As the seasons shift, the burst of excitement and energy of September shifts quickly into juggling many priorities and fuller family schedules.  Setting aside time to plan, involve your children in decision making (yes, they need a lunch EVERYDAY!) and taking care of yourself are all strategies to help you feel prepared this month.   We asked Village parents for their top tips to keep their families and themselves as balanced as possible during this transition back to school and activities.   

This is what we heard: 

• Fill the car with gas on Sundays to set yourself up for the week 
• Get groceries or place a grocery order late in the week (Thursday/Friday), so that the fridge is full for the weekend
• Compassion and patience for tired children. These are big transitions for them too. 
• Make a meal plan. Something super easy to follow. Five ingredients or less. 
• Schedule your own Movement.  Exercise helps to cope with stress and makes transitions better. Keep it simple with a walk or a super basic strength workout – 20 minutes or less! 
• Color code the calendar for each member of the family or by activity
• Create a system for all the gear so it is easy and ready when you need to grab it for your activity. 
• Ask for help/off load something – ex. Carpool or childcare 
• Block time dedicated to ‘family time’.  Setting aside other distractions to connect doing something appropriate depending on age.  
• Laugh.  In the hustle bustle of work, school and sport we often forget to have fun.  If things didn’t go according to plan, using humor can serve to bring joy to the moment and remember we have all been there! 

Parents, we see and honor you in your pursuits to ‘balance life and sport’. Take a deep breath, you’ve got this. Hope you find some of the tips above helpful as you transition into what is sure to be a full, fun and exciting Fall.