When the Routine Goes Out the Window

When the Routine Goes Out the Window

From Sage Sisters by Anne Pizzuti and Kate Doerksen

June 9, 2026 · 60 min · Episode 84

About this episode

Kate and Anne discuss managing summer routines, handling change, and the impact of technology on attention spans.

Summer is here and routines are officially hanging on by a thread. Kate and Anne are getting into all of it this week — how to manage the schedule shift when summer throws everything off, what to do when you have a kid who does not handle change well, surviving swim season, the bedtime debate when summer hits, and why everyone in the house is just too tired right now. Plus a tech tip that stopped us in our tracks — the average adult checks their phone 200 times a day and the average teen 100 times. We are talking about what that actually does to attention spans and how small habit changes can make a real difference. Highs, lows, a truly incredible teacher story that will make you tear up, and the honest truth about how we are holding it all together right now. Spoiler — barely. Everything is not awful: Kim Rohlf, a second-grade teacher at Westwood Elementary in Ankeny, Iowa, spent months handmaking personalized quilts for every single student in her class before retiring after 35 years Tech Tip: Lower distractions. The average adult checks their phone 200 times per day, and the average teen 100 times per day. It does harm attention span although data not showing that it’s…

People in this episode

Hosts: Anne Pizzuti, Kate Doerksen

Topics covered

  • summer routines
  • managing change
  • bedtime debates
  • attention spans
  • tech tips
  • teacher stories

Keywords

  • summer routines
  • parenting
  • attention span
  • tech tips
  • teacher stories

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Westwood Elementary, Ankeny, Iowa

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