Anyone else out there have a hard time managing family schedules and to-dos? It’s hard enough for me to figure out whether my husband is going to be home for dinner, let alone when the kids need to return their library book. In fact, the reason we even have public library cards is because of a missed library day when I forgot to put it in my young-fiver’s backpack. Managing one schedule can be challenging, let alone a spouse and a couple of kids in the mix. If I had a wall calendar to encompass EVERYTHING it would probably have to be life-size. Ya feel me?
I’ll admit it - I’m a pencil and paper type person. I just can’t wrap my mind around using a calendar on my phone to track appointments and schedules. A reminder to get my kids off the bus though? That’s what phones (or apple watches!) are for. For my own personal appointments, the kids appointments, notes on my husband’s work travel, daily to-do’s and general planning, I have an awesome paper planner I use. My husband still wishes I would sync calendars, and to be fair, I’ve downloaded a few apps to do just that. But I just can’t. So, he’s settled for our own method for “syncing” our schedules: we sit at his computer going over his calendar, which I write into my planner. Now that’s quality time!
My planner works great for most everything. But the kids’ school schedules and stuff can easily get out of hand. And let’s be honest, when I’m getting 4 kids ready for the day in the morning, opening my planner is not at the forefront of my mind. What I can do? Glance at the command center on our way out the door. It’s not super-pretty, but it’s functional. Here, on the chalkboard, I have a list of what’s typically needed each day at school. For example, Tuesdays my 2nd grader has homework due, and Fridays they need popcorn money. So, as we’re dashing out the door with our coats and backpacks, juggling my morning coffee and toddler’s hand, I can quickly glance and be sure we’re not forgetting anything super important.
For those items that are super-important, each school age child also has a clipboard. Here’s where I keep homework and permission slips and the like that need to go back to school. Now the trick here is to get your kids to actually clean out their backpacks. I once emailed the Principal because I was upset I wasn’t notified about a long-term sub in my child’s classroom. Only to find (literally the next day), the envelope containing the letter was crumpled at the bottom of my son’s backpack (insert foot in mouth!). Before the clipboards, I used a hanging bin. While admittedly better than the bottom of the backpack, I found when I can’t see it, I typically forget it. Next thing you know, you’re digging through 30 days worth of “important” papers to find the permission slip you’re pretty sure was due yesterday. Above that, you’ll notice our “family” calendar. Here’s where I write down things that affect everyone, so my husband can quickly see if we’re busy this weekend. Of course, it would require him to look at it. Maybe if I take a picture and send it to him, he can somehow sync it to his calendar… there’s got to be an app for that!
If you’re finding your kids’ school stuff is unmanageable, you’re always forgetting to return a library book, or all those papers are cluttering your counter, maybe something I’ve shared will help simplify or reduce your stress before morning drop-off. If you have a system you love or a tip I didn’t share, drop it in the comments below!
