Extracurricular activities often involve a big time commitment, so it's important to talk to your co-parent about what activities your child will participate in. Figure out if you will discuss each activity before committing to it or if one parent will be permitted to sign the child up for an activity without the approval of the other.  In addition to time considerations, you should also consider that your co-parent may not agree with the activity or may think it is too expensive. Having a plan for dealing with these kinds of situations ahead of time will make the decisions much easier. Make sure to think about transportation to and from activities, especially if they are far away. It's important to agree on this before committing your child to any activities that may take place during your co-parent's visitation time. Whether your child plays soccer or performs in the school play, you will eventually be faced with an event that you may both want to attend. Come up with an agreement regarding who will attend which events with your child.  You may decide to attend alternating events, especially if they are frequent. If you agree to both attend, decide if there will be any rules. Will you interact with each other or will you sit separately and not speak to each other? Lots of things will come up while your child is with you that your co-parent will want to know about, and vice-versa. This includes things like the schedule for soccer games, punishments you have established, or issues that your child has been having at school. It's important to have a plan for how and when you will communicate this type of information.    Decide on your preferred method of communication. If you don't like talking to your co-parent in person or on the phone, you may decide to communicate by email. If you decide to use an intermediate to communicate, outline how, and how often, this communication will occur. Also decide what information needs to be shared. You co-parent may want to know about it every time your child has a cold, or the two of you may decide that this is not necessary. Walk through your child's everyday routine with the other parent and try to agree on a schedule that you both can follow. Consistency is very important for young children, so having the same routine in both households will make things much easier.  For babies, it's important that sleeping and feeding schedules remain consistent. For older children, it's important that homework and playtime routines remain consistent. It's important to lay out clear rules for how and when each parent will communicate with the child during the other parent's visit time. Try to come to an agreement that allows the child to stay in contact with both parents regularly, but which will not cause conflicts between the parents.  You may choose to establish rules regarding the hours during which the other parent can call the child. You may also want to both agree to allow the child privacy when talking to the other parent. Your rules may change depending on your schedule. For example, if the child is staying with one parent for the entire summer, the other parent may want to phone frequently. If the child is only with the other parent for a few hours, frequent phone calls may not be appropriate. In addition, you and your co-parent must decide how much information about the parenting plan you will share with your child. The right choice for you will depend on your child's age and maturity level. For example, if you have a teenage son who you think would appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the plan, you may want to allow him to help you make some of your decisions. You may decide that certain aspects of the parenting plan, like the financial clauses, are not appropriate to share.

Summary: Decide how you will choose activities. Agree on who will attend events. Determine how you will communicate with your co-parent. Coordinate routines. Establish rules for communication with the child.


Consommé can be served chilled or hot. To serve it hot, simply ladle individual portions into soup bowls as soon as the consommé is ready. Otherwise, allow the consommé to cool to room temperature, and then chill it in the refrigerator for one to two hours before serving. Chilled consommé is best served alone or simply garnished with fresh herbs. You can serve hot consommé with vegetables to make the soup into a more filling meal or starter. Traditionally, consommé is served with raw or [Blanch-Vegetables|blanched vegetables]] that have been julienned, which means cut into small, thin sticks. Vegetables you can serve with consommé include:  Carrots Onions Peppers Broccoli Mushrooms Celery Hot consommé can also be served with meat slices, meat balls, sausage, or dumplings to make it a heartier dish. You can use fish, vegetable, pork, beef, or chicken dumplings, and any kind of sausage or meat you like. Place the meat or dumplings into the serving bowl and ladle hot consommé on top before serving. Make sure meat and dumplings are cooked through before adding the soup, because they will not cook in the consommé. Right before serving the consommé, you can spruce it up by adding chopped fresh herbs as a garnish. Add your vegetables, meat, dumplings, and other additions first, then ladle the soup into the bowl, and then sprinkle the herbs on top. Popular herbs to pair with consommé include:  Parsley Chives Rosemary Saffron
Summary: Serve it hot or cold. Ladle it over vegetables. Pair it with dumplings or meat. Garnish it with additional herbs. Finished.