Inside this edition: Are quick and easy tips to keep your family on track so nothing is forgotten.

Ooooh hey y’all! It is me again your girl Rainey sharing and caring for YOU – my tribe – the Rainey Crew. Busy, busy, busy.  There never seems to be enough time.  Do surprises happen to you often?  It does not have to be that way and there really are no surprises, just poor planning.  Family activities are constantly occurring even the ones you hope will not happen.  Instead of living with your head in a shell take action now by making changes to get everyone on the same page.

Family First

Hold a family meeting.  If you are not a family that normally makes time to eat together, make an exception and use that opportunity to discuss events upcoming or things happening in and around the house.  A good time would be Sunday nights before the start of the work/school week.  Family dinner not your thing? Just make a point of bringing everyone together to review upcoming week.  Find out what they need from you and what you need from them.  Family meeting does not have to be long.  Depending on what is going on fifteen minutes no more than thirty.  I’ve got a teenage boy spending quality time with me is not on his agenda.

family on track

Calendars

           School Year Calendar

I always make a point during back to school shopping to pick up a school year aka an academic calendar – you can get it at Staples or Office Depot.  I usually get a big one ( “22x 16” ) that I can write on that everyone can read.  Then I use my county’s School Calendar to fill in the day’s off that the kids get for professional days, public holidays and early release days.  I capture it all so we always know what is coming up.  This calendar is posted in our kitchen on the pantry.  Once it is up anything else can be added as the year progresses. 

For full disclosure this school year – 2019 was the first time I did not get one because I got a metal erasable weekly calendar from At Home and magnetic calendar numbers from Amazon.  It requires more hands-on maintenance because it requires you change the dates weekly.  Other than that I no longer have to spend twenty bucks each year on a calendar.  Winning!

However, this does not mean that I have not moved into the 21st century.  Our school system does provide a digital option, so you can put the entire school year calendar on your device and calendar of your choice using iCalendar.  If you use Outlook or Google calendar you only need to download the calendar from your school system and import it into your calendar of choice.

              Family Calendar

Now that both my kids have mobile phones and email addresses when there is a change or an addition to the calendar I immediately add a new task or event to my Google calendar and I invite them.  That way everyone is informed.  Take note that I said to immediately add the event.  If you are able to do so.  The chances are great you will forget to add it if it is not done as you find out about it.  Use reminders to make sure the event does not sneak up on you, and use the description field to note any special requirements. 

calendar and smartphone to keep the family on track

I like to leave notes for my husband to leave work earlier than usual to make sure he makes it on time.  Sometimes I factor in travel time when I set the start date as well. Family calendars are imperative to keep your family on track so nothing is forgotten

              Activity Calendar

If your kids are in any type of sports or activity be sure to add every single activity to the family calendar.  Normally I would have included the Sports Calendar in the Family Calendar, which I have done in the past.   But I wanted to make a point to share with you what my daughter’s soccer and basketball teams use to keep the schedules straight.  TeamSnap is really team and club sports management software, so it does so much more than just tell you where and when the games are.  The parents also use the chat feature to get rides for the girls if a parent gets stuck at work.   I highly recommended if your child’s team does not have a tool like this.

Final thoughts

What this all really boils down to is communication.  Taking the time to sit with your family to outline the plans of the week, and keeping the plans updated through the year using the old school calendar and our mobile devices to seal the deal.  If you keep the lines of communication open you can keep your family on track so nothing is forgotten.

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