Edition #236 | Read time: 5 Minutes
Hi Mamas,
If you missed last week’s newsletter, we kicked off the back-to-school conversation! We know...we can’t believe we’re already here either. 😅
We shared everything from helping anxious hearts transition back to school to practical hacks that make mornings a little less chaotic. If you’re still in back-to-school prep mode, you can catch up here.
This week, we want to talk about you.
Not the school supply list or the lunchbox ideas. Not another “5 Steps to Being a Better Mom This School Year” checklist.
You.
While everyone is talking about what our kids need this time of year, we think moms deserve a reset, too. Especially when we’re dropping our “babies” off at college this month. (That would be me. I’m a mess.) 😭
As the routines settle back in, let’s make this school year a little lighter—for you, too, mama. 🤍
Also, since it’s the first newsletter of the month, don’t miss our August Must Reads at the bottom.
Enjoy!
—Paula Faris & The CARRY™ Team
This week in The CARRY™ ALL, we’re talking about:
📧 The School Communication System Every Mom Needs
🍳 Breakfast Doesn’t Have to Be Pinterest-Worthy
📅 Put Yourself on the Calendar
As always, this is a space for our Carry™ community to connect with each other. Leave a comment and keep the conversation going. And, we bet there’s another mama that would love The Carry™ All in their inbox, too. Pass on the love!
💬 We’d love to get a pulse on our CARRY™ mom community — where you’re at, what the next few weeks look like for your family, and what you need most right now.
Drop a comment and tell us your honest back-to-school feels, what would make this season easier, or what you’d love for us to cover in the months ahead. 🤍
‼️ ALSO ‼️ we’re talking soon about sending kids off to college. If you’ve been through it (or are preparing for it), drop your best tip, encouragement, or thing you wish someone told you. We’d love to share!
HELLO. THE SCHOOL EMAILS. 🙃 Does anyone else start sweating a little bit when those start rolling in?
It feels like a part-time job on top of the jobs we’re already working to keep up with. We shared this tip last week, but if it got buried in your inbox (ironically 😂), it’s too good not to mention again.
Option 1: Create a dedicated family email address for all school communication.
(Thank you to @kathmomdo for this brilliant idea!)
Think: smithfamily@gmail.com instead of every school email competing with your personal inbox. Bonus points if your partner has access, too, so the mental load isn’t automatically yours.
Option 2: Create a school email folder.
If a separate email address sounds like one more thing to manage, use Gmail filters instead:
Open Gmail and click the settings gear ⚙️
Select See all settings
Click Filters and Blocked Addresses
Choose Create a new filter
Add school email addresses or keywords (like your school name, “PTA,” “teacher,” etc.)
Select Apply the label and create a “School” folder
Now those emails automatically have a home instead of taking over your inbox.
And if you want to take it to the next level...
🤖 Let AI help you sort through the noise.
You can forward school emails into a Claude Project and ask it to create a weekly summary with important dates, reminders, and action items.
No more digging through 47 emails to find out when picture day is. No more realizing the night before that your kid needed to bring a decorated shoebox to school. 😂
(Just a reminder to always be mindful of what information you share with AI tools, especially anything that includes private student information.)
This is not the newsletter that’s going to shame you into raising backyard chickens or making homemade sourdough before 7 a.m. Cereal is a perfectly acceptable breakfast around here.
But if you're looking to simplify mornings, here are two ideas we love:
🥣 Prep overnight oats for grab-and-go breakfasts.
🥪 Freeze breakfast sandwiches so you have a meal ready in minutes.
And this year, we’re not just feeding everyone else...We’re feeding ourselves, too. 🤍
Your kids probably already have soccer practice, dentist appointments, picture day, and fall break on the calendar. What’s on yours?
Before life fills every empty square, we’re looking you in the eyes and holding your hand as we say this... schedule one thing that’s just for you.
☕ Coffee with a friend.
💆 A massage or pedicure.
🩺 Finally book that doctor’s appointment you’ve been putting off.
🧠 Therapy.
📚 Join a book club.
🌿 Take a PTO day...just because.
If it matters, it deserves a spot on the calendar. And YOU very much matter, too. 🤍
📚 Click here to grab a copy of these reads. Read anything lately that you can’t stop talking about? We’d love to hear it! Drop it in the comments at the bottom of the newsletter. Your rec might be exactly what another mom needs!
The The Paula Faris Show is BACK! 🎉
This week’s episode, “Why We’re Ready for School to Start,” drops today!
Paula is kicking off the season with a summer catch-up. She’s sharing stories from the past few months, celebrating John’s big 5-0, and opening up about sending her daughter, Caroline, off to college.
It’s fine. Everything is FINE. 🥹
🤓 P.S. If you catch the episode on YouTube, you’ll spot Paula wearing her favorite Peepers readers. If you’ve been eyeing a pair, use code PAULA for 15% off through Thursday (8/6) at midnight!
🎧 Listen here!
NOTED…we’ll keep these in this mind as we plan upcoming newsletters!
Speaking of back-to-school...a recent PTO poll brought up some really thoughtful conversations and a reminder that working motherhood looks different for all of us.
We heard from moms with all kinds of schedules, seasons, and realities:
“As a teacher, my PTO restarts with the new school year. My PTO doesn’t roll over, so I make sure to use every single hour of it each year. Last school year, it was used for days that the kids were sick, doctors appointments for the kids, and days their school/daycare was closed when mine wasn’t.”
— Hillary“The nice thing about contract work and working from home is I can create my own schedule and work it around things I need to do. I also don’t have littles anymore, so I realize that won’t work for everyone trying to balance it all.”
— Denise
Every path comes with its own pros and cons. The flexibility some roles provide can be a gift, while also coming with its own challenges. And for many moms, PTO isn’t actually “time off” — it’s the time used for sick kids, appointments, school closures, and all the moments when life happens.
We’re especially thinking of our teacher and educator friends as a new school year begins. If you haven’t heard it yet: a big thank you from the CARRY™ community. 🤍
Thank you for showing up for your students, your families, and all the people who depend on you.
We’re always looking for little ways to lighten your load, and this is one of them. Instead of hunting through old posts, we’ve gathered our favorite products, exclusive discount codes, and tried-and-true recommendations all in one place. You’ll find it all HERE.
If you choose to shop through one of our links, thank you. It helps support The CARRY™ ALL and allows us to keep creating free encouragement and practical resources for working moms. We appreciate you being here. 🤍
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