Thursday, September 10, 2015

Soccer Survival

Tis the season in our home when all the craziness of soccer hits our family. With four kiddos all with practice, mini camps, and games our week is very full. Since my hubby also plays, refs, and coaches we are on the go a lot.

Here are a few things we do to keep our sanity:

Plan ahead:
We sit down at the beginning of each week and coordinate our week. Who is taking whom to practice. What other activities and responsibilities need to be taken care of. Then we write it all down on a master calendar. We find that Google Calendar works well because we can share it.

Give yourself grace:
When we have to eat by 4:30 most days and I only have 30 minutes to cook meals will look much less extravagant than normal. Because we are very crunched throughtout the week for time it is hard to even prep ahead. So I use stolen time to prep meals when I can. If the kids are doing a good job of doing their seat work I use that time to prep dinner. Sometimes I double it and freeze one. I also try to make good use of our crock pot. If I can throw dinner in the crock pot before the kids wake up I am free to do school, chores, errands, and the rest of my day before dinner rush.

A place for everything:
We find that hooks are the key to organization for us. Each kiddo has a hook for their soccer bag, back pack, library bag, and jacket. They have to keep all soccer equipment in their bag so in the rush of  practice time we aren't down a shin guard or soccer sock. We also have a basket of back ups since it will inevitably happen that we can't find something.

Savor the moment:
These are crazy days. They will go by fast. They are sometimes frustrating, but I'm told I will miss them. For now, I will do my best to enjoy the excitement of the seasons even if it is a little extra work.

How do you stay sane in sports season chaos?