun as we want!"