So how do I keep up with it all? Three boys, four sports, and their completely different schedules. How do I make sure they all get to where they need to be, when they need to be there, with what they need to have?
I personally use a planner. A Mini Happy Planner to be exact. The size is perfect for us Sports Mamas' on the go lifestyle. I can easily swap it between my purse and my Sports Mama Bag. It has both a monthly and weekly layout, which I really like. The weekly layout has more than enough room for me to write in all three of the boys' activities, as well as my own appointments and my meal plan. If you have multiple athletes, I would suggest color coding. For example, No. 1 is blue in my planner, so anything and everything pertaining to him I write in blue. No. 2 and No. 3 have their own unique colors as well. I also like to use stickers. I'm obsessed with the Mom Life sticker book from MAMBI. For my sports themed stickers, I use FarmWifeBre on Etsy. I absolutely love them. They are the perfect size for my planner, great quality, and shipping is super quick!
I have been keeping up with my boys' schedules this way for years now. Coach Hubby is an IT guy, so he thinks I'm crazy for using a paper planner. Apparently millennials should be paperless. Ha! Something about having to physically write it all down helps me to process and remember it all.
I know that what works for me will not work for everyone else, so I reached out to the awesome Sports Mamas in my Facebook Group (have you joined us yet?) to see what they use to keep up with their youth athletes' schedules.
The majority of them use some sort of electronic calendar. Many of them use iCalendar or the calendars on their smart phones, some use Google calendar, and Outlook was also mentioned. One particular Mama mentioned an app called "Family Organizer". It allows you to create a family calendar which can be synced to everyone's device. She said that she can even add stuff to her daughter's day (i.e. an appt.) and it will send her a notification. How cool is that? I will definitely be checking it out soon!
Planners were the next most popular. (Woot woot. Planner girls stand up!).
After planners were dry-erase boards. The mamas that use these say they keep them somewhere in their kitchen such as on the refrigerator or in their command centers. The biggest pro is the ability for your entire family to see it as well as the ease of erasing should a game be changed or canceled. Color coding was also mentioned.
Lastly, were team scheduling apps such as TeamSnap, Shutterfly, Sports Engine, and the Sports Illustrated Play app. These are all great tools. TeamSnap is my bff during football season! Aside from sharing your team schedule, you can also share the team roster, photos, videos, and more. Most of these apps have both free and paid versions.
Youth sports can be overwhelming. I promise that being organized definitely helps cut down on the chaos. As you continue along this awesome journey that is #sportsmamahood, you will find what works best for you and your athlete(s).
I hope you found this post helpful! Remember to embrace the crazy, it doesn't last forever!
*** GIVEAWAY TIME: (CLOSED) Breanna Cameron aka FarmWifeBre is offering one lucky winner a FREE sheet of her sports themed planner stickers! Head on over to my Instagram page @confessionsofasportsmama to enter. GOOD LUCK!!!
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