As July is flying by and preparations for the second Ely Family road trip of the summer are getting underway, I am reminding myself to keep the focus on family fun and to take things in stride so we can all “enjoy the ride.” After all, we’re going to Florida, not the moon – if I forget to pack something for someone, we can either do without it or buy it when we get there. No real worries, right!

With that thought in mind, I am sharing an encore post from almost exactly a year ago – sometimes when you let yourself step back and outside of the chaos of the moment (i.e., the inevitable craziness that ensues while tying up all the loose ends in preparation for a family trip!), you can’t help but laugh!

The Ideal Client

In coaching, there is a saying that coaches are often their own best clients. Well, this morning, I was a living, breathing, poster-child for a mom who needed to restore balance and make herself a priority in her own life.

I got up bright and early to take the puppy outside and smiled at the thought of all the time I had available to savor the quiet house before the kids got up and I got ready for a morning meeting nearby.

That vision of peaceful morning bliss lasted for about 30 seconds before the kids were up, the waffles were in the toaster oven, and I was somehow left with less than 30 minutes to shower and get out the door. At least the babysitter who I hired for Wednesday’s so I can have one focused workday per week during the summer was on her way… or so I thought, until I exited the shower to tears from my daughters over how the sitter had just called-in sick and now their plans for the day were ruined. Their plans?!!

No time for thinking about what wouldn’t get accomplished now in my day – I had 5 minutes to flat iron my hair and drive to my meeting before it started without me. Of course, I was only 2 minutes into my 4 minute drive before my cell phone rang and my older daughter was still lamenting about how she would now have nothing to do all day. (Considering the upstairs hall closet brimming with games and crafts, the over-stuffed playroom, the puppy waiting to be played with, and a little sister by her side, I didn’t quite understand the despair and desperateness in her voice!) Meanwhile, in my rush out the door, I had forgotten earrings and the only thing close to lipstick I had in the car was a nasty smelling tutti-fruiti princess lip gloss my 5 year old had left there over a month ago!

At that point, as I walked away from my crookedly-parked-too-quickly minivan and into my meeting, I just had to laugh, as I knew just how I would introduce myself today – as my own best client! Hey, I’ve made a lot of progress, but self-growth and self-care is an on-going process… “At least I’m enjoying the ride!”

Oh, it’s that time of year again…

The end-of-the-school-year crunch!  The standardized tests for the kids in school, the music and dance recitals, end-of-the-year field trips and class parties, graduations (Pre-K…Kindergarten…Elementary… Middle School… High School…College!), teacher conferences, Summer Kick-off parties, final exams…  And all this on top of our normally busy mom schedules!  How can we enter into this crazy end-of-the-school-year phase without our heads completely spinning off trying to keep track of everything and get it all done?  Here are some tips that should help:

1)      Pull all of the end-of-the-year info together in one place – all those school newsletters, daily notes in your kids’ agendas, the PTA e-mails, the invitations, the rainbow-assortment of Post-It notes you’ve stuck up throughout the house as reminders… and don’t forget to check with the kids to be sure there isn’t one last permission slip or class handout nearly forgotten in their backpack.  But be careful, as you may not have peeked in there since Christmas Break, and you never know what uneaten lunch bits or way over-due library books may be lurking in the depths of their backpacks!  Designate a time to sit down and get everything organized.  Lay everything out, sort by chronological order, check for potential conflicts/double-bookings, and then start entering each event/commitment into your calendar.

2)      Be sure you’ve RSVP’d on any items that requested you to do so.  And if you’ve missed any RSVP deadlines, consider contacting the sender with an apology.  Chances are, the sender is also living within the depths of end-of the-year-school year craziness and would understand your oversight, as well as appreciate your thoughtfulness of taking the time to follow-up.

3)      As you enter items on your calendar, do so keeping simplification in the forefront of your mind.  Do you have a friend who you could plan to take turns car-pooling with?  What events require your attendance?  Could you tradeoff with your spouse/partner for a couple of field trips?  If any of the events require you to shop and send goodies into school, place a reminder on your calendar for a few days prior to the event so you aren’t scurrying out to the 24-hour grocery store in your PJs the night before when you realize you haven’t baked the brownies yet and all you have in your fridge are left-overs and ketchup packets!  (Although, it is amazing what kind of creative “treats” moms can pull together from their existing pantry-stash in a pinch!)

4)      Since you are in scheduling-mode, remember to schedule some time for yourself during that already booked month, preferably 2-3 x/week.  (Shoot for that and if you stick to 1-2x/week, you’ll still feel good about it!)  If it is on your calendar, you’re more likely to do it.  Even better, include a friend in the plan so you can hold each other accountable for that Tuesday morning coffee date, movie night, wine on the porch, or even just a get-away-from-it-all walk together.  You owe it to yourself and your family to take a little break so you can dive back into your week feeling more refreshed, more positive, and more energized about the rest of your commitments.

5)      Make sure to get to bed at a decent hour.  As tempting as it may be to burn the midnight oil and get as much as possible done while the kids are asleep, if you wear yourself down too much, you may end up in bed sick for those events you most want to attend.  O.K., all of us moms know that’s just a phrase – “sick in bed” – you won’t be in bed at all;  you’ll be running around with your box of tissues, germ gel, cough drops, and feeling miserable, so that’s even more of an incentive to take care of yourself!!  Even if you don’t end up getting sick, when you are over-tired, your patience is shorter, and your ability to keep it all straight goes down the drain, so try to get to bed at a semi-decent hour.

6)      Finally, remember that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and you will make it through to the other side!  The end-of-the-school-year crazies are temporary and you can shift down to only full-throttle once the “Lazy” days of summer begin.  (By the way, whoever wrote that old song “Summertime, and the Living is Easy” must have lived long before summer camps and playdates!)  So try to take it all in stride and enjoy yourself!  Speaking of summer, have you remembered to schedule-in signing the kids up for all their summer activities?!  A-a-a-and we’re off…!!

Live Positively Fulfilled!

Lynn Ely
MomEvolve
Inspiring Moms to Evolve TM
www.momevolve.com

Want help making your Self a priority in your life? Reconnect with your Self and reduce stress when you sign up for MomEvolve’s ME-zine.