Before becoming a mom I used my calendar to remind myself of my friend’s and family birthdays, when I had my doctor’s appointments, when I had a scheduled event for work, etc. I would say I was pretty on top of everything, never forgetting a special date, but then I had a baby.

The first few weeks after the baby is born your schedule is no longer yours. And if you allow it, it will continue to be the case until you take control of it again. On top of no sleep with a newborn, I also felt that my brain was lacking energy. I felt slower and I started forgetting things that were so obvious before. Of course, as a mom you are never going to have full control of your schedule. Kids get sick, there is unexpected birthday invitations, school events and many more. But you can try your best to keep your sanity by using a calendar.

The moment I started using my calendar again was when I had my second child. My life was a complete mess with one kid, but we managed and I though I didn’t have time to sit down and be putting things on the calendar. Little did I know that I had plenty of time and I was just not managing it correctly.

When my son was born and now I had to take care of a toddler and a baby and still be on top of school events, birthday parties, gift buying, etc.; the calendar became my best friend. Without it I was feeling stressed, unaccomplished, anxious and eventually depressed. I never had time for me, never had time to just have a family day without having to do a million errands on the weekends. Life is not perfect and it can get messy at times, but a calendar helps to start setting a routine and perhaps get back your sanity.

To start get yourself a big calendar that you can hang somewhere in the house where the whole family can see it. This way everyone is aware of what is happening each week and if you forget something, someone else in the family can remind you. 

I start by taking the school calendar and putting all the main events on my calendar that I feel will affect my daily routine. For example, teacher planning days, spring break, family events at school, open house, christmas vacation, etc. Then I go through all the bills that get paid every month and write it in when it’s due every month. This way I know that if it’s been a crazy month, I have a quick reminder to pay the bills on time to avoid late fees or cancellations. Finally I schedule events for me and the family, like taking an art class for adults, going to a picnic one saturday a month with the kids, taking a weekend trip to visit family and anything else you would like to do for family bonding. This doesn’t mean that you need to know the exact date you are doing anything, but if you put it in your calendar you are most likely to plan ahead and do it.

For all the parents out there I must say that if you want sanity and feel that you still have control of what you do with your time, then take time to create a schedule and use a calendar. Life as a parent doesn’t have to be stressful and messy all the time. You should be able to have moments where you are just enjoying each other’s company.