As August comes to a close, many of us are preparing for the fast-approaching school year. Families are stocking up on school supplies while actively making plans to squeeze the last drops of fun out of summer vacation. While evenings are slowly cooling off and the hoodies we all shoved to the back of the closet are dragged out, kids are looking forward to meeting new students and teachers, joining sports teams, auditioning for the fall play, or even starting a new after-school club of their own! One thing is for sure: we are headed into a hectic season for parents. From taxiing kids around town to balancing schedules, this list of handy hacks for life on the go was collected from active Oregon families just like you. Hopefully, it serves as a helpful reminder that a little bit of preparation and knowledge can go a long way to ease the strain of a busy school year!

Stocking the Car

While Oregon may be deeply appreciated for its lush, green landscape, it comes with a price. The activities your family members need to get to can be many miles and even cities apart! Cherriots bus or bike can only get you so far, and oftentimes Oregonians find themselves dependent on cars to navigate the state. Fueling up for trips is not only important for your gas tank. Hours on the road can be grueling for everyone, and that is why a stocked travel bag of supplies can be a lifesaver! Basic staples can include:

– backup set of clean clothing for each family member–do not forget the socks and undies!
– shelf-stable snacks minimally impacted by temperature change, such as jerky, nuts, fruit bars, and crackers
– roll of toilet paper for unexpected mess or as emergency kindling
– gallon jug or a few bottles of drinking water
– notepad, a couple of pens, and a small travel game such as sudoku, fireside story dice, or boggle
– roll of doggie bags to be utilized for wet items or a convenient way of collecting trash to help keep our state clean and green
– sunscreen and bug spray
– first-aid kit (complete with useful extras like topical antibiotic, fingernail clippers, and tweezers)
– waterproof blanket (we prefer a version with one waterproof side and one soft, absorbent side for a dual-purpose towel or dry place to sit)

These items are a great foundation for a road-preparedness kit. Consider adding additional safety tools such as a small fire extinguisher, flashlights, batteries, and a portable power bank. A majority of these items may remain unused, but remember the adage: it is better to be safe than sorry! Here is an additional article that dives into an emergency preparedness checklist for Oregon drivers. Each family is unique, so freely customize the travel bag contents to suit your needs.

Potty Time

If you have ventured outside of Oregon’s borders, you may have noticed the discrepancy between our own rest areas and those in other states. Rest stops in Oregon are intuitively designed to be safe and convenient places for travelers to recoup before continuing on the road. Often there are vending machines and information kiosks with free local activity pamphlets and maps. Some of the larger stops even have a fresh coffee stand! Use the official Oregon Rest Areas webpage to educate yourself on these locations. Be aware that multiple studies have proven tired driving is just as dangerous as drunk driving, so toilets are not the only useful part of Oregon rest areas. However, I am confident all of us have been in a situation where a toilet was not nearby and yet desperately needed. Those of you with potty-training toddlers are frequent victims of this very problem! Take a helpful hint from local garbagemen, the workers who are on the road all day with no regular access to bathrooms. They have learned–mostly via unpleasant experiences–to keep their eyes peeled for construction sites or groups of roofing and painting companies. Where there are lots of outdoor workers, there are always porta-potties! Every human understands the urgent, unavoidable need for a restroom in inconvenient places. As long as the porta-potty is not within fenced working areas, relief is only a polite question away. Still, this is no fool-proof system for potty troubles. As an extra precaution, my family made the decision to purchase a collapsible emergency toilet that easily slips under a car seat. For under thirty dollars, we now have a toilet wherever we go! In less than a few months, we definitely got our money’s worth out of it (saving many pairs of pants and ourselves a lot of embarrassment in the process). 

Family Briefing

What do Oregon Ducks football players and your family need to have in common? The useful pre-game huddle! Clear communication is an essential component within an effective team, so it is vital to set aside time each week for all members of the family to get together and go over the schedule. All players need to know their individual responsibilities as well as the unified goal for the group in order to play the game well! Within your own family, take a look at which day of the week would be easiest to make the briefing happen consistently, then make it a habit. Naturally, some unplanned additions and changes can occur throughout each week, but the whole family will be more educated and adaptable if the briefing is dependable and the communication remains transparent and open. Many families have found it helpful to have a master schedule board hanging in a common space of the house. This master schedule can be utilized in a monthly, weekly, or daily format–whichever suits your home life and communication style best. Here are some helpful items to include on your master schedule and cover during weekly family briefing sessions:

– work and school timeframes
– doctor/vet appointments
– extracurricular activities
– social visits or family events
– chores
– meal planning
– shopping lists

Encourage all family members to carry their own copy of the master schedule around with them, either via picture(s) on a cellphone or within an individual planner. It is never too early or too late to foster responsibility in our children. If the prospect of weekly family briefing seems too dull, follow up with something more enjoyable. Consider coupling the weekly brief with a family game/movie night or order out from your favorite restaurant. Check out this article from Oregon State University detailing six qualities of strong families for additional encouragement. Efficient communication does not have to be a hassle, but it does need to be a priority!