Organize :)

or-gan-ize /awrgeniz/ v.tr. 1a give an orderly structure to. b  make arrangements for (a person). 2 (often absol.) a enroll (new members) in a labor union, political party, etc. b form (a labor union or other political group). 3  (esp. as organized adj.) make organic; make into a living being or tissue. DK Illustrated Oxford Dictionary

Sometime in the past year (I can't pin point the exact moment) I became that chronically late person, who forgets their own doctor appointments, never calls anyone back, and empties their inbox into the recycling bin.  My kids, on the other hand are never late, always clean & fed, and rarely miss a planned activity.  So it's not like I'm absent minded, my priorities are just very clearly defined (in my mind at least), the kids come first.
With school and fall activities starting, everyone seems to be struggling to "get organized".  After having made myself aware of the formal definition of the word, I'm convinced it's one of the most popularly misunderstood words in an average persons vocabulary.  Being one of those people who thrive on chaos, I'm not sure I'd want to inflict myself with "orderly structure" or "a labor union".  So rather than be organized I'll instead strive to achieve some sort of balance that accommodates all the demands of family, work, and my child's education.
To get this "balancing act" up and rolling, I picked up a salon appointment book from our local beauty supply house. These types of schedule books are very efficient for us, ours has a column for each member of our family.  I know the idea of an actual appointment book sounds old school, but trying to manage four peoples lives on a cell phone just doesn't work for me (just making a phone call with a rambunctious baby on my hip is a challenge)   Next I figured out what can be eliminated from our tight schedule to make room for the new activities that are starting, then I filled in the "etched in stone obligations", and we'll just work on it from there.  Within the next few weeks, I fully expect that each little 15 minute interval of time will fill in, and before I have time to acknowledge that I've achieved a balance, summer will be here again :)