Overwhelmed over the summer holidays?

If, like me, you’ve had children lolling around your home day and night over the last few weeks, it can make you feel overwhelmed, like your home has become just that little bit out of control.

‘Stuff’ seems to be everywhere around the house; a deviation from the norm of the orderly household.  For me, it’s been the multiplication of the Rainbow Loom. Oh, and damp clothes from many #icebucketchallenge ‘practices’!  If you’re someone who likes things in order but your normal routine and living space has been disrupted more than usual, it’s no surprise that you’re feeling flustered, irritated and downright annoyed!

What can I do?

With a new term literally days away, it’s time to create home systems to work for you as a family. Make them easy to maintain, and – most importantly – stand the test of time, both in term time and in the holidays.

5 Tips to Avoid Feeling Overwhelmed

Here’s 5 tips for ensuring you’ll be ultra-efficient throughout the start of the new term – and beyond;

1. Ensure you (and your partner) go through your diaries/family calendar to check who should be where and when!  Make arrangements early for attending to children & their hectic social lives!  Sync electronic calendars (smartphone/Outlook/Google/etc), so you don’t miss appointments & reminders when you’re on the go.
2. Prepare for upcoming appointments. (My time as a Girl Guide wasn’t wasted on me!)  Avoid that panic 10 minutes before you are due to leave the house because you haven’t got things ready.  Check the night before – get everything to one side & you’re good to go!
3. Plan meals and food shopping for the week – if you can.  Life can be hectic; mealtimes come around sooner than you think!  Spend a half hour checking your family’s whereabouts, meal needs and likes, to save you double the time. Have everything ready in advance.  Batch cook meals in one hit, then freeze. A larger pack of mince will do for a spaghetti bolognaise AND a cottage pie!
4. Get your clothes planned and ironed for the week ahead.  Check the 5-day forecast, your upcoming appointments and make a note of what you want to wear to each of them.  You’ll avoid time dithering in front of the wardrobe in a morning, when you really should be on your way out of the door!
5. Get any forms, occasion cards, reply slips and so on filled out and ready for posting or to hand in at school.  I rarely have time in a morning to start reading forms, filling out cheques and finding an envelope, so I find doing it early/as soon as a form comes home from school or a letter arrives pays dividends – and allows me those 5 extra minutes in bed!

So go ahead and try it!  I’m sure you’ll notice a difference to your stress levels on a Monday morning!!