Back to School is not for the faint of heart. Between PTA meetings, orientations, class breakfasts, and curriculum nights (of course multiplied by the number of children you have), how is a parent supposed to get anything else done? And that doesn’t take into account the scheduling and preparing that needs to be done before that glorious first day of school.

Here are some of my favorite tips for making back to school as enjoyable as possible:

1. Have a glass of wine. A chilled bottle of Pinot is as essential during this time as pencil cases and notebooks.

2. Don’t be afraid to say no…to heading the benefit committee, to play dates your child doesn’t want, and to activities that are inconvenient for you.

3. Do volunteer—for something fun and easy. By volunteering to plan the parents’ night out, you can ensure that its location and date work for you. By volunteering to plan the 6th grade graduation party, you can win points with your child without suffering through a year-long commitment.

4. Start your schedule by locking in the activity your kid likes most. Once you know when that meets, you can branch out from there.

5. Back up all homework on an external hard drive or flash drive. Saving these files externally will protect documents from being accidentally deleted by other family members.

6. Overscheduling is a myth, especially if your kids are old enough to have discovered the computer. Put it this way; if they’re playing tennis or doing ballet, they’re not i-chatting.