The September 2014 issue of “Parenting Christian Kids” is now available! It will arrive in mailboxes soon, and will also be available at Life Church.
Here’s a sneak peek at an article written by Lancaster School of Ministry student Emily Cain about managing busy back-to-school schedules:
How to Manage Your Families Busy Back to School Schedule
by Emily Cain
It’s that time of year again! Kids are going back to school, fall sports are kicking off, and with the holidays just around the corner and there is no end in sight for your busy schedule. Here are some helpful tips to ease the stress of your families overwhelming schedule!
- Stay Organized– Organizing everyone’s schedule into one calendar will help you plan your week more efficiently. Whether you prefer to carry a planner or install a calendar app, having a quick reference calendar with you will limit the chances something or someone is forgotten. Many calendar apps have cloud sync capabilities which allows users to view from multiple devices giving your family the ability to add or make changes to activities as they arise. Set aside a couple hours of the weekend to ensure you have properly scheduled all school, work and sports activities. This will give you a better idea of when you will need to make arrangements for babysitters and carpooling.
- Fuel up– Start your week off with a full tank of gas. It’s just as important for you to be fueled up and ready to go as it is your vehicle. Both you and your car have a busy week ahead so make sure to top off the tank, get plenty of rest, and eat a well balanced diet.
- Utilize down time– Instead of spending practice time comparing your busy week with the other football moms, use that time to answers emails, return phone calls, or even run some errands.
- Make a plan for little ones– Create a busy bag to keep the little ones from becoming restless during those times you know you will gone for an extended period of time. Be sure to pack some toys, crayons, coloring book, and even a snack. Consider letting them help pack the bag, they will be more excited to go if they know their favorite toy is waiting for them when they get there.
- Quick, easy to fix dinners– Be sure to include meal planning in busy schedule. It’s important to have that time together as a family at the dinner table. Whether you use Google, Pinterest, or trade with a friend, find some recipes for quick, easy meals that your family will love. Recruit some help in the kitchen and get dinner done in half the time, or consider a crockpot meal and have dinner waiting on you when you get home.
- Share responsibilities– Sharing responsibilities around the house is more of a routine than a chore chart. There are only so many hours in the day and yes, we all need two extra hands to accomplish everything that needs done. Work together on chores around the house, this ensures the task gets done right the first time and in half the time. Share responsibilities like packing backpacks, lunches, uniforms, snacks, etc.
- Prepare for rain– In my experience, if something can go wrong, it will. Allow for those times. Be patient, be kind. If you know there isn’t any possible way you can be somewhere in an emergency, have a back up plan. For all the other times, no one is perfect, things change everyday, it’s all temporary. Take a deep breath, say a little prayer and move on.
- Allow for time with Him– Don’t cram your schedule so full that you don’t have time for God to work in our life. We can become so overwhelmed by the demands of everyday life that we forget the importance of spending time with Him throughout the week. Evaluate priorities and schedule time for devotions and small groups.