Latest / Life Without a Filter: Practical Strategies for Life After 22 / Episode14: Welcome to Summer Planning…..and where have I been?

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Episode14: Welcome to Summer Planning…..and where have I been? · Life Without a Filter: Practical Strategies for Life After 22

• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: Hi everyone, and welcome to episode 14.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to summer planning and where have I been?
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: Hi everyone, and welcome back.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: First of all, happy summer.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know about you, but I am so happy that the warmer weather is finally here.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: Summer has always been one of my favorite times of year.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: For me, it means spending time outside planting flowers, going on hikes with Elle, and participating in my weekly Women's Golf League.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: And because I work within the school system, summer is also a chance to recharge, spend more quality time with family and friends, and reflect on goals for the upcoming academic year.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: But before we jump into today's topic, though, I want to address something you may have noticed.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: I've been a little quiet lately.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: This past end of school year was busier than normal, and unfortunately, recording podcast episodes and YouTube videos had to take a back seat for a while.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: While I wasn't creating content, I was still managing all the usual responsibilities that come with work, family life, and self-direction.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: But something interesting happened during that break.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: I realized how much I missed this.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: I missed the writing, I missed the recording, and I missed connecting with all of you.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: So if you've been patiently waiting for new content, thank you for coming back.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: And if you happen to find me during my unintended hiatus, welcome.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so glad you're here.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: One of my goals this summer is to create a more consistent rhythm for producing content so I can continue sharing practical information, lessons learned, and resources that support self-directed participants and their families.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: When I first started this journey, I spent a lot of time searching for information from families who were actually living self-direction day to day.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: I could find policies and procedures, but I wanted to hear from real people who were navigating the same challenges and opportunities.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: And that's one of the reasons I started this blog, podcast, and YouTube channel.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: Everything I share comes from our family's experience.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Some of it comes from my professional background in education, but most of it comes from being a parent who is managing self-direction in real life, learning along the way, making mistakes, and figuring out what works for our family.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: My hope is that by sharing those experiences, I can help make the journey a little less overwhelming for someone else.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: So today I thought it would be a perfect time to talk about two things that naturally come together this time of year.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Preparing for summer and preparing for a new fiscal year.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Many self-direction programs operate on a fiscal year that runs from July 1st through June 30th.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: So while most people are thinking about vacations, barbecues, and summer activities, many self-directed families are also getting ready to start a brand new budget year.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: Over the past couple of years, we've developed a few systems that help us stay organized.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: The first thing I do every July is create a new budget tracker.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: For our family, that's a Google spreadsheet with separate tabs for different budget categories.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: I think of it like balancing a checkbook.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: Every time money is spent, I record it and compare it against the monthly reports we receive through Acumen.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: If you're new to self-direction, Acumen is a financial management service that handles payroll and budget reporting for the Massachusetts Self-Directed Program.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: If you're listening to this and are out of Massachusetts, your state would have a different financial management service provider.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: Keeping my own tracker might sound like extra work, but I've found it makes it much easier to catch discrepancies early and understand exactly where our budget stands throughout the year.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: The second thing I do is archive the previous year's records.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: I save a PDF copy of our budget spreadsheet, create a year-end summary showing our beginning and ending balances, and store everything electronically and in paper form.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: Will I ever need all of that documentation?
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: Hopefully not.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: But if questions ever come up or records are needed in the future, everything is organized and easy to find.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: I also reset our budget binder.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: Throughout the year, I keep invoices, reports, and important paperwork in one location.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: Once the fiscal year ends, I file those records away and start fresh with a new binder.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's a simple task, but there's something satisfying about beginning the year with a clean slate.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: And now that we're entering our fourth year of self-direction, I've started looking at spending trends from previous years.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: Past spending patterns can be incredibly helpful when forecasting future expenses, planning staffing needs, and avoiding surprises later in the year.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I know budgets and spreadsheets aren't exactly the most exciting summer topic, but by spending a little time getting organized now, it can save a lot of stress later on.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's switch gears and talk about the fun part, summer planning.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: Every June, Ellen I create a summer bucket list.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: We talk about activities he wants to do, places he'd like to visit, and goals he'd like to work on throughout the season.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: We do this by reviewing his goals from his person-centered plan.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: For anyone who may be newer to self-direction, a person-centered planning document is a document that focuses on what's important to the participant, what they want their life to look like, and the goals they're working toward.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's really the foundation that guides many of the decisions made throughout the year.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Reviewing those goals helps us make sure our summer activities are connected to things that are meaningful to him.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: And one thing we've learned over time is the importance of flexibility, especially over the summer.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: Elle continues his volunteer commitments throughout the summer, but we also try to leave room for spontaneous opportunities.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: Some of our best experiences have come from last-minute decisions rather than carefully planned events.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: We also make our plans visible.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: Each month and each week, we review upcoming activities together and update our calendar.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: Independence often develops through everyday routines like managing a schedule, making choices, and taking ownership of responsibilities.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: One of Elle's goals this summer is becoming more independent with managing his own schedule.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: He's using the calendar feature on his Echo show to check activities himself rather than relying on me to tell him what's coming up next.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: We were able to sync his iCal to the Echo so that when he is on the go, he can also check the calendar on his phone.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: It may seem like a small step, but those small steps add up over time.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: We are trying to move away from me as mom being the cruise director of his life to him using those natural built-in technology supports to aid in his independence.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: And finally, don't forget to explore your program's flexible funding options.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: Depending on your program, flexible funding may be available for things like classes, memberships, camps, or other activities that support goals identified in the person's plan.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: This year, Elle is once again participating in an adaptive surf program, and he loves to explore new hiking trails via his Audubon Society membership.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: Every program is a little different, but it's always worth asking questions and exploring what's available.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: As I was preparing for this episode, I found myself reflecting on something I've learned over the past few years.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: Self-direction isn't really about budgets.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: It's not about spreadsheets, it's not about binders or paperwork.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: While those things are important, they're really just tools.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: The goal isn't having the perfect budget tracker.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: The goal is about creating opportunities.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: The goal is about supporting independence.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: The goal is about helping someone build a life that reflects their interests, strengths, and dreams.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: The paperwork helps make that possible, but it isn't the destination.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's simply part of the process.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: And summer is a wonderful reminder of that.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: Summer gives us opportunities to slow down, spend time together, try new experiences, and celebrate progress, both big and small.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_00: Before we wrap up, I want to thank you again for being here.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: Whether you've been following along from the beginning or you're joining for the very first time, I appreciate you spending part of your day with me.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: I'm excited to be back and have several topics planned for the coming months that I'm looking forward to sharing with you.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: If there are specific self-direction topics you'd like me to cover, please leave a comment and let me know.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: And if you found today's episode helpful, I'd love for you to subscribe, share it with another family, or pass it along to someone who might benefit from it.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, enjoy the sunshine, enjoy the slower pace of summer, and remember that sometimes the most meaningful progress happens in the everyday moments.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: Take care, and I'll see you in the next episode.