Put these things on your spring break to-do lists

The ABC Zilker Kite Festival has been rescheduled to Sunday, fingers crossed. AMERICAN-STATESMAN 2012

Spring break is a great time to reset the clock, as it were, on your family life. And, of course, we literally reset the clock on Sunday when we “spring forward” as Daylight Savings Time ends.

It’s also a great time to take a breathe and plan for what’s ahead, while enjoying your family.

Here’s our to-do list:

1. Reset the clock on Sunday and use the week to let everyone’s body clock adjust. This means that we will try to have the kids keep their schedule of getting up in the actual morning and going to bed by 9 p.m. So often, they get completely out of wack, making the return to school impossible.

   You can’t always have a fire fighter install your smoke detectors, but you should replace them every 10 years and replace the batteries twice a year. AMERICAN-STATESMAN

2. Change the batteries in the smoke detectors. (Because that’s what we’re supposed to do every time we change the clocks, but we often forget to do it.)

   The STAAR tests are coming. Know when your child is scheduled to take them. Deborah Cannon/AMERICAN STATESMAN

3. Form a plan to make it through the rest of the school year. When are those exams? When are the STAAR testing dates?  What days are we off? And when does this school year end?

   Julie Farnie and Kate Scholz created Off the Grid.

4. Unplug at least one day. Two Austin moms created a new game that puts away the devices and helps you talk about online and social media safety in a thoughtful way. 

   A good photo in the wildflowers is one where you can see your child’s face clearly and they are surrounded by the flowers. The patch of flowers does not have to be very large to give the illusion of vastness. just keepanything that is not your subject or a flower out of the frame. Nell Carroll/AMERICAN-STATESMAN 2009

5. Take those iconic bluebonnet pictures and do it safely. 

   Students can search SchooLinks by geography. SchooLinks

6. Get a better handle on what college might look like for the 16-year-old. We’re going to be playing around with Austin-created SchooLinks and actually opening all those brochures that he’s accumulating.

   Fantastic Magic Camp instructor Elias King teaches the art of juggling to kids attending magic camp.
   RALPH BARRERA/AMERICAN-STATESMAN

7. Plan out our summer of summer camps (and in our case driver’s ed). If you haven’t yet looked at our camp guide, take a look at campguide.austin360.com.

   Is a trip to the beach on your summer wish list? Artwork by Kona Badgley-Finan

8. Schedule our family vacations. Where do we want to go and do we have any money? (Not a clue and no — would be those answers).

   Jessica Gonzales, from the Oak Hill YMCA, is outnumbered as her camp kids spray her with water guns as part of the festivities in the summer camp Olympics. RALPH BARRERA/ AMERICAN-STATESMAN 2015

9. Clean out and declutter a bit. Do anyone’s swimsuits, shorts and flipflops still fit from last summer? Read my guides to organizing your closets, pantry and garage that could apply to any room in the house.

   Bullfighter Wacy Munsellbull looks for an opportunity to distract a bull named 805 Major Malfunction As fighter Lance Brittan lands after being hooked by the bull when he was saving bull rider Reid Barker at Rodeo Austin. Mark Matson/Rodeo Austin 2014

10. Enjoy spring break. There are so many things to do with kids this spring break. Find my list here and add to that some outdoor adventures like going on a family hike and checking out the new Alamo Drafthouse at Mueller.  Or if Easter is your holiday and you like a picture with the Easter Bunny, schedule that adventure.