While some are already back to school, our district in the pacific northwest doesn’t get back in session until after Labor Day. I truly am trying to enjoy the last couple of weeks of summer by taking time off from work, soaking up sunny days and appreciating days where our calendar isn’t full of chaos.
Enjoying the last bit of summer doesn’t come without the realization that fall is practically here which means our fall schedule is practically here.
I rely heavily on my Google calendar. It’s shared with my husband, and I always say, “if it’s not on the calendar, it doesn’t exist.” There are misses but overall, my husband is pretty good about ensuring that commitments get put into the shared calendar to help us stay aligned. I am sure I have also had misses, but I like to believe I too am when it comes to getting things on the calendar.
Knowing that we are coming up on the fall season, I decided to deep dive into the schedule come September to start preparing myself for what is ahead. Up until that point, we had enrolled the kids in things and crossed our fingers for as few conflicts as possible. I knew that everything would work as far as no two sports overlapping. That seemed like a small miracle, quite honestly.
Conflicts will arise as we get further into the season. We have practice times but not game or meet times yet so it’s inevitable that some sort of scheduling challenges will arise between the multiple extra curriculars that my kids participate in.
I can’t yet wrap my head around that because I am still in the stage of how to make it all work with just the practice schedule. Soccer, swim team, drums, basketball, flag football, youth group and three different types of dance classes. We are also throwing in drivers ed for my son who will be 15 soon.
Fall is already feeling like a lot, and it hasn’t started. Some of it is anticipation. I think once we get into the groove of the schedule, we will be fine. Having two kids and two parents means that we can divide and conquer which we are used to doing.
My kids really enjoy all their activities and my husband, and I think keeping them busy is a good thing. If they have good grades, we try to support the activities that they want to do. We love the community they have from each activity, getting to meet different people and we believe that staying active is really important.
As I look at the calendar and try to envision what the evenings will be every day after work, it is a little overwhelming. There are zero days Monday through Thursday that we’ll be able to have dinner together as a family. This also means very limited, if any, time to get dinner ready. Sundays will remain critical for me as I prepare for the week. Meal prepping of some sort will be important because there just won’t be time for it during the week.
It feels a bit like organized chaos even though the season hasn’t yet begun. But I think I kind of thrive in it. I love routine and I love organizing. As I look to the fall, it brings me joy knowing that I can organize the days that will lead to the type of routine that I love.
It doesn’t mean there won’t be moments of stress or feeling like maybe we are overcommitted or moments where I feel like I am failing. But for someone like me who does thrive in routine, I have figured out that I prefer a little chaos over an open schedule. As long as I feel like I can somewhat organize and manage it.
Are you gearing up for fall? Do you too actually thrive in the organized chaos, or will you be longing for the days of summer where things tend to be a little more easy going?
PIN THIS!
Read more of Stephanie’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.
