Extracurricular Overload Every parent knows that a poorly organized tangle of kids’ activities is a recipe for a migraine. As school starts up again, so does sports season, and your kids’ extracurricular ambitions pile up like the falling autumn leaves. Don’t let yourself get burnt out. Here are some tips to stay sane in the midst of the extracurricular whirlwind. Consolidate all your scheduling, jotting, and activity-tracking into one system. Let’s get one thing straight: You can’t afford to be scrawling “Abby piano lesson rescheduled 9/21” on the first scrap of paper you come across. That doesn’t mean you have to be hyper-organized, but it does mean that you need to keep your entire calendar in one place, whether that place is Google Calendar, a fridge whiteboard, or the old-fashioned standby: a calendar with a lighthouse on every page. One particularly attractive option is the Cozi app (cozi.com), which not only consolidates an entire family’s calendars, but allows you to include to-do lists, shopping lists, recipes, chore checklists, and more. Whichever system you choose, keep it updated. Its word is law.
How To Demystify Your Kids’ Jampacked Schedules
Form parent alliances. Those soccer practices Jacob’s going to? There are other teammates there, and they have parents shuttling them around, just like you are. Set up carpools — Noah’s mom drives them both Tuesday while you’ve got Thursdays — to manage scheduling conflicts between your kids and drastically reduce the time you spend as a chauffeur. To simplify the process and make sure everyone’s on the same page, check out the Carpool-Kids app at carpool-kids.com. It’ll let you directly invite other parents and set up weekly or one-shot carpool schedules. Maintain balance. You almost certainly will need to say no to additional extracurricular activities every now and then. Sure, simultaneous baseball, football, and soccer seasons might seem healthy and fun for your kid, but you need to consider your own needs, as well. Many parents give their children free rein over what to choose, but limit activities to one or two per season. Johnny wants to do underwater basket weaving? Strange choice, but sure — though he’ll have to abandon either fencing or ice hockey. Make sure you weigh each child’s needs equally, and keep the rules the same for each of them.
Meet BRICE PAYNE! COACH SPOTLIGHT
As we enter fall, it’s time to say goodbye to our summer camps at Next Level Tumbling. These last sessions were a blast for both coaches and campers alike, though nobody had
the way up in Auburn, Maine. In addition to traveling wherever the wind takes him, Coach Brice enjoys hiking, golf, disc golf, kayaking, and chasing storms. Basically, if it lets him be up and moving, you can bet he’ll like to take part. Coach Brice’s energetic personality makes him an excellent tumbling coach, but his biggest gift is his passion. He loves this sport, and it shows in every aspect of his coaching. Though Coach Brice doesn’t coach competitively at Next Level Tumbling, cheerleading hasn’t lost its excitement here. “I love the tumbling part,” he’s remarked on more than one occasion. “It’s great to work with young athletes and teach everything from standing tucks to fulls. Tumbling has always been my favorite part of being a coach.”
more fun than Coach Brice Payne! He is awesome at working summer camps, likely because he’s a big kid himself in some regards, which is meant as a compliment. Born and raised in Fairhope, Coach Brice has a great love for the area, especially Fish River and Weeks Bay. During his eight years as a tumbling coach, Coach Brice has worked with JV and varsity cheerleaders at schools across Fairhope. He’s coached teams at Fairhope Middle School, Summerdale Middle School, and
Bay Minette High School and has assisted Coach Lori in leading the cheerleaders of Spanish Fort Middle School to a first-place victory at camp in Home Pom Routine. Though Fairhope will always be his home, coach Brice loves to travel. His favorite destinations include California, Maine, and Denver. In fact, his favorite restaurant happens to be Mac’s Grill, all
When it comes to tumbling coaches, we’re happy to have one of the most fun-loving, fantastic coaches you could ever hope for. Thanks for everything, Coach Brice! We’re lucky to have you.
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