“Mom! Where’s my science booooook?”

“I don’t know, where did you have it last?”

“I don’t remember! I need it now, the bus is coming!”

Sound familiar? It’s that time of year again. Just when you finally get settled into a workable summertime routine with the kids, everything changes again. It’s back to school time and that means back to morning chaos, homework disorganization, and schedule overload. Make the transition smoother by getting your family organized.

Calendar

No household with school aged children can keep up with everything without a good calendar. Get a big calendar that you can put up on a wall in a prominent place in the house, preferably near the phone. Use either a dry erase or a paper version, but make sure it has large boxes and it is easy to write on when it’s hanging. As soon as school calendars are available, record all school events and holidays. Also, record family activities as they are scheduled. If possible, schedule all appointments for regular medical visits, like the orthodontist, six months in advance so you don’t have to try to squeeze them in after the calendar is full.

Use colored ink or highlighters to color code each member of the family’s activities and events so that anyone can easily look for their color on any given date. This will also prevent duplicate scheduling for anyone. Make a habit of recording all important dates for your children’s school and extracurricular activities as soon as you know about them, so they don’t get forgotten. It is also useful to mark due dates for your children’s school projects or test dates, so you can help them manage their time beforehand.

Get in the habit to look over the week in advance each weekend, so you can be prepared for everything. If your son has a presentation during the week, you can be sure you have all necessary materials like poster board and markers ahead of time. Or if you need to bake cupcakes for the class party on Friday, purchase the ingredients early and bake and freeze until needed. Also, it’s a good idea to plan ahead for carpooling on the weekend so everyone knows how he or she is getting to practice, the dentist or home.

Consider meals for the week too. If your son has a soccer game on Tuesday afternoon across town, assume you won’t have time to cook a full meal. But avoid the fast food temptation by planning on having reworked leftovers from the night before or fixing a crock-pot meal instead.