I have mixed feelings about the kids going back to school.
They are clearly exhausted from all the summer fun, and I’m pretty sure last year’s knowledge is steadily leaking out of my son’s ears, but with back-to-school comes the added pressure of soccer games, parent-teacher conferences, homework, practices and field trips.
Add to that meetings, conferences, seminars and other business trips, and you can understand why my calendar, and my brain, is threatening to explode.
This year I am determined to do a better job of getting organized at the beginning of the year, which should make things run smoother, even when I am on the road:
* One calendar for everyone - This summer we switched to Google Calendar to manage our family calendar. Using the system allows us to synch the schedules across all our devices (my iPhone, my husband’s Droid and both of our laptops), as well as access the calendars from any computer. We can also share the calendars with my mom, who can see all of the kids’ events as well as add days she can pick up the kids from school because of my late meetings or out-of-town business trips.
*First rule - If it’s not on the Google Calendar, it doesn’t exist so all school, work and recreational obligations find their way to the calendar. That way everyone knows what is going on and where each of us is located at any given point. My kids and husband never have to wonder where I am if I’m not home for dinner. They can easily see that I will be at the office late and should probably resort to ordering pizza for dinner.
* And a calendar for the kids - Since our children, ages 8 and 5, can’t see the online calendar, we will put a large 16-month Manic Mommies Wall Calendar in our soon-to-be completed mudroom so they can keep track of their events (games, practices, birthday parties, etc).
* A place for everything - Since we do homework in the kitchen, I wanted to keep all the supplies close at hand. I cleared out two top drawers in the kitchen, one for each of our students. We will use the drawers for ongoing homework assignments, workbooks and other materials.
I used two more drawers for supplies such as pencils, sharpeners and rulers, as well as craft stuff including markers, crayons, glue sticks, stickers and coloring books.
* Bag it up - Using a few of the hundreds of reusable bags we’ve collected, I’ll be wrangling the soccer gear for our athletes. Cleats, shin pads, soccer ball and water bottle will go into a bag at the end of each game or practice and hung up in the mudroom for easy location next time the equipment is needed.
* Stock up - With back - to-school sales in full swing we’ve stocked up on crayons, pencils, glue sticks and other homework must-haves. I’ve also purchased several plain white t-shirts, bulk packs of Purell wipes and tissues so no one has to rush out to fulfill the requests that inevitably come throughout the year. It is also nice to have extras for work related emergencies on the go.
* Bring office organization home - We are already training the kids to take all the papers out of their backpacks when they get home. Right now they place the documents on the kitchen counter, but when our new mudroom is completed, we will install four document holders next to the lockers for their use. One of the holders can also be used for the mail (which ends up piled up all over the house).
As every parent knows, finding the “perfect” system is an ongoing process. What are your tips for arranging your family’s life so things run smoothly, even when you are on the road?
