Fall Season

Hello,from Kids Klutter and Happy Fall!
If you joined us for the last blog you
have some ideas on getting your family
organized and school has begun in full
swing!

Most of us are ready for the summer to
be over and are switching gears for the
next season. Shorter sun days and warmer
clothes are closer. Having three children
myself, I often wonder how I keep them
all on track with school work, home chores
and family time along with all the extra
curricular activities they choose. I ask
myself if we are just too busy already and
school has just begun. And if so, how can
I instill slowing down in each of their minds
if I am moving just as fast?

Whether you are a stay at home or working
mother, there are not enough hours in the day.
How do you carve out time for everything and
everyone? It takes careful and timely planning
to make it all work for sure. And, as we all
know, time does not slow down for anyone.

My suggestion to everyone is to take time
to plan. Whether it be a goal to have dinner
together nightly or on certain nights, set it
up now and make it a pattern moving forward.
If one on one time can only happen in transition
then make the time count in content. We bring
a devotion book with us in the car and on the
way to school or an activity we choose a subject
to discuss and keep one another engaged in
conversation and family. Another suggestion is
to have the kids be responsible for planning a
meal a week and then helping to prepare it. The
time you share in the kitchen will be the memories
you remember most.

The biggest thing in family dynamics is the tone
the parents set. If we are busy, the kids get
busier. If we slow down, they slow down. Realizing
that activities tend to dictate our time these days,
re-evaluate how to plan them to fit your family and
not have your family fit into the activity.
And if you are running around, make that car time
count. Share a story, play a game and do not forget
to laugh.

I think it is best said that being a parent is the
greatest and most difficult job you will ever do in
your life. It is also the most rewarding. Family is
the most important thing! Chaos is a part of life
these days, but we can all rope it back in to less
stress with a plan. We all need some structure
regardless of age to function at our best. So, sit
down with your family today and make a plan.

And, take some time to see those turning colors,
smell that fresh air of changing seasons and crunch
some leaves together!

Blessings and have a great fall. From your
friends at kidsklutter. Visit us at
www.kidsklutter.com and pass us along to your
PTA or PTO!