Back to school chaos

Cathy and I finally got to relax on our August summer vacations. We even met with our families for a night on the beach out on the East End of Long Island. It was an ideal party: lots of friendly, low-key families, kids running around on the sand making instant friends, yummy food, perfect weather, finished up with a small bonfire and smores. It doesn't get better than that. This was the first vacation since we started Twin Set three summers ago that I didn't take my laptop. I had my blackberry with me, of course, but I used that mostly to set up a tennis date when we got back home. It felt good to relax. Before we took off for the week, my husband and I did our best to tee up for low-stress upon our return...back-to-school is only a week and a half after we got home. I was in good shape at work before I left and I worked hard this week to stay that way. I finally plotted all of the kids activities and my work schedule on my master family planner (which is a momagenda, by the way). And new sneakers, clothes, and ballet shoes have been purchased for the three kids (on sale or with coupons whenever possible). But still, the new routine is rocking my world. I even tried getting the kids to bed earlier when we were on vacation. Despite all of my preparation and thoughtfulness, it is still a zany time of year for parents. How do you moms manage it all?