Maycember Survival Guide: Thriving During the Busiest Time of Year
What is Maycember? And Why do I need Maycember Survival Guide? Great Question!
Maycember is the idea that the month May ends up being just as busy as December with school and kid’s spring activities. Kid’s spring sports, music lessons, extracurriculars, and school all end and there are activities associated with all of these! At the end of the spring semester, there are concerts, tournaments, showcases, final exams, projects due, and teacher gifts to buy! Then pile on Mother’s Day, field day, a school fundraiser, band recital, and end-of-the-year banquet, and your calm spring just turned into Maycember survival!
The Holderness Family Video about Maycember is as hysterical as it is relatable. In their YouTube Video, the lyrics say Maycember has “all the craziness of December without the fun cookies and twinkle lights.” Any parent who has had a child in school in May knows this is extremely accurate!
Maycember Survival Strategy
Get Events on the Calendar
Pull out your paper or digital calendar. Then wrangle together dates for all school and extracurricular activities.
- Start with actual holidays in May. At the top of the list are Mother’s Day and Memorial Day.
- Next, add in academic events (projects or report due dates, exams, and the last day of school)
- Now move on to the other school related events: school carnival, field trips, school fundraiser, field day, book fair, school dance, and special dress-up days. Hopefully, you don’t have all of those to sort through!
- Extra-curricular schedules: band recitals, art show, baseball games, soccer tournaments.
This is where things can start to feel overwhelming! Just get everything out there for your family to go over before you start prioritization!
Prioritize what you will attend
Prioritization is a key strategy for Maycember Survival! Start with a list of required activities for you and your kids. Next, consider what activities are the most meaningful to you and your kids. This will be different for every family and that is okay!
There can be many awards ceremonies, field trips, class parties, and other day-time events. It can be hard to balance work responsibilities and being there for your kids. Ask your child which event they would most like you to attend and start there. You and your spouse could alternate some events to limit time away from work. Consider asking a grandparent or other family friend if they could be there with your child. Grandparents often have a little more time and flexibility and generally love opportunities to spend quality time with grandchildren.
List any items to gather up or purchases for each event
This is the part of Maycember that can really cause stress. Not only are there a lot of events, but frequently you need to bring extra items for these events! I like to add any extra item (teacher gift, plates for a class part, the school shirt for a field trip) to the calendar event when I enter it.
Some other times you may need to round up around the house or shop for are:
- Teacher and school staff gifts
- Graduation Gifts
- Gifts for extra-curricular teachers, tutors, or coaches at the end of the semester
- Special clothing (a dress or a sports coat for a spring concert, a special costume for a play or dance recital)
- School or Class shirt for field trips or field day
Decide When Enough is Enough
There is no doubt your schedule will be full during Maycember! During any busy stretch it’s a good idea to put in place practices that help you and your family stay healthy and regulated!
- Automate as much as possible to keep your home running smoothly
- Getting in bed early and rest when possible
- Prioritizing healthy meals for your family (These are our favorite breakfasts and recipe resources for when life feels busy)
- Doing things that help you and your family decompress (take a family walk, eat dinner outside on a nice evening, turn off screens and read)
- Know when you and your kids need a break! It may let someone down or hurt someone’s feelings but sometimes you may need to give yourself or your kids an out and skip something. We want to teach our kids responsibility and to honor commitments. We also want them to know that their physical and mental health matters and we all need time to rest!
Let me know in the comments below how your family will survive Maycember!
