Discover tips and strategies to take control of your schedule and make sure you have what you need when and where you need it.
Am I the only one who thought getting the kids back to school would be awesome? Back to school means back to routine. Back to having some structure to my days. Back to long stretches of time where I don’t have to stop what I’m doing to take someone to an activity or a practice or go buy more food because they ATE IT ALL!
Y’all, it seems like I forgot what back to school actually means. It turns out it looks like me waking up at the crack of dawn and rushing around to make sure everyone has everything they need before they leave the house. I’m exhausted before I’ve even had my first cup of coffee.
As if morning chaos isn’t bad enough, a quick glance at the events of the day often stops me in my tracks. Soccer practices, football scrimmages, marching band, basketball parent meetings… What have I done?
I’ve allowed my teenagers to completely take over my schedule! LOL!
When I feel stressed like this, I need to get organized.
It’s the best way I know to manage all the craziness – and don’t get me wrong, watching my kids do what they love is the best kind of craziness.
All you fellow sports, band, dance, music, and all the things moms, I’m here for you. Whether you’re a visual person and need to see it all laid out for you like I do, or you’re more of a digital, on-the-go mom, I’ve got some tips and strategies for you!
Keeping It Visible with the Tall Wall Calendar
I’d like to say this fancy calendar is set up on a beautiful wall in my home office. I’d like to say that, but it wouldn’t be true.
The reality is this calendar is exactly where I need it to be. On the back of the door leading into the garage so everyone can see it.
These large calendars are a lifesaver. You can tape or tack them up and layer them as you go. They have enough space to fit sports, activities, dr. appointments, and all the rest. We check in each night on where everyone has to be and who is going to get them to and from. Now that I have a teenage driver in the house who can help out, he’s part of those conversations, too!
You can take the time to write in all your family’s activities and appointments with a fancy pen using your best handwriting. But… I love using a sharpie and a stack of small 1-inch x 2-inch sticky notes. They’re the perfect size to fit inside each day’s space!
The fact that I can take a sticky note from one date and move it to another makes managing inevitable changes to the schedule a breeze! Everyone in the family has their own color so we can see the big picture easily.
A Digital Solution with the Cozi App
I really love both a calendar I can look at and write on and a calendar I can easily carry with me. As the new practice schedules started piling up, I knew my family needed a solution we could take on the go.
I found the free Cozi app and we all downloaded it. Both of my kids loaded their own schedules into it (score!). Football, soccer, basketball, band, and my son’s work schedule – it all got put into the app. Now they know where they need to be and when – they don’t need to be at home to look at our wall calendar. And they don’t need to ask me. Not only do I have it all at my fingertips, but they do, too. I’m celebrating the fact that I’m no longer the keeper of the schedule!
I love the Cozi app because it connects all four of us on the same schedule. In real-time, I can see my daughter updating her band sectionals practice and the change in my son’s football workout schedule.
When my son called me last month asking what’s for dinner and I said, “I’m in Canada…..go ask your Dad,” (He was in the living room, lol) I realized they needed to know where I was too, so I added in my sometimes crazy work schedule.
At this point, we take things week by week.
The kids are now more aware of their activities and take ownership of it. They’re teenagers, it’s time for them to start managing something in their lives! I still do the laundry, but at least now I know what uniform needs to be washed and when!!
Containing All the Things with the Trunk Organizer
Having the family schedule under control is great – okay it’s more than great, it’s life-changing – but what about their things?! Recently, my daughter and I traveled 30 minutes from home for one of her basketball games. It was only after we arrived that my daughter realized she had her soccer cleats with her instead of her basketball shoes.
These things happen – life throws little wrenches into our days and we need to roll with them as best we can. But… if we can prevent some of them from happening, let’s do that!
If you’re on the go with your kids like I am, you know there are times we feel like we live in our cars. Just like organizing my schedule keeps all of us going to the right place at the right time, this monogrammed trunk organizer helps make sure we have the right stuff with us when we get there!
No more soccer balls rolling across the floor of the SUV. No more fruitless searches for an umbrella when the sun is beating down or you’re caught in a sudden downpour. Knowing you have a hoodie ready to go when it gets cool in time for the football game is key.
In Texas, we have to prepare for any possible weather situation. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rushed to get to a football game and then by halftime deeply regretted my decision to wear sandals that day. Having a spot in my car to keep a sweatshirt and extra pair of tennis shoes is the best!
Being a mom is amazing – even with all the crazy schedules to manage. Being a mom with a solid plan to organize those schedules and all the “stuff” you need to carry around with you? Even better.
We’re all in this together and I hope some of the strategies and tools I use to help make my crazy schedule a little less stressful help you take control of your schedule, too!
Good luck, Mama, I’m rooting for you!
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