An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Prepare for the worst, expect the best. These sayings are absolutely true, and they speak to one of the challenges of parenthood. As much as we may fantasize about a long uninterrupted bath, a quiet hour to read a book, a good workout, or even an extra hour of sleep, these things are not as restorative as the satisfaction of an entire day that just went right. Too often we are in crisis mode, fixing or adjusting to a mishap, or unexpected glitch.

I want to convince you that looking back on a day gone well, is a tremendous feeling. You have a feeling of empowerment, of control, that is much better than the desperate collapse of stealing a relaxing moment. Not that I’m anti- workout, or anti-sleep! My idea is just that once you can turn the corner from playing catch – up to planning out a day, you will feel less stress, and less cumulative need for those moments of relief. You’ll even be able to work in more rest stops along the way!

Here’s the point: If you can devote yourself to a little planning ahead, you will reap a huge reward. The idea is to work smarter, not harder. When I cook, I cook for an army. I freeze half, thus saving myself half the dinner prep time in the future. When I look at my schedule, I don’t just look at the day ahead, I look at the next three months. That way, I know I need three birthday gifts, not one. That means one shopping trip, not three. Better yet, I spend 10 minutes at the computer ordering the things I need instead of dragging everyone out at the last minute because the party was the next day.

I do the same with the doctor visits, (all the kids the same day) more than one checkup on the same day if possible ( dentist and pediatrician). That way a minimum time is spent out of school, and we are not making multiple visits. I also group things geographically. Never mind that I have to drive an extra ten minutes, but I choose the stores and errands that are nearer to each other.

I also treat my car like a very organized locker. I always have emergency change of clothes, snacks, garbage bags, paper towels, and party favors ready to go. It takes 10 minutes to grab a bag and put these things together. Having them on hand is invaluable when you’re stuck on the road, your child throws up, or whatever. Think diaper bag on a larger scale. We are a car society, so having a well stocked car means you can have everything at your fingertips. In the winter, I also put old ( grown out of, sort of) coats, mitten, gloves, boots and blanket in a duffle bag. In case we are ever stranded with car trouble, we won’t freeze.

There are also a host of things I don’t let get in the way of my routine. Forgotten lunch is at the top of this list. I have brought lunch, only if and when I’m going out for other errands, or if the after-school schedule was particularly late. Assuming your children get three meals a day, not having a lunch one day, and subsisting on a donated snack from a friend, is a growing experience. We all believe that getting hungry is to be avoided at all costs! We should teach out children what we can do to help those who are truly hungry, and not over indulge them with constant snacking.

Other things that I don’t let get in my way are forgotten favorite toys, etc. because I believe that children never learn something till it becomes important and meaningful to them. Parents need to stop providing every thing to their kids before the child even knows he or she needs it. One bored car ride without a toy might be annoying to you, but it will make your child responsible to bring the toy from then on.

Always look for ways to remove yourself from the equation, and give them real opportunities to do for themselves. Wouldn’t that be a relief, not to have to react to, and stress out from a forgotten this or that. You’ll be teaching kids that planning ahead, and being prepared can make life less stressful, and make you feel empowered for having gotten it right! Win-win.