I'm glad to hear you were able to make PTO a family thing!! I am just such an organized, plan ahead for everything person that I worry too much!!!

What about bimonthly meetings? My principal thinks that we may actually bring in more people by not consuming alot of time doing the same things over and over. Every parent who shows in August should have an understanding of my plans for the entire year. The ex. board worked up a budget in June, a plan for an audit next June (we are trading our books with another school), we have set a plan for a Open House, fall fundraiser, bookfairs, parent nights, T-shirts, etc... and have called last years members to chair each project.

We also drafted a plan to change from PTO to Partners In Education so that we can get our money put into an account seperate from the school. I have asked this question on another thread and never really got a "yes or no" answer, SHOULD THE PTO EX BOARD ALSO SERVE AS THE PIE BOARD? The group will practically be one group with 2 names for this next school year. I have to see the superintendent next month with a plan for his approval, and I am very nervous about that meeting. (Add in my step son's wedding on the tenth and you get a very frazzled woman :eek: ).

One last thing, any great, uplifting stories about PTO?? I would love to hear more about your [img]smile.gif[/img] SUCCESS STORIES [img]smile.gif[/img] !!!

I do put my family first. September & October are very busy months for me. Not only with PTA stuff but with cheerleading(2 squads), Girl Scouts(2 troops), gymnastics,etc. My husband works a lot of overtime in those two months so as far as dinner goes it's mostly take out. Once mid-October rolls around things get settled in for the most part and life becomes normal(as close to normal as possible for my crazy family).

I also run my own business which I handle after all my kids are in bed or when they are at school. I would never put anything before my kids.

I would like to think that most of us on these boards do put our families first and thats why we're as involved as we are. I don't run around like a chicken without a head for the fun of it. I do it because around my town if the few of us who are doing it, all of the sudden don't do it, then who will! It's not like we get a lot of volunteers for anything.

Even though I was involved ultimately for my kids' benefit, there were times that they unfortunately took second place when I was president. This was especially true the first year when we faced the gigantic task of recovering from an embezzlement and putting structure into an organization that had always operated pretty informally.

Did my kids want extra events like Spring Fling to be fun? Sure. Did they want to tag along 4 hours early to help set up, have a mom who can't play bingo or do any activities because she's working, and then stay 2 hours late to clean up and count money? Maybe not.

There were more times than I'd like to count where I was "too busy" working on PTO stuff to watch a movie or do an activity with my own kids. As a family I think we all made some sacrifices, but I don't believe anyone was seriously neglected or emotionally stunted.

I served for two years as President of our group and sometimes I felt like I was ignoring my family. There were times when I had so much going on that some things were forgotten and they would get upset with me. After the first year I was not going to do it again because I felt I had given up too much family time, but when I told my kids, they were disappointed!!! So, away I went! I have always made a point of emphasizing with my kids that everything I'm doing is for the school and the kids who go there. I include them whenever I can. They enjoy making posters, folding pamphlets and hanging out at the school before and after hours while I work on projects. That second year I really tried to make it a "family" effort(husband included-couldn't have done it without him). Children need to learn about being involved in their community and this was a great way to start. WE may have eaten a lot of soup and sandwiches those two years, but we also worked TOGETHER on some events and projects that have made a huge difference in our school.

Your stress level and workload will mostly be dictated by how many helpers you have and how well you delegate. Don't be afraid to hand off projects and let someone else run with them. Maybe it won't come out exactly as you planned but you will at least be sane at the end.

Just keep posting your questions and concerns and I'm sure there will be someone here who can help you out. You can send me your plan if you'd like and I can look it over and maybe give you some tips. You've taken a lot on but I'll bet you'll do just fine. I have a friend who likes to say "If you want something done, give it to a busy person." He says that those people are usually the most organized and able to think and act quickly and accomplish the most.

I have a concern in what I read on the bulletin board. Do most of you really put the parent group before your own families? I have done alot of work for PTO, but I cannot see myself putting it before my family. I live 25 miles outside the city limits of my town so the delivery and take out menus are not possible.

And what are your busiest times for PTO? The plan I have set up will put the most pressure on me in August and January (set up so that I will not be in school when I will have lots of work to do for PTO). Am I being totally blind to what this will really be like? My entire board is in college so I have promised to be as considerate of final exams and schedules as I can. We plan to hold bimonthly meetings instead of monthly meetings so we can get alot done with less inconvience. If someone could really help, I would like to show you my plans and see how realistic they are.