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5 Simple Things to Help Parents Prepare for the Holiday Break  

December can quickly become the busiest season of the year.  As parents, we find ourselves managing all of the normal day to day activities of school, practices, and other commitments.  Then we need to throw in special school performances, parties, and family gatherings into the mix of the family calendar.

This weekend STOP.

Take a few minutes to gather yourself and plan the next 3 weeks.  It’s not too late to manage the chaos or calendar as we call it.

Here are 5 SIMPLE things to remember as you make your plan:


1.  Identify all the things that you would like to do with your kids.  Making a physical list helps move these things from “hope to dos” to “let’s make them happen.”


2.  Identify all the programs and parties that are expected of you and your family.


3.  Schedule the things you want to do with your kids.  Scheduling these with a day and time will make sure you get the most important stuff done.


4.  Be where you are.  It’s easy to be thinking of all the things you still have to do.  When it comes to your time with your children remember to give them more than just you physically being in the room.  


5.  Laugh and smile.  Your kids are constantly making memories in the mind of you.  Let them remember you laughing, smiling, and having fun.  


Parenting is much less about doing the profound and more of doing the simple over and over again.  Remember over the next three weeks it is more important to make memories with your kids than to meet everyone else’s expectations.