Tips to Take Care of YOU with Crazy Schedule
Kids are back in school and now that means..
- Sports
- Late nights
- Homework
- Events
- Your health (gym. nutrition, appointments, etc)
- Your actual job
- Housework
Just all became really overwhelming.
I am living it with you! This month I had a TON of clients talk to me about how overwhelmed they are with all of it and I am here to talk you off the ledge and hopefully share some tips and tricks to make it a little less chaotic.
I am a single mom with three kids in two different schools and two different sports on the same days in two different locations. When I tell you I know, trust me....I know. I get it and the key to it all is always PLANNING, but hear me out...
First step..
- If you don't have a white board with a weekly calendar on your fridge, then I highly recommend it. Get into the habit of updating it every Sunday so you can PLAN your week (see example below)
Chances are, you have a phone calendar that you use. Having it in front of you and everyone else will create more conversation and reminders, thus helping you PLAN better for the upcoming days.
Step 2
- Make a list of what you need to have with you for the day. I do this on a piece of paper. It is not always super neat, but it helps me to organized and remember! Below is an example...I have 3 children 7 and under. With one football practice from 5-6pm at field 10 min away from where the other one practices at 6:15!
Step 3
- For my situation, my girls eat picnic blanket style at the field while my son plays. Then him and I eat dinner while the other practices. Boom.
- But here is the magic....because we don't get home until almost 8pm. Now I have 3 kids who need to get to bed for school the next day, but they also need to shower... At this age, I still need to do most things for them, right? Get their clothes out, help brush their teeth, help with showers, make lunches, etc, etc.
- BEFORE LEAVING FOR PRACTICE
- Get their PJS out
- Line their toothbrushes up
- Get towels in line
- So it is truly an assembly line once they get home! They have already eaten and so have you, now it is GO time! If your kids are competitive then lean into that and make it a game. Set a timer and see how long it takes and try to beat it night after night.
Step 4
- Now they're in bed, how can you make your life easier in the morning when you still have to adult...
- Throw laundry in
- Lay their clothes out with socks and everything
- Line up their toothbrushes yet again
- Make lunches
- Fill water bottles
- Get YOUR meals ready as needed
- Lay YOUR gym clothes out or pack as needed
- Know what you are having for breakfast and what you might be offering kiddos. Have is ready and accessible.
- Switch laundry over
- Dishes as needed
- Bed
This does not apply to parents with older kids, but last week I had A LOT of conversations with parents who were feeling overwhelmed. Systems are EVERYTHING, organization and planning are key components to getting your feed underneath you and feeling successful and stress free.
If you have a partner to help you with these things then normalize talking about it! Use a different color marker on your marker board to customize who is responsible for what or bringing who where.
Check out the video below to see it all in action to include what I eat in a day and how this all plays out in real time.
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