Are you trying to wrangle your busy family?
I sure am. The question always seems to be “Where do I need to be and what time do I have to be there?”
This is the burning question you probably ask yourself too. It’s like you know something is happening. You’ve got teens. Something is always happening. You just have to remember what it is and when you’re supposed to show up.
I feel your pain friend. I am exactly the same way.
It seems logical that having just a couple of kids would make it easy to remember simple schedules. Number one, what are you calling simple? And number two, it’s not happening.
Here’s the truth, I’m aging. My brain doesn’t function like it used to. I need help. And, living with a tween and teen is like wrangling frogs in a wheelbarrow some most days.
Knowing this I’ve enlisted some serious assistance in my life that I am sure can help you too.
Thank you, Lord, for Google. I couldn’t manage a day without my Google Calendar. It just wouldn’t happen. Knowing me, I’d be sitting in the car, dressed and ready but without a clue about where I’m supposed to go.
Over the years, I’ve tried everything from a big calendar on the fridge to snazzy paid apps on my phone. But for me, nothing works like a Google Calendar for keeping everyone in our family organized.
And, there’s more. The icing on the cake is, it works for everyone in our household: me, my husband, my teen, and my tween. We all use a Google Calendar and it keeps us organized as a family. You know you want some of that!
Getting Started With Google Calendar
It’s easy to get started with your own Google Calendar. If you have a Gmail account you have access to a calendar as well. On most computers, you can find the calendar in the list of accessible add-ons from the main Google screen. It probably looks something like this (click the 9 dot square to access):
The icon with the 31 is your calendar.
I’m going to assume you know how to maneuver around your calendar using the different views and options so that I can show you my top five favorite aspects of using Google Calendar to wrangle a busy family. If you need help with getting around, just let me know in the comments.
Linking Calendars
One of the most beautiful things about using Google Calendar for busy families is the ability to link your calendars together. Most likely your husband has a Gmail account and hopefully, you claimed Gmail accounts for your kids early on. If so, you can link them all together in just a couple of easy steps.
Try this link for the easiest directions: Share your calendar
My husband works two jobs. He’s a utility arborist and his company uses Google Calendar in their day-to-day operations. I don’t need access to that. No, thank you.
But, he’s also a fishing guide and clients are always calling and emailing him without my knowledge. Since our calendars are linked together he can see what days we have family activities or pre-scheduled events and I can see when he’s going to be away on the river because he took advantage of an open time to book a trip.
When I can see his calendar I can make the proper arrangements for getting our kids to their events without a hitch. There is no miscommunication because it’s all there in black and white. Or in our case, blue and purple. This leads me to…
Color-coding activities
Keeping everyone’s schedules straight seems easy once you get it all on the calendar. I’ve found that for even more ease, a color-coding system makes it all flow like “buttah.” I use a different color for each kid’s activities and one for events that include them both, such as dentist appointments or parties.
It’s simple to color-code each person’s events in the individual event screen.
With color-coding I’m able to see at a glance who is doing what and when, no matter where I am, on my phone, at my computer…
Universality across devices
We have a teen in our house who has a smartphone. We have a tween who does not. But he does have a computer and a tablet and he can use and see his calendar on those other devices. It works everywhere. From phones to tablets, it’s available to everyone.
I also use Google Classroom with him in our homeschool. Classroom links to Calendar so I can create assignments and projects for him that he can see right on his own device. I don’t have to nag or cajole. It’s all right at his fingertips.
There are no excuses when we are all using the calendar to track our events and schedules. Everyone can see what is going on and make plans accordingly.
Easy-to-use apps
As far as apps go, I’ve been a CalenGoo user for well over a decade. It’s the perfect app for my Android phone (it’s available in the App Store too) and links to Google Calendar with ease. I’ve never had a problem using it and it has an interface that is very comfortable and simple.
There are multiple widgets you can add to your home screen from daily, weekly, to monthly views as well as a tasks list and even an agenda setting. I like the weekly view the best. It’s all my old brain can handle but also so easy to get to any of the other views for a bigger perspective.
I especially like the task section because it helps me to prioritize all the things I need to DO. It seems like I get a million ideas in my head at once and I need a way to categorize and prioritize them. But guess what? I have two young people who have a lot of things going on as well. They need to learn how to keep their acts together because you know what? One day I won’t be around. So….they need to be able to take care of their own schedules and that is the very BEST part about using Google Calendar…
It teaches self-sufficiency
We’ve been a homeschool family since day one. That means I’ve done a lot for my kids. I’ve kept track of lots of things, but I’m also a big believer in self-sufficiency and I have worked hard to make sure my kids will leave my house one day as capable adults.
They still may wash all their clothes in one color-frenzied load and they might eat cereal morning, noon, and night (their choice) but gosh darn it, they’ll be able to schedule their classes and their appointments because our busy family used Google Calendar.
Take that nerd patrol!
So, there you have it. Some excellent reasons you should set your family up on Google Calendar. It’s easy, it’s effective, and it makes for better human beings.
Are you ready to wrangle your busy family with Google Calendar?
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