Schedule Ahead to Avoid Last-Minute Stress

Even this summer we felt under the gun with places to be.
“What time do you have to be at practice, Kathie?” I asked as I tried to gauge what I might do in the next hour.
“I think she (her coach) said 9:00 or 9:30. Wait a minute.” I watched her shuffle a slightly crumpled piece of paper out of her duffel bag. Lo and behold, this week’s practice schedule was printed in her writing.
“Let’s put that on the fridge,” I noted.
Last year, I invested in some heavy duty magnets and a 16-month calendar with plenty of room to write in each day’s block plus an area to make special notes. We pass it on our refrigerator as we come into the kitchen or go on down the hall to our bedrooms. Our schedules, appointments, and any other special reminders are supposed to be clipped there.
Before we’re off and running in the fast lane with new fall schedules for school, sports, and what-have-you, let’s make a few simple preparations to keep things running smoothly: