Keeping your sanity is something hard to achieve when you are a mom. However, when it comes to keeping sanity and staying organized–that becomes a whole new level of difficult.
Summertime is over. It’s time to get back to having 1,000 tabs open in your mom brain. Birthday parties? Meet the teacher events? Football practice? PTA meeting? Grocery shopping? YOU NAME IT!
I try to plan and stay organized at home, especially after having my girls. I am not perfect at it quite yet, but I am working on it, and I’m trying new ways to make it work.
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In our family, we have a crazy schedule and hectic communication. While my mom takes care of the girls at home, she also tries to keep track of things at the house. My husband works from home, but as a real estate agent, his day can go from 0 to 100 really fast. Let’s not forget my oldest has football practice, school, and upcoming new activities as a middle schooler. Last but not least, we add PTA, play dates, doctor’s appointments, grocery trips, due dates for bills, and much more. This hectic pace exists in every household, and while I am not the type of TikTok mom who organizes their fridges or meal plans every week, I try to organize as much as I can.
I have been applying these organization techniques since our youngest was born last year, but routines change so much that I am still working on keeping up with it. Here are some tips that help me keep some organization in our crazy life, and I hope they work for you.
Let’s get down to the classics! A dry-erase magnet calendar for the fridge.
A magnet calendar for the fridge will help you a lot. You can edit it and put important dates on that calendar while having it accessible for all of your family to see. This user-friendly item can help everyone to read it and edit it. You can also go the extra mile and add your meal plans for the week, so everyone knows what’s on the menu.
Try a personal planner.
A personal planner is a must-have! I have been using a personal planner ever since high school. This planner allows me to plan my month and my weeks accordingly. I use it more as a personal reminder for myself. I include doctor’s appointments, bills, goals, errands, notes, etc. This allows me to go back to it and ensure I keep track of when my last menstrual period took place, my next dentist appointment, when the water bill is due, and so on.
Digital family planners exist.
iCalendar offers the option for a family calendar. You can also use your Google calendar or even your Outlook. Remember that when using these calendars, you need to grant access or invite your family members to those specific events. However, there are many family calendars that work amazingly!
I have been using Cozi Family Calendar. It is a free app that also has the option to make an annual payment. This app allows you to have to-do lists, grocery shopping lists, calendars, birthdays, and much more. You can create events and select who it’s important to notify; however, it does still leave it visible for anyone to see. On this app, I currently have my mom, my husband, and my oldest. This has worked the best for us so far.
Planning and organizing is doable, and it’s fun!
It takes time, but it’s worth trying. I am so detail-oriented, and I have always been able to keep it all together in my life. But having a shift in duties and more kids impacted my routine and my life completely. As I gain myself back and learn more about this new version of Ana, the mother of three, I am working on what works best for all of us. Doing multiple calendars and reminders helps me, and I sure hope it can help you too!
The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of El Paso Mom, its executive team, other contributors to the site, its sponsors or partners, or any organizations the aforementioned might be affiliated with.
