How do you manage a holiday calendar when you have five kids, two of them in middle school? You don’t. At least not without help.
As we get closer to Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and whatever holiday you celebrate, our schedules are full with school programs and school lunches and special events. Throw in some winter soccer and a cheer competition, and you realize you need a clone. But just wait…it gets even more chaotic. Two weeks of travel for work during the month of December. And, I must add a college graduation for my oldest child.
Breathe! My meditation app, Headspace, reminds me throughout the day to take a moment to relax. The holidays can be so overwhelming. A period of time that is supposed to be filled with joy and laughter and memory making events can create anxiety and sleepless nights that destroy the merry in Christmas. And before you know it, it’s January.
Ask for help! I know I can’t be two places at once. I definitely can’t be three places at the same time. My two very active middle schoolers need a ride somewhere several times a day. School, after school club meetings, practice, games, extra practice, dentist appointments, and every other thing that pops up on the calendar requires transportation. Family and friends are the only way I can get everyone where they need to be on a daily basis.
Write it down! Maybe it’s my age, maybe it’s the busy schedule, but I seem to forget details frequently. What time are we supposed to be there? What day was that appointment? Are we wearing red or grey today? If I don’t write it down right away in my calendar, we probably won’t be there unless someone sends me a Remind message.
By the way, the Remind app is about the best thing ever invented for teachers and coaches to send updates and reminders. I still read the messages several times before we leave the house, and sometimes when my 13 year old is making me doubt myself, I will check the uniform color two or three times while I’m driving the 35 miles to a soccer game, knowing it’s too late at this point even if she is wearing the wrong color. Side note: she’s learned to always keep the other color uniform in her soccer bag because sometimes I still get it wrong.
Plan, plan, plan! My job requires me to spend months planning and then while we are executing the mission, we start planning the next one. I think I’m pretty good at it. However, when it comes to planning my personal and family schedule, I’m not always as organized. Yes, I write it down in the calendar. Yes, I wait until the last minute to ask a friend to give my kids a ride somewhere. Maybe my calendar should also have an excel spreadsheet attached to it with the logistics required for each event. Which reminds me…did I make that hotel reservation yet for the out of town cheer competition? Did I make my flight reservations for that other work trip? I’m thinking we need a family conference call to figure out where everyone is eating on Thanksgiving.
In the end, I know it will all work out. There may be a few tears shed. One of my kids will probably release some stress and tell me how I messed something up or embarrassed them. Middle schoolers can be too honest at times. With the help of my family, friends, and even my co-workers, we will survive the holidays. I’ll wish I took more pictures and I’ll wish I asked others to share more pictures. But life will keep moving forward…we just need to hang on for the ride, and remember to enjoy it! After all, it’s the most wonderful time of the year according to the Christmas carols already playing on my radio.
