Getting Back on Track

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and the makers of One A Day Multivitamins.

You know what they say: The higher you fly, the farther you fall. And boy, did we fly high this summer. We spread our wings and soared to far-off places like Chicago, New York, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dover, Birmingham and more. After five weeks of driving on the "wrong" side of the road, living out of a suitcase, doting in-laws who did all the laundry in between trips, going to bed late because the sun was shining until nine-thirty in the evening, and trying a new English chocolate bar every day, it's not surprising that coming back home felt like more of a crash-landing than usual (Literally -- the day before we left the UK, Jammy did a spectacular face-plant into the sidewalk after skateboarding without a helmet, which was only further evidence of how far removed we had become from our normal rules and habits). Going home meant going from walking in places like this:
To this:
Getting back to our schooltime routine this year involves quite a bit more than getting used to waking up early, so we're doing a couple of things to help ourselves out: * Take it one small step at a time. We were so far out of our regular routine that changing everything back at once would have been way too much. So we've been doing it gradually. We've traveled to the UK often enough to know that it takes about a week for us to get over our jet lag, so I made sure we arrived in the US two weeks before the start of the schoolyear. I also scheduled a few playdates for the kids because they literally hadn't seen any of their friends the whole summer, and we won't be signing up for too many afterschool activities this fall so the kids aren't too overwhelmed with organized activities. * Write things down After such a long break, tasks seem to be popping up like daisies -- I need to block off calendar dates for school events, sign up to volunteer, sign up for afterschool classes, schedule doctors' appointments and a million other things like the Spring Cleaning I never got around to finishing. Rather than rushing to do the first thing that pops into my mind, I find that making lists really helps me see the big picture and prioritize what needs to be done first. Plus, crossing things off lists is really, really satisfying. * Make it a game I'm taking a cue from Mary Poppins and adding spoonfuls of sugar to ease the painful process of watching the clock. We've turned our morning and evening routine into a game -- every morning the first child to be ready for school gets a point, and every evening there's another point up for grabs to the first child to be ready for bed. We keep track of points on a chart, and at the end of September the child with the most points gets to choose whatever activity they want for a family day. By the way, games aren't just for kids -- thanks to the makers of One-A-Day Multi-vitamins, I've discovered a new online tool (I suspect it's called an "online tool" because we're grownups and all, but it's actually fun like a game) that can help ease you back into a routine and maintain a focused lifestyle. Players can "create" their own Wellness Tree by choosing 3 areas that matter most -- finances, career, health, spirituality, relationships, etc.., there's no wrong answer -- and "grow" their tree by committing to simple daily actions that develop those areas. So whether you've been to the UK, or to hell and back, My Tree is an easy, fun way to help you get back on track! Win a $150 Visa Gift Card One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will win a $150 Visa Gift card courtesy of the makers of One a Day Multi-vitamins and BlogHer. To enter, just leave a comment on this post and share your best tip for finding and sticking to a good daily routine. You can get extra entries by tweeting and blogging about this giveaway, making sure to include a link to this giveaway in your tweet or blog post. Just leave a comment on this post and share the link to your tweet or blog post. Entries will be accepted until October 21, 2010. For full giveaway rules, click here. You can also gain 5 more chances to win $150 from other participating bloggers, plus a chance to win $100 on the BlogHer One A Day exclusive offers page. Good luck! Disclosure: this is sponsored content courtesy of BlogHer and the makers of One a Day Multi-vitamins. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.