Okay, peeps.
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that most families…
Spend their school year whining and pining for the freedom of summer.
And then spend the summer whining and pining for the structure of the school year.
It’s a conundrum, yes??
So much to love—and loathe!—about each season of this cycle, but I must admit: this stretch, right now, from about mid-August through mid-September is one of my very favorites.
It’s that sweet, in-between spot.
That return to structure without the burnout—yet.
It holds the promise of autumnal vibes and witchy decor (even when the weather doesn’t comply).
Every moment of daytime silence (even when it’s bustling silence) within my household feels like a gift.
And…August is my birthday month. ;)
So even though it’s quite literally as hot as Hades here in South Texas this time of year…
And I’m now spending approximately 2,748 hours each morning to get my kiddos to their three separate schools…
And I’m emptying my wallet for supplies and enrollment fees and booster club donations…
Plus navigating hours of nighttime, school-related meetings, To-Do’s and homework (yes, homework, from the very first day!)…
My mood still feels LIGHT and BRIGHT as my kiddos launch a new school year that’s brimming with promise and possibilities. :)
That said:
It takes a bit of time for me to recalibrate when the kiddos return to school.
And that recalibration involves tackling a backlogged To-Do List about a mile long.
Things that need to be wrangled before we can well and truly hit the ground running with the onslaught of full-steam responsibilities.
But…this year, I’ve got a clutch bit of assistance that’s my new favorite thing in the whole, wide world:
Our new, digital, wall-mounted calendar!
I can’t believe that, once upon a time, I was a person who could keep track of life without some sort of massive, collective family calendar. Insane. And so risky!
But then, Chica hit middle school and I quickly realized we’d leveled up, activities had become more plentiful, and we needed to keep track of things in a more visible way—for the benefit of the entire family.
Enter: our family whiteboard calendar years:
It was so lovely to utilize a calendar that was located right inside the back door, that the kiddos could see and manipulate at a glance, and that was gloriously color-coded and organized.
Now, hysterically, it took the hubby about a year or so to actually pay attention to and utilize said wall calendar. But when he finally got on board and realized it was full of all sorts of useful and mission-critical information, it was the easiest sell in the world to make the recent decision that we needed something even more sophisticated and useful.
Yup. That’s right. We realized that three kids in three different schools required a super-boosted calendar and made the investment this summer to call out an electrician to hook us up with a new outlet so we could purchase and mount our absolutely fantastic digital calendar:
As kind of an old-school, analog person, I both recognized the necessity of such an upgrade—but felt quite anxious about the change.
I was certain I was going to loathe it.
That I wouldn’t make friends with the digital nature.
That the software might be too complicated or that I’d regret the decision and pine for my simple white-board days of yore.
Yeah…NOPE.
Within about five minutes of playing around with the thing, I knew it was a game-changer.
We can see everything at a glance, color-coded by profile (family member) and broken up into any block of time.
I can book things an entire year (or more!) out, add meal planning, and even take a picture of a paper full of dates, e-mail it to my device and watch all the commitments on said paper magically load onto our master calendar—in seconds.
The corresponding app is now on all family members’ iPhones, and it’s just…amazing.
I’m in love.
Mostly because…life is insanely fully for us in this era and anything—and everything!—that keeps us organized is a GOOD THING.
It well and truly takes me a solid two weeks after the launch of school to clear that backlog of To-Do’s, level up and get my game face on for the year ahead, but…one week in and I already feel like I’m nearly there!
It takes a lot of thought and planning—and sometimes money—to help our crew operate at maximum efficiency. And even then, we sometimes flail or outright flail. That’s just life.
But, every time we level up (like this), I feel a little more capable.
And, let’s be honest: that mental fortitude is more than half the battle!
Happy Monday, peeps!
I’m channeling positive, We Can Do This Vibes and feeling so grateful to have that first school week under our belt.
More catch-up posts, soon!
Over and out.
