Back-to-School Routines: Why My System Totally Failed by Day 4

Back-to-School Routines: Why My System Totally Failed by Day 4

Author: Caitlin Kindred August 25, 2026 Duration: 10:04
Send Caitlin a Text! It's day four of school, the bus comes in six minutes, and Caitlin's carefully planned back-to-school systems have already fallen apart. This episode is about what happened when trying harder wasn't the answer, and the one new thing that actually stuck in this year's routine. Stay up-to-date with Not Quite Grownup. Join the email list.— Who Should Listen Moms whose back-to-school routines are already falling apart, even after real planningAnyone who's bought the new plann...

Ever feel like you're just winging this whole adulthood thing, especially with kids in the mix? You're not alone. How to Be a Grownup: A Humorous Guide for Moms, with CK & GK is the conversation you need with your most honest, funny friends. Hosts Jenny GK and Caitlin Kindred-Caitlin being a former Texas middle school teacher and current mom-speak directly to elder millennial mothers navigating the messy, unscripted parts of life. This podcast digs into the practical, often overlooked skills and topics that no one ever sat down to teach us. That means real talk about managing adult ADHD as a woman, deciphering which home products are actually worth the money (they have strong feelings about appliances), and tackling the home maintenance tasks that can't be postponed any longer. They also venture into civic engagement and other grown-up responsibilities, all while maintaining a sense of humor about the constant need to search for answers online. It’s a blend of education and comedy that feels like a relief, acknowledging that figuring it out as you go, with a lot of laughter and shared confessions, is a perfectly valid way to parent and live. Tune in for a dose of solidarity and surprisingly useful advice, all delivered without any pretense of having it all figured out.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Not Quite Grownup
Podcast Episodes
Fall Vibes: Why I Have 5 Crochet Pumpkins and Zero Regrets [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:55
Send Caitlin a Text! It's still over 90 degrees out, but Caitlin has already crocheted five pumpkins, one fall leaf, and fully committed to a Halloween playlist she started listening to in July. This episode is a fully u…
The Mental Load: 9 Emails, 1 Missed Appointment, and a Full-On Panic [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:07
Send Caitlin a Text! — My Back-to-School Overwhelm Cost Me $600 — A triple-charged PTA fee, an unread dentist appointment reminder, and 9 unopened school emails on Labor Day morning—Caitlin's mental load hit a breaking p…
Back-to-School Self-Care for Moms: How to Keep the Summer Joy Going [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:00
Send Caitlin a Text! Your Favorite Summer Habits Don't Have to Retire in September Just as I finally settle into summer ease, the back-to-school countdown starts creeping back in. In the finale of the Sane Mom Summer ser…
ADHD in Summer: Why the Chaos Hits Moms Harder [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:54
Send Caitlin a Text! How Summer Secretly Wrecks Your ADHD Brain School's out, routines are gone, and if your ADHD brain feels extra chaotic right now, you're not lazy — you're just missing the structure summer quietly st…
5 Easy Steps to Keep Social Media from Wrecking Your Summer Fun [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:37
Send Caitlin a Text! You started summer with one goal: keep life calmer, lighter, less chaotic. Then you scrolled for two minutes and suddenly your summer looks underwhelming compared to someone else's perfectly curated…
Stop Overexplaining: The 1 Thing I'm Doing to Boost My Confidence [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:37
Send Caitlin a Text! You're allowed to quit the gym without explaining why. You're allowed to say no without an explainer paragraph. You're allowed to let someone else sit with their discomfort while you trust your decis…
Sane Mom Summer: Why Summer Breaks Moms—And a Better Way to Cope [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:21
Send Caitlin a Text! Summer is supposed to be relaxing. Barefoot kids, popsicles, pool days, sleeping in. So why does it make you feel like you're barely holding it together? The answer isn't that you're doing something…
Why 'Forgive, Don't Forget' is Actually the Ultimate Self-Care [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:24
Send Caitlin a Text! Senior year of college. My best friend and roommate. An envelope of cash in the freezer, a lie about her father dying, expensive purses showing up, and then a "break-in" so terrifying that I got in a…