Erasable Family Planner

 

I’m so excited! I just had to show you this new kit from Clean Mama in action. While my Busy Mama Homekeeping Kit was printing off the computer I had a great idea. First I put the documents into sheet protectors (2 to a protector). There are 18 documents in the kit.

The sheet protectors make an erasable surface. I used a dry erase marker to write directly on the sheet protector. When this month is over I can simply erase it and write in a new month.

The same with the shopping list. Just write the list on the sheet protector with a dry erase marker. Once you’ve gone shopping just erase and start a new list.

The daily planner will get wiped off every night, leaving me with a clean sheet protector for the next day. I need to find a smaller tip dry erase marker. This one’s a little too big.  

The information that doesn’t change was written on the sheets with a regular pen and then slid into the protectors. 

I’m keeping the binder in the kitchen since that’s where I need most of the information that’s in it. I coordinated the paper I covered it with to match the covered cookbooks.

Then I made a label out of rub-on letters and scrapbook paper.

And attached it to the front of the binder with double sided tape.

It looks great with my cookbooks and it’s so easy to access.

I love this little corner of my counter. Very useful and pretty (except for the chicken border, I will be taking care of that soon).

 

 

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Being Held Accountable

Sometimes it’s just easier for me to have my kids help hold me accountable

for things I should be finding the time to do.

As an example, if I write things like this on the chalkboards

You can bet they’re going to be done and marked off.

These are things I should be finding the time to do with my children,

but sometimes they take a back seat.

If I put it out there for all to see,

I get reminded of the things that are really important and I find the time.

I know I should find the time anyway,

but writing things down (and my kids)

help me keep things in perspective and make time

for what really matters.

Time With My Family.

I’m linking to:

Home and Family Friday at Home Is Where My Story Begins

Works For Me Wednesday at We Are That Family

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Which Planner Works For You?

It’s Why Not Organize Something Wednesday and since it’s almost a new year, it’s time to start thinking calendars and planners. Do you have one that works for you or are you still looking for that right one? Try to find one that meets your needs, whether it’s helping to schedule the kids activities or finding balance between work and home. Here are some planners I thought were the best in organization and some desk calendars just for fun.

Planners are all under $25.00

Franklin CoveyClassic Simplicity for Moms – Wire bound – 2 pages per week - $24.95. This is the one I use. I’ve been hooked on Franklin Covey since the first time I used it over 20 years ago, so I’m probably a little biased. But it has everything I need to keep my family, work and recreation scheduled and under control. You’ve seen mine before:

And here’s the new one for 2010:

Mom Agenda Mini Daily Planner – $24.00. This one has a lot to offer for Moms with keeping kids schedules and records straight. It’s available in different colors and styles too. It comes highly recommended from everyday Moms:

Mom’s Home Plan-It Engagement Calendar – 17 months – 2 pages per week – $14.99. I think it has a lot to offer, especially for the price. I like calendars that start in August, as the kids are getting ready to go back to school:

Mom’s Home Plan-It Pocket Wall Calendar – 17 month – again a lot to offer for the price – $14.99. You can look at the whole families schedule at a glance:

WhoMi How Do I Do It Spiral Notebook – $12.00. The graphic is cool and it’s color coded, which I like, because it brings your eyes right to what you’re looking for:  

Busy Body Book – 13 month – week at a glance -5 family member columns – spiral bound – $17.95. I think the name explains it all. It helps keep your busy family organized:

Bubble Planner – coil bound – $19.99. Okay, I must admit, I don’t think this one would work for me, but for you uber artsy-fartsy visual people out there this just might be the one. Do you remember those bubbles you had to make in school, well here it is again. This one is for family goals and schedules:

 

Which one do you think will work best for you? Find the one that’s easy for you to use and has everything you need in it.

Now for some fun calendars that are all under $30.00.

Animal Calendar designed by Katsumi Tamura – $24.95. I might have to get this. I fell in love at first sight. I first saw it in House Beautiful magazine. I’m sorry, the picture does not do it justice. There’s a deer, rhino, camel, giraffe, ape, alligator and each animal has one month per side. They’re made of sturdy white paper that you put together. So fun lined up on a desk or side table:

 

Jumping Point Calendar designed by Michael Domberger – $19.95. This calendar hangs on the wall and you punch out the circles to reveal the colors underneath. You can punch out special dates like birthdays, anniversaries and holidays and also punch out the days as they go by. Great design too: 

 

 

Small Perpetual Calendar designed by Gideon Dagan – $28.00. I like the orange and silver but it also comes in just silver. The magnetic balls stay on the date and month you put them. I think this would look so cool sitting on Hubby’s desk:

Those are my favorites. Which one will serve you best? I’m actually a office products and organizing products geek so it’s hard for me to choose. Have fun and get your days and weeks organized.

I’m linking to:

Works For Me Wednesday at We Are That Family

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Halloween Countdown Calendar

My kids count down to everything. How many days till school starts, how many days till we go to California, how many days till the birthday party, how many days till pack meeting. You get the picture. So, I thought I’d help them count down to Halloween this year by making a magnetic Halloween Countdown Calendar.

I started with a sheet of metal I bought forever ago at Roberts (sometimes I wonder why I have certain things) and a sheet of stickers I bought last year after Halloween. I used a circle punch to punch out 31 circles from orange cardstock.

 

Then I added the stickers to the front of each one. Which was easy, because they’re stickers. Yay, no other adhesive.

I then used the same circle punch to punch out 31 circles from a magnetic sheet. The punch went through the sheet really easy. See the white side of the magnetic sheet? Just peel that off and it’s sticky. So, I stuck the punched out cardstock to the magnets. Yay, no other adhesive again.

Back to the sheet of metal. I took a paint pen, measured and drew lines to make a grid. You can’t make anything go into 31 evenly, so I filled in some squares with words and pictures drawn in with the paint pen.

I added rub-ons to the top that say “Halloween Countdown” and used a wooden pants hanger to hang it by. Then I mod podged scrapbook paper to the front of the hanger and added coordinating ribbon.

I found a small jar at Roberts to put the magnets in until it’s time to go on the countdown calendar. I used rub-ons to put ”31 Days” onto the jar.

And here’s the finished product. It’s not hanging up yet, because I want to put it in the mudroom and that’s not finished yet. There’s huge progress though. I just finished painting yesterday. Beadboard is next. I’m just giddy thinking about it.

I’m linking this to DIY Day at a Soft Place to Land and Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage. I’m excited to see what everyone’s been working on. You should go check it out too. Have fun getting great ideas for projects to work on.

I’m linking this to The DIY Show Off Fall Festival. I can’t wait to visit and get some great ideas for Fall decorating and crafts. You should check it out too.

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Papers, Papers Everywhere!

It’s Why Not Organize Something Wednesday and today we’re going to be tackling all those papers coming into the house daily. Jessalyn wrote in and especially wanted to know how to deal with all the papers coming home with her kids from school. Do you ever feel overwhelmed with what to keep, where to keep it, or what you would feel safe with (heaven forbid) tossing? What about when you come in from the mailbox? Yay, more paper! It’s never ending. First we’ll tackle the mail.

1st: Deal with papers daily! Not twice a week or weekly. Everyday. What if you don’t have time to do it right now? You’re running to soccer practice, a play performance or you’re trying to get dinner ready. Then you need a file folder labeled “Daily Mail”. Open the mail, put the pieces in the file you need to keep, and then toss, shred or recycle the rest. That way if you need to reference something, at least you know where to find it.

2nd: Once you have time, after the evening rush, go through the folder and put papers where they belong. I have a folder for every member of the family, and a separate area for bills that need to be paid. I have a basket that sits by my desk for all the files I need to access often. You can use a basket or a table top file holder (just make sure it’s big enough for the files you need to keep there). Remember you need to make it convenient for you, so you’ll use it.

3rd: Make files you will use and use the files you make. Some suggested categories are: one for every family member, coupons, to read, to file permanently, to do. When your child brings home their soccer schedule, file that in their personal file. When you receive a birthday invitation or reminder to make a dentist appointment, file that in “to do”. Something catches your eye that you want to read, file that in “to read”. I love the “to read” file. You know how you always seem to be waiting some where? At the doctors office, at the kids school or after sports practices, just grab the file and bring it with you. Ta-Da, time to read.

4th: Use your calendar! Before you file away that birthday invitation, write the date and time on your calendar. You can also give yourself a reminder to buy the gift a few days before the party. Before you file the soccer schedule, write down the days you have treats for the game. My calendar is color coded so I know what’s most important at a glace and what pertains to me or another member of the family. I also write down when bills are due a few days before, so I can pay them online.

5th: Go through your files once a week to weed out old papers and make sure you didn’t miss anything. This should keep your files pretty small and easy to find anything you need to access.

If you keep up on this, dealing with papers should only take a few minutes a day.

Now, school papers. Ugghhhh! Why do they send so much home from the schools, on six different papers, for four different kids? Yesterday I received book swap reminders, parent-teacher conference reminders, monthly calenders, lunch schedules, green ribbon week calender and walk to school day reminders x 3!

1st: This is where I put all the duplicates. In the paper recycling basket. We use these for coloring, doodling, working out math problems, shopping lists, paper airplanes, etc. At least they print them off in different colors so we have some variety. The other basket is for newspaper, flyers and magazines for recycling. That will be going in the mudroom if it ever gets finished.

 

2nd: Back to the calendar to write down the parent-teacher conferences, walk to school day, book swap days, etc. All color coded in light blue, for kids.

3rd: What to do with their school work. Clipboards have been a lifesaver for me and the kids. Nothing has been lost in the last 5 years, since we started using them. What goes on them? Spelling words, math homework, projects being worked on, supply list for projects, book report info, etc. Everything is at their fingertips. If we’re running to dance practice or a soccer game, they can grab their clipboard and bring it with them to work on their homework. Plus they have a hard writing surface. I also put any papers that need to be returned to school or notes to teachers on it, so they can be put in their backpacks in the morning. The clipboards are checked everyday after school, before bed and before school. It only takes a few minutes.

This has been a long post, so I’ll cover what to do with your little darlings art projects and other school papers later this week. I hope this has helped you manage your daily paper coming in from the mailbox and school a little better. For us striving to be in a paperless society we sure do have a lot of it, don’t we?

Thank you to all of you that have sent me your Organizing Dilemmas. I will get to all of them as quickly as possible. What Organizing Dilemmas do you have? Leave me a comment or e-mail at leanneja@organizeyourstuffnow.com and I’ll be happy to write a post about it. Here’s to a more organized life!

I’m linking this to Works For Me Wednesday over at We Are That Family. I know it’s late, but I was without a computer for most of the day.

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Use Your Calendar To It’s Full Potential

First, don’t forget to enter the 1st Anniversary Giveaway. You can enter anytime today, before midnight. If you add me to your RSS feed, you’ll be entered a second time for a chance to win. Don’t forget to include which watchband and face you want if you win. Thank you for your comments and I hope you continue to enjoy reading this site as much as I enjoy writing it.

Sorry, no pictures today, but we’ve been a little busy trying to cram all our summer fun in. I’m sure you all use calendars, day planners or palms, but are you using it to it’s full potential? Why not become more effective in organizing your day or week? Here are some ways to use your calendar to help you become the most organized person on the block:

* Write due dates of library books, homework or school projects, bills and other items with deadlines on the calendar.

* If you have a big project, write interim deadlines on the calendar to help keep you on track. I have to do this, because I’m a really good procrastinator. Deadlines can sneak up on you before you know it.

* If you’ve bought something and are considering returning it, write the last date you can return it on the calendar so you don’t get stuck with an item you don’t want.

* If you’ve ordered something from a company, write the date you expect it on the calendar. If you don’t receive the item within a week, give them a call.

* If you have store, recreation or eatery coupons, write the last date you can use them on the calendar to make sure you use them before they expire and your kids get very unhappy with you.

* If you’re having a hard time getting a small task done, write it on the calendar. Somehow it makes you more accountable and then it gets done.

* If you’re expecting a credit or refund from a company, write it on the calendar, so you can follow up if it hasn’t come by the expected time.

* If you have a doctor’s appointment coming up, write questions you want to ask in the margin or on a separate paper and attach it to the page.

* If you will be seeing someone and need to give them something, write the item on the calendar next to their name.

* Attach papers to the calendar that need to be taken care of that day or week.

* Use a different colored pen for each member of your family or for different tasks to be able to identify things quickly. I use Light Blue-Kids, Red-Work, Black-Daily Tasks, Green-Appointments, Blue-Deadlines and Interim Dates, Purple-Coupons, Pink-Daily Menus, Yellow-Birthdays and Anniversaries.

I hope these ideas helped a little. Plus, by using different colored pens your calendar looks really awesome!

Oh, I just have a little to say about “So You Think You Can Dance”. I’m Happy and Sad! My favorite girl, Jeanine, is in the Final Four (YAY), but my favorite guy, Ade, got kicked off last night. SO SAD. They were all so good, so I don’t know what guy I would want off instead of him, but I’m sad he’s gone. He was amazing to watch. Melissa was good too and amazingly strong.

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Creating a Daily To-Do List

A daily to-do list can help you take control of your time and keep you on track throughout the day. By having everything written down, you can just glance at your list and not have to worry about keeping everything in your head. A to-do list helps you prioritize tasks and activities that need to be completed. Here are some ideas on how to go about creating a daily to-do list:

 

·                    Try to be realistic about what you can accomplish in a day. Don’t over schedule yourself.

·                    The first things to go on your daily list should include appointments and commitments you have made to others.

·                    Build your daily to-do list from your master list.

·                    Your daily list should be limited to no more than eight items you hope to accomplish.

·                    Try to limit large or difficult tasks to no more than two per day.

·                    Make sure to leave time for urgent things that come up or emergencies that can happen.

·                    Include any “A” items from your master list that need to be done or you would like to accomplish.

·                    If you have any open time, see if you can fit in some “B” and “C” items from your master list.

·                    Complete your “A” items first, unless you have things that need to be completed at a specific time, like appointments or meetings.

·                    If you are unable to finish a task, move it to another day. Maybe you had too much on your list.

·                    Schedule difficult tasks during your high energy time and simple tasks during your low energy time.

·                    Make time for activities you enjoy on your to-do list.

·                    If you tend to procrastinate, set artificial deadlines, to keep yourself on track.

·                    If you have a difficult time staying on schedule: check your list often, write a reminder on a sticky note, record it in your phone, etc.

·                    If you have a difficult time staying on task, set an alarm and work until it goes off. Give yourself a small reward, like reading an article in a magazine or calling a friend.  

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Creative Ways To Use Your Calendar To Stay Organized

          I’m sure you use your calendar everyday, but are you using it to it’s full potential? Let it help you become more effective in organizing you life. Here are a few ideas to use your calendar more creatively:

 

·                    Write due dates of library books, homework projects and other items with deadlines on the calendar. Also write interim deadlines on the calendar to keep you on track.

·                    If you are considering returning a store bought item, write the last date you can return it on the calendar.

·                    If you place an order with a company write the date you expect it on the calendar. If you don’t receive the item within a week, follow up with the company.

·                    If you have store coupons write the last date you can use them on the calendar.

·                    Are you having a hard time getting a small task done? Write it on your calendar, so you’ll do it. We’ve been out of town a lot and I really need to weed, so that’s going on my calendar for the next two days.

·                    If you are expecting a credit write the date you expect it on the calendar, so you can follow up if you haven’t received it.

·                    If you have a doctor’s appointment write questions you want to ask next to the date in the margin or attach a piece of paper to the calendar page.

·                    If you will be seeing someone and need to give them something write the item on the calendar next to their name.

·                    Attach papers to the calendar that need to be taken care of that week or month.

·                    Use a different colored pen for each member of your family or different tasks:  

                      Light Blue- kids

                      Red- work

                      Black- daily tasks

                      Green- appointments

                      Blue- deadlines and interim deadlines

                      Purple- store coupons and related items

                      Pink- menus

                      Yellow- birthdays, anniversaries

 

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