Organization

Buying clothes and supplies for back-to-school puts a strain on the family budget.  Whatever the age of their kids, sports parents not only need to find room in their budget for equipment and registration fees but also their time.

One of the best ways to help your kids stay organized so they can perform at their best in sports is to make sure they have a well-equipped sports bag, which is easy to fill, store and grab. 

Having a child playing sports, or two or three, can be a logistical and organizational challenge even for the most organized mom.  Here are twenty ways to mange your time and money during the helter skelter of a youth sports season.

At no other time since the dawn of civilization have parents needed to choreograph their lives to the split second like they do today. We try to keep track of our busy lives, and those of our kids, by any and all means possible: Desk calendars,smart-phones , Blackberries, 16 by 20 wall calendars, sticky notes, three-ring binders, and computers. Just getting our kids to all their activities can be exhausting to think about, unless you learn how to organize, prioritize and plan ahead.

To stay organized and survive the youth sports rat race without having a nervous breakdown make lists and keep a calendar, says veteran sports mom, Pamela Carey.

Not only do youth sports cost a lot of money, they also soak up an incredible amount of time, both yours and your child's. While there are a lot of positives to sports participation, you need to gauge your level of commitment before getting your child seriously involved in any sport.

Just getting your kids to all their activities can be exhausting to think about, unless you learn how to organize, prioritize and plan ahead.

A failure to be organized can negatively affect the sports experience for everyone in the family - parent and child.

Car pools are a sports mom's best friend, lightening the load of all those trips to practices and games that weigh so many moms down. They also save on the cost of gas (and with a gallon costing over $4 per gallon these days, probably for good, those savings could be substantial) and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But they require commitment and planning if they are going to work...

Here are some tips for staying organized when your child is playing sports...