Every year we all start out with the best of intentions, don't we? With new calendars and diaries; hoping to keep our lives as organised and prepared as possible. But now we're in March I’ve realised that things have started to slip, and we’re slowly descending back into a world of chaos.

Even though we still manage to get everything done and we still get to (mostly) everything on time, there are still those heart-stopping moments when I realise we’ve forgotten to something, or the deadline for an important piece of work has passed. So with that in mind, I thought I’d gather together some helpful tips on how you (and I) can finally organise our family calendars.

Make Everyone Responsible for Organising their own Tasks
This isn’t a possibility for really little ones, but it is great to introduce as your children start to get older. Create a calendar where each family member has their own section (weekly calendars are particularly good for this) and use this to assign to-dos and tasks. Then as each person completes their tasks, they tick them off - and perhaps even get a reward for getting to the end of their list. You could even create a calendar in Google so you can set up automated alerts!

Not only does this help you keep on top of everything each week, but it’s also a great tool for helping teach your children organisational skills. The incentive of a reward for achieving everything will also (hopefully) make them keener to do the more dreaded chores too.

Sort out Important Monthly/Yearly Tasks in Advance
One huge downfall for many families is to put things off until a later date. For example, if your yearly dental appointment isn’t due for another month or so you might say to yourself that you’ll sort that out next week. But before you know it, you’re overdue and struggling to get an appointment.

It's best to look at all those important things you need to do over the course of the year, and make sure they’re entered into your calendar well in advance. Need to tax the car in April? Make sure you’ve reminded yourself about this in the last week of March. Equally, I also find it beneficial to have an afternoon of booking and organising things that I can prepare in advance. For instance, you could book your MOT a good month or so before it’s due – and you might even want to look for companies that do remote MOTs so you don’t even have to leave the house!

Sitting down and looking at all of those important things you and your family need to complete each month, will really help you prioritise and organise your tasks. And even though this may feel like a daunting task at first, it will be more than worth it if you want to reduce your stress levels, and the risk of forgetting something, a few months down the line!

This is a collaborative post.

How to Prepare your Car for Long Road Trips

Most of us love days out and holidays as a family, but there are probably only a few of us who enjoy the long car journeys that these can involve. But with so many places to visit in the UK and further afield, it’s almost always worth the travel. And thankfully, there are a few ways we can prepare ourselves (and our cars) for these long trips!

Organisation
For any trip organisation is key, and this is especially true when it comes to packing your car. With clever packing, a long car journey could become a straightforward process! A spacious, reliable car will heighten comfort for everyone who’s travelling too. Luckily specialists like the AA can guarantee both qualities for customers, so you can keep children entertained and create comfort at the same time.

If you're worried about mess, make sure your children only bring small to medium sized items. This way they can easily be slotted in the side holders of each passenger door, or in the back pockets of the front seats. If you don't have either of these, it's definitely worth investing in a car seat organiser, as these save so much space!

Entertainment
Toys can be great entertainment devices, but only for a certain amount of time. Eventually, little ones are likely to want something else to focus on, so it may help to have a back-up plan. Consider your children’s hobbies. Do they like reading for example? If so, why not buy an audiobook of a story by their favourite author. Or if they like a certain film, then why not buy the soundtrack to listen to during the trip. You can even play simple road games as a family. Whatever it is, make sure to mix it up during the trip, to prevent anyone from getting bored.

Dining

A lot of people may prefer to avoid eating in the car at all costs. But when you’re stuck in a vehicle with children on a motorway, this can be tricky to sustain. Especially if you want to avoid hungry, grumpy passengers! If you prepare food wisely you can help to prevent most of the mess - opt for dry foods and lidded cups, and avoid anything crumbly or sticky at all costs. Better still, factor in a stop at a services - that way you can eat outside of the car, and everyone can stretch their legs too!

With a bit of forward planning, long car journeys can be just as fun as the destination we are driving too. Just remember to pack everything you need, plan your route properly, and stop regularly for food and toilet breaks!

This is a collaborative post.