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Everyone talks about October like it’s all pumpkin patches and cozy sweaters, and sure, that part is cute. But if you have kids, you know October is really a logistics month.
It’s the month the first cold of the season works its way through your house one person at a time. It’s the month of minimum days that nobody remembered to put in the shared calendar, and parent-teacher conferences scheduled for 2:15 on a Tuesday. Your kid needs a costume that is somehow a shark and a princess at the same time, there are three class parties and two trunk-or-treats on the calendar, and the sign-up sheet wants you to bring something homemade.
And somewhere in the middle of all that, you still have a job to do.
You know the text we’re talking about. Your kid wakes up not feeling well, school is clearly not happening, and suddenly you and your partner are both staring at your calendars and quietly negotiating whose meeting matters more.
Someone ends up canceling, someone loses a workday, and whoever it is feels guilty either way.
This is exactly what backup care is for. You don’t need a full-time nanny to get through a week like this. You just need someone you trust who can step in when the plan falls apart before breakfast.
Between minimum days, teacher work days and conference week, October is full of days when school lets out at 12:30. Your workday, unfortunately, does not end at 12:30.
You could rearrange your entire week around those early pickups. Or you could have someone handle pickup, make lunch and keep everyone happy until you log off.
There’s the costume, the class party, and the Halloween parade you’re somehow expected to attend at 10am on a weekday.
This year Halloween falls on a Saturday, which means two things. The trick-or-treat route is going to be packed, and every adult you know is throwing a party that night.
You’re allowed to go to the party. Book a sitter to take the kids trick-or-treating or to stay with them afterward, and actually wear the costume you bought for yourself.
Because the universe has a sense of humor, daylight saving time ends the very next night. That means a sugar crash on top of an extra hour of 5am wake-ups.
We wish you luck. Seriously.
A little fall inspo while we’re here
You’re going to spend most of this month in the car between pickups and parties, so you might as well look good and eat well while you do it.
The pickup outfit formula: Pair an oversized knit with straight-leg jeans and clean sneakers or loafers, and throw a shacket over the top for the mornings that are actually chilly. It takes about ninety seconds to put on, and it still looks like you tried.
Trendy Queen Women Oversized Cable Knit Sweater
This oversized cable knit is the sweater you’ll live in all fall. It’s soft and roomy, and it layers easily over a tee or under a jacket. It looks expensive without trying too hard, which is exactly what you want when you’re getting dressed in ninety seconds.
Women’s Fleece Jacket Hooded Winter Warm Full Zip Sherpa Coat
A fuzzy sherpa jacket with a hood, long sleeves and a full zip. Wear it with jeans, a sweater, pants or a skirt. It works for school runs, work, date night and holiday parties, and it’s warm enough for a weekend in the snow.
Recipe of the month, one-pan harvest chicken: Toss chicken thighs, cubed sweet potatoes and sliced red onion with olive oil, salt, smoked paprika and a drizzle of maple syrup. Spread everything on one sheet pan and roast at 425°F for 30 to 35 minutes, until the chicken hits 165°F. Add a handful of spinach for the last five minutes, and dinner is done with exactly one pan to wash.
A fall activity that isn’t a packed pumpkin patch: Grab a few small pumpkins at the grocery store and let the kids paint them at the kitchen table instead of carving. There’s less mess, no knives are involved, and the pumpkins will last until Thanksgiving.
Backup care is there for the day the plan falls apart and you need someone at your door by 8am. It covers the half days and school closures that never line up with your work schedule, plus the conferences, appointments and meetings you can’t bring a toddler to.
It’s also there for Halloween night, whether you need help with the trick-or-treat lap or you just want to go out. And sometimes it’s simply one random afternoon when you need a minute to breathe.
There’s no long-term commitment. You just have a vetted caregiver on standby for the weeks that get away from you.
Here’s what nobody tells you: the week you need backup care is the worst possible week to start looking for it. You don’t want to be vetting strangers at 6am while your kid is home sick on the couch.
Get set up now, so that when October does its thing, you already have a plan B in place.
You don’t have to love October. You might just need another set of hands.
