The Juggling Act: Balancing Parenting and Your Schedule

As a mom of five kiddos I know mornings are what makes or brakes my day and that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about today: Juggling your schedule as a parent. With 3/5 starting school in 24h, a toddler and a baby at home, two working parents, a daughter nuts for gymnastics, and two boys in martial arts... our schedule is like the world olympics of Tetris!

I've put together some tips that have helped me keep it all together to help you 

1. Get Cozi with Cozi

In preparation for this new school year we have turned our kitchen into a family command centre with Cozi. Cozi is the ultimate parenting scheduling app It allows you to sync all of your other digital calendars (ical, google, Microsoft etc) in one, colour code all activities by family members, create to-do lists, set reminders etc. It's like having a personal assistant! We use an iPad on a stand int he kitchen, to keep Cozi open at all times.

2. Weekly Planning Party

Every Sunday afternoon I sit down with a cup of coffee and my Cozi dedicated tablet to overview the week ahead. I make sure I haven't missed any important emails from the school, review what activities and meetings we have, make sure we're stocked up on snacks, school bags are ready to go, and the athletic gear is packed. I mentally prepare to tackle the week like an athlete studying his route .

3. Me-Time and Us-Time

With the same intensity that I use to make sure my kids don't miss their athletic classes, I make sure that I too, have some me-time on the schedule. Believe me, you'll come back ready to tackle the rest of the week with a smile on your face if you make sure to find time for yourself. Similarly, I make sure that me and my husband have us-time every week and that we as a family, get purposeful quality time like riding bikes to the park, church on Sundays, brunch etc.

4. Delegate Like a Boss

Kids can actually be pretty helpful and in fact, it's good for them! We delegate tasks from picking up toys, cleaning the table, or just helping reorganize a closet, anything we can teach them to do. It can save you a few minutes here and there AND keeps them busy while teaching them responsibility.

5. Nap Time is Power Hour

I work full-time and have two littles at home... listen, nap time is a golden hour in this house. It is strategically planned with a to-do list and absolutely no time is wasted!

And lastly, be flexible. Sometimes things won't go exactly as planned, don't keep score, roll with the punches and adapt.

If you feel like a ring master instead of a thriving parent trap a free consultation with us and explore how we can make your parents a bit smoother and a lot more enjoyable: Click here.

Want more helpful tips? Register for our weekly live show!