Keeping Up With Kids’ Activities While Showing Your House

Baseball season is still in full swing, with practice and games keeping you at the field for most of the week. Then, there is your daughter’s softball practice and games, and of course weekend dance classes or birthday parties that require your last free moments. How can you possibly sell a home and keep up with your busy schedule as a parent? Preparation is key.

For families, getting the home ready for a showing and getting out the door with everything you need for the next kid’s activity is stressful. Add to it all of the requirements of your regular daily schedules, and it can culminate into the perfect storm of fatigue and stress.

Here is how to make sure your home is ready to be seen and you are leaving the house equipped with everything the kids will need for the next game or dance class.

1. Plan clothing and uniforms the night before: Lay out clothes the night before each activity. Have everything the kids will wear ready to put on or pack to take with you.
   
   
2. Pack an essentials bag and leave it near the door, ready to go: A showing for your home is scheduled and multiple activities are on the calendar – this means you can easily forget something. How do you leave the house with everything you will need? Pack a bag ahead and include in it everyone’s water bottles, snacks, some wet wipes, tissues, sunscreen, any change of clothes that might be needed, and a book for you.
   
   
3. Avoiding grumpy afternoons: When you add selling your house to a busy schedule, little ones (and even parents) can get grumpy and tired of waiting for a sibling’s activity to be over. It’s often simpler to schedule a play date at a friend’s house (it never hurts to ask) or time with a drop-off babysitter for siblings without an activity scheduled that day. It beats them having to hang around and wait for their sister’s practice to end, and it makes it far more peaceful for mom and dad.
   
   
4. Shop for easy meals and quick snacks on the go: Accept the fact that a long leisurely dinner is probably not in the cards this week. Shop for essentials, ingredients for crock pot meals, and fast grab-and-go snacks.
   
   
5. Keep it fun. Remember that how you handle these busy schedules sets an example for how your kids handle it. Make it fun. Make it about family time together, even if that means hanging out in the park eating snacks after school, so you can keep the house clean and arrive at the next activity on time. Make the most of the time together and create fun memories.

Selling a home can be chaotic and stressful, so finding ways to be better prepared and well equipped for everyone’s busy schedule will make each day a bit easier to manage.