The official, unofficial end of summer is this weekend. Many people get a long weekend to make it even more sweet. What I love about holidays is that it takes an ordinary weekend and gives us a reason to make it memorable! Don’t let this weekend pass you by without taking an opportunity to do something extraordinary. Here is a list of things to look for or try.

• Parade – Take a look at the events going on in your community and you might just find a parade.  Parades mean license to gawk, people watch, and blend into your community.
• Camping – Make a reservation at a favorite campground nearby or take a short drive to explore a new location. Camping is cheap and a great way to connect as a family without all of the gadgets that steal our attention (unless your campground has wi-fi).
• Swimming – Even though we live in Maine where it cools down quickly, we’ve had such hot end-of-summer weather.  It will be a good weekend to head to the beach. If you don’t have a beach nearby, then try the swimming pool.
• Picnic – I remember watching Mickey Mouse when I was a kid and the picnic basket that Minnie Mouse packed still makes my mouth water just thinking about it! Food never tastes so good as it does when you are outdoors. Try crusty bread, deviled eggs, crackers & cheese, a variety of fruit, and some ice cold lemonade.
• Hiking or Letterboxing – I love getting exercise outdoors with my family and a new trail or park always excites me. There is no better way to discover new places in your area than to try letterboxing. You’ll follow clues that will take you to places you didn’t know existed – even in your hometown!
• Barbeque – While many would argue that Americans do not have much of a food culture of their own, I say that one of our best examples would be a summer holiday barbeque. What child does not have a memory of hamburgers or hot dogs on the grill, chips, and watermelon during festive summer holidays? Make some potato salad. Add a new seasoning to the burgers. Celebrate with just your family or invite the neighborhood for a potluck.

How will you celebrate this Labor Day weekend?

Today is the first day of the new schoolyear for my community and family. It is an exciting time filled with enthusiasm and change. Kids have met their new teachers and now it is time to begin settling in to a new routine. Though I am considered a “working mom” (translation: I now receive a paycheck for all of my hard work), I still have a lot of the same catch-up projects that I had at the beginning of schoolyears past. Now, I must choose to ignore them or prioritize and schedule time to work on them. Here is my list of tasks to complete in the next few weeks.

• Do a Health Check-In. Am I eating a healthy number of calories?  Am I exercising frequently?  Have I had my annual physical?
• Put away summer toys (e.g. beach items, etc)
• Exchange summer clothing for cooler-weather clothing.
• Organize summer photos.
• Target areas of my house that have become a catch-all during the busy summer.
• Begin to think ahead to fall/holiday events and planning.
• Adjust to extra-curricular activity schedules (e.g soccer practice/games, Brownie/Cub Scout meetings, etc)
• Revisit budget and financial planning pages to make sure we are on target for holidays.

What is on your Fall To Do List?

Each member of a family adds an element of activity that must be addressed and factored into schedules.  Using a central calendar is a great way to keep track of everyone’s carpool, homework, practice, and activity schedules.  Use today to prepare yourself for the week ahead and to give yourself a good start to the schoolyear.

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• Monday (8/9/2010) Gather Daily, Weekly, Monthly Calendars – Whether you print them from ListPlanIt.com or have your own, collect your calendars and store them in a convenient and accessible spot.  Get into a routine of writing things down as soon as you are able and referring to your calendars often.
• Tuesday (8/10/2010) Create Carpool Schedule – Create a carpool schedule to get the children of your neighborhood to and from school.  This will save both time and gas (money).
• Wednesday (8/11/2010) Homework Schedule – Decide on the best time of day to complete homework and required reading.
• Thursday (8/12/2010) Extracurricular Activities Schedule – Write down all practices, events, lessons, etc on your calendars.
• Friday (8/13/2010) Planning Schedule – Schedule a block of time each week to take a “Planning Retreat” (as named by my friend Lindsey at PassionateHomemaking.com).  This will help you establish a time to plan meals, trips, special events, etc.
• Saturday (8/14/2010) Work – Finish up a project.  Distribute a chore list to each family member.  Accomplish much.
• Sunday (8/15/2010) Play – Enjoy what is left of summer.

If you are a subscriber to ListPlanIt‘s weekly e-newsletter, The L.I.S.T., then you have discovered what has become a popular feature called The Week Ahead. We look at the week ahead and remind you of important dates, suggest good ways to catch up or get ahead, and give you a chance to get a jumpstart on the upcoming week.

With school now in session or starting soon, you may be wondering how to get your children to school each and every day in a manner that is both convenient for you and healthy to the environment.  Why not load up your car or van with other kids from the neighborhood and ask neighbors to rotate/take turns?  Organizing a Carpool Schedule doesn’t have to be overwhelming.  You just need a few willing participants and a little delegation to make it all happen.

photo by Ivy Dawned

• Make a List of Kids – If you have several kids that want to carpool, then you will either need drivers with mini-vans or you will need to organize 2 different carpools.
• Make a List of Drivers - Include names, email addresses, telephone numbers (home and cell), and as a precaution, have each driver make a copy of their auto insurance card.  
• Create a Map of Pickups and Dropoffs - This will make things quick and easy as the school year gets started.  Don’t leave your fellow drivers guessing where each kid lives.  Include the quickest route to school from your neighborhood.
• Assign Morning and Afternoon Drives – Get a schedule from each of your drivers to decide which days are best for carpooling and then assign them a slot.  To be on the safe side, have a backup driver for each slot as well.

What are your carpool tips and tricks?

ListPlanIt.com has many tools and resources available for families preparing to go back to school, including a brand new Carpool Schedule and Carpool Signup page (see in Student Planning). Get everything you need with a membership to all that ListPlanIt has to offer or instantly download the pages you need in our updated Student ePlanner.

There are 2 “New Years” – in January and when school starts.  Now is your chance to establish a routine to give comfort and structure to your family throughout the schoolyear.  Gone are the days of unstructured summer.  It is now time to buckle down and get to work.

click image to download as a pdf

• Monday (8/9/2010) Map Out a Current Routine – You can’t see where you want to go without taking a look at where you are currently heading.
• Tuesday (8/10/2010) Identify Schooltime Routine Needs – Make a list of what might fill your days once school get going:  showers, breakfast, lunch preparation, homework, afterschool activities, practice, reading time, chores, bedtime, etc.
• Wednesday (8/11/2010) Create Morning Routine – Allowing for some flexibility, create an optimal routine for getting your family up in the morning and out the door in plenty of time.
• Thursday (8/12/2010) Create Afternoon/Evening Routines – Include what’s necessary to accomplish chores, homework, practice, dinner, and all the other things that need to happen in a busy family’s evening.
• Friday (8/13/2010) Create Weekend Routine – To make the most of your weekends, be sure to include time for work and fun.
• Saturday (8/14/2010) Put Summer Away – Beach and pool stuff, lawn and garden items, tank tops and shorts might all be cleaned up and put away til next spring.
• Sunday (8/15/2010) Get to Bed Early – Time to get your family on to a more sensible bedtime routine.  Early to bed, early to rise. . .

If you are a subscriber to ListPlanIt‘s weekly e-newsletter, The L.I.S.T., then you have discovered what has become a popular feature called The Week Ahead. We look at the week ahead and remind you of important dates, suggest good ways to catch up or get ahead, and give you a chance to get a jumpstart on the upcoming week.