The After School Mad Dash
After school time for our family is riddled with chaos. It is second only to bedtime. The after school hours from 3:30-6:30 leave me a little out of breath. In fact, during the school year, I feel like the starting gun goes off at 5:00 am, and I spend the rest of the day running. I think if I focused and tried to do “after school” better, my whole family would benefit.
Although I realize I could change some things and avoid struggles during this period, there are certain activities I’m doing right.
The Workout
I learned early on that it is really hard to make myself run or lift weights after I’ve gotten home from a long day at work. So I needed an adjustment for my health. After school is the most common time for my workout partner (or sometimes partners) to kick it up a notch with some terrible cardio mixed with strength training. Although this allows for zero down time once my students exit, it is so essential for my overall mental well being. Having a partner motivates me to attempt a workout, but having a strict schedule ensures that I make the most of the time I am allotted. I mean, I live far away from work, and my puppy needs let out. Working out is vital for my physical health, and it allows for my workout partners and me to connect and unwind while pushing each other to the next level with stadium stairs or medicine balls. Email tessa@familyfootnote.com for ideas for a quick and painful 20-30 minutes.
Talking to My Kids
I made a choice to have a 20-30 minute commute from my work to home because my neighbors are too awesome for words, and we’ll never find these people anywhere else. Due to the length of the drive, my younger two usually take part in a nap. During the rare occasions when they are all awake, we talk about their days. Usually, I get one word answers from my boys, and I get an hour-by-hour replay from my daughter. This time is pretty fun if traffic is behaving itself. There is nothing I can do but drive, so I am focused on my kids and their day. That’s a pretty good time.
Room for Improvement
In many cases, we get home from the school day at about 4:45, and I have exactly 30 minutes to feed two of the children a snack or meal. As a teacher, my patience deteriorates throughout the day with other people’s children, so I don’t have much left in my tank for the empathy required to really help with my kids and their hangry moments. I sympathize because the hunger is real in all of us. Much like bears who have hibernated for a winter, my children and I come home with food on the brain. We ravage that pantry like nobody’s business and snack like someone is about to take away our food source. Lately, I have been doing a Whole Life Challenge that has stopped this unhealthy habit, but my children aren’t on that challenge, so they get something to calm their hunger and make it another half an hour until dinner.
Activity Nights
Our family unity is really in jeopardy the nights that they have practices. Most of the time, it’s a mess and a mad dash. I’ll think I have planned for a week’s worth of meals, only to discover I’m missing a key ingredient or we’ll have a little of something, but nowhere near enough for three children to have an equal meal. I have had parents tell me that they switch snack and dinner. They move dinner to 4:45 for the kids in the sport, and have them grab a healthy snack when they come from practice. I have tried this a couple of times, and it works wonderfully. It is also great if you’ve got a crock pot going. 
My favorite crock pot site is the Crockin’ Girls’ website. My personal favorites are Chicken and Dumplings and The Most Amazing Pork Chops Ever.
Intentional Unwinding
I hear so often how damaging it is for parents to constantly tell their children to hurry or rush, but that’s what I do quite a bit after work and before athletics and before school and after school and on the weekends. Ahhh, I need to calm down. This is an area of concern, and one that I have been working on. I have recently come across the power of “intentional unwinding.” What this does is helps you conclude one area of your day before you begin your next task. This can be as simple as taking ten minutes to change and a few deep breaths after work and before dinner starts. This can be having a simple snack with the kids before rushing them out the door for the next part of our night. This can be sitting outside with our awesome German Short-hair and throwing some Frisbee before setting out all of the clothes for the next day. I have tried this here and there, but I plan to make this more intentional in the next week. This practice allows us as parents to be present for each activity and to maybe take in all that each part of our day has to offer, rather that continually thinking of what’s next. It may also help us calm down our little ones. 
Read more about it here. Stay at home moms, this is especially important for you. This author mentions that creating a distinction between duties can really help with your schedule and your sanity.
Our after school time can be pretty stressful, but I believe I play a big role in that. By being purposeful with my actions and words, I think I can help us all calm down and realize we’ve got everything if we’ve got each other. How do you do it? Let us know on our Facebook or Twitter.