The kids are back to school, traffic gets a little busier, routines are getting set and it feels like there’s no free time!
At my house, my husband and I are both off together on Sundays. So I sure as HECK am not planning to go grocery shopping on that day! Overtime I’ve realized that finding balance isn’t done by yourself.
First, it takes pre-planning and being organized.
Second, you should know that achieving balance is a team thing, a “village” thing. It’s something you are able to achieve in your life if everyone around you supports your idea of finding balance.
At the beginning of each month I make sure to write in our calendar a plan to do something fun that we can all do as a family on that day, since it’s the one day we have together. I do this so that way when we fill up the rest of our days with activities, appointments etc… SUNDAY is the day we do something we can all do together. Like go to the park, check out an event, or something as simple as go out for dinner or even go out for ice cream.
Here are some tools I use to find “free time” and find that balance:
APPLE CALENDAR
Get you and your partner set up on a shared electronic calendar that you can access from your phone. Chris and I both have iPhones and use our Apple Calendars religiously. We have one calendar that’s set up so we can share it. Which means we can add, edit and see each other’s schedules and appointments.
How to set up a shared Apple Calendar.
I love this system because:
- I can set up multiple calendars and colour-code them and their events. I have a calendar for work, home (shared with Chris) and an Urban Mom calendar.
- I can set up recurring events very easily. For example, birthdays. These get set up so they repeat annually. Or traditions like our annual Friends Trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Or Chris’ work shifts which happen daily.
- I can sync Apple Calendar with Google Calendar as well.
- I can easily send event invites by email to people I am coordinating with.
- LASTLY, I can print out my calendar or a specific calendar and put it up on the fridge for everyone to see or print a weekly one for my notebook.
GOOGLE CALENDAR
Another great electronic calendar tool. This syncs with your Android phone and your email – if you use Gmail. I don’t use Google Cal as much but it works very similarly to Apple Calendar.
THE CONSCIOUS FAMILY ORGANIZER
If you’re more of a “pen to paper” kind of person, a wall calendar is probably your best bet. The Conscious Family Organizer is made in Vancouver by a group of parenting coaches. It has lots of space to write in your appointments, events and even little notes. It also has a bit of parenting advice on every page.
DRY ERASE MAGNETIC CALENDAR
Similar to the wall calendar a dry erase calendar is a great option if you want your family to see any important events, classes, or appointments. Here’s one I found on Amazon. I find that when I write with a dry erase marker that it’s a little messy or too big. So these calendars don’t have enough space for me and I find that I also have an electronic calendar as well, which means I’m writing things down twice. But if it works for you and your family, I’d go for it!
What kind of calendar system do you like using? Lemme know in the comments!
Happy planning and making time to spend with your families!
