Showing posts with label organizing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organizing. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Stay organized this school year with Busy Body Books!

The older I get, the harder it is to remeber all that I have going on. With four kids, one of which is going into middle school, our lives keep pretty busy. Doctor appointments, meetings, events, sleep overs, play dates, etc. all have specific details that I have to remember.

When I was younger, like college age and below, I could remember things that I had on my "calendar" with no problems. Most of the time, I didn't even write things down, I just remembered. Well, those days are long gone. I HAVE to write everything down, or they will be forgotten (and even then sometimes I forget).

I am so thankful that I can use the Busy Body Book, to keep me organized, punctual, and not-forgetful. This is a great product for the on-the-go mom, college student, daycare provider, business lady, and more. You can keep your activities, appointments, events, and more all inside the pages of these designer books.

I will take you on a "tour" of my book, in Spring design, for the 2010-2011 school year book.

The front cover has a plastic cover over it, providing great protection. On the inside cover, there is a pocket, to keep your coupons, notes, and more. The front page has a spot to write your name on your book, in case you misplace your book. In the next few pages, are locations to store your contact information and emergency numbers. There is a page to reference a 3 year calendar and the year's holiday dates.

This book has a great layout! I like that there are pages that you can list each family member, and write down each person's schedule. Just taking a look, you can see who is doing what/when, and how to plan your schedules. If you are a single person, and not needing to keep track of everyone, you can list your school subjects, meal planning, personal diet and fitness goals, business projects and time management, home/school/work projects or babysitter scheduling and instructions. For me, I use it for a few different things: My husband's schedule, my schedule, school/church functions and meetings, and more. I like that on the opposite page, there is a location for doodling...which is a great place to write a note to yourself, a reminder, grocery list, or other.

The book has a location where you can list some of your memorable moments over the year. Each month has a paragraph length spot to write your memories down. There are months listed so you can write your special days on the calendar (with holidays, daylight savings, etc.) on the days.

The back of the book has pages for writing down notes and "to do lists" that are meant to tear out of your book (great grocery list, or paper to write a phone number down). I love the section for writing down special restaurants/take-out spots down and their contact information. The last page is where you write down important people, with e-mail and cell phone slots. There is a tear-out book mark, and a pocket in the last page for extra storage. Again, on the back of the book, like the front, there is a plastic protective cover page.

I love this book, and I highly recommend it to you, it may help you stay organized better! :)
I was sent a Busy Body Book to review from the company. I was sent this product and information in exchange for an honest review. I am not compensated for my time or written review. The opinions in this post are of my own and do not reflect on the company.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Qlubb: web-based group interaction resource

Being a wife, Mom of 4 beautiful children, and trying to keep our schedules and appointments on track can be a challenge (to say the least). I know that many other mom's struggle with the "mommy brain syndrome," which is loss of memory. I know that I often times can't even remember what I ate for lunch. Many times I would love to plan a get together and it would be fun to get ideas from other people and organize the details in one place.
I have been given the opportunity to review a brand new site called Qlubb, which is a free online source that anyone can use to make group pages, create a web page, make a calendar, photo and file sharing, online RSVP's, to-do lists, and group e-mails.
From the site:
Qlubb is a web-based group utility that enables real-world groups to easily connect, share and get stuff done. Qlubb brings all aspects of group interaction to one simple and intuitive place. With event calendaring, sign-up sheets, photo sharing, member rosters, file sharing, task reminder service, and bulletin boards, Qlubb provides all the functions needed to easily and actively participate within a group.Recognizing that busy people don’t have time or patience to “figure out” another web application, Qlubb has made it a principle philosophy to keep everything SIMPLE (simple interface, simple Qlubb creation, simple task creation, simple account management, etc.). It only takes 2 clicks to create a Qlubb, an 1 click to join a Qlubb.

Qlubb is the easiest way to get your real-life groups organized and on the same page. Between our children's classrooms, scout troops, religious groups, social groups, book/wine clubs and families, we are constantly running around trying to plan and coordinate our group activities. Organizing is not a strength of mine, and Qlubb makes organizing seem much less stressful. Qlubb automates many of the tasks and significantly reduces the time it takes to organize group events, activities and members, giving you more time to enjoy your groups, families and friends. Just IMAGINE, with Qlubb, you can: • Easily organize group events and activities online• Eliminate email back-and-forth• Eliminate reminders and nags of events and responsibilities• Easily delegate tasks to members• Easily create a secure website for your group• SPEND MORE TIME ENJOYING YOUR REAL-LIFE GROUPS
I thought that Qlubb was easy to use, and I look forward to using it time to time. What's even better, this website is free to use!
Thanks Team Mom for guiding me to this helpful website to help keep my life more organized!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Feeling the need to get organized?

If you are like me, organizing is something that doesn't come very naturally, actually it may be a big struggle to be organized! I have been introduced to a great website, from MomCentral that will help keep me and my family more organized. This great site is called Cozi.com, and it is a FREE web service that helps busy families manage crazy schedules, track shopping and to do lists, organize household chores and stay in communication, all in one easy-to-use solution. Cozi not only provides a shared family calendar, but also includes customized shopping lists, quick messaging tools, mobile phone access and a family journal. With Cozi, busy moms can get shopping lists and schedules on any mobile and everyone one in the family has access to the same information. Cozi even syncs with Outlook.
In addition to the ways that moms can get their shopping lists and calendars already on any mobile phone via text message and using our toll free number, Cozi now has a mobile version especially for the iPhone and Windows Mobile phones. Families can now sign-in and access their Cozi account using their mobile web browsers. They can add and edit shopping lists and view and edit their family calendar using the mobile version of Cozi right from their iPhone. This is a new feature! You can learn more about it here: Cozi mobile
I think this new site is very helpful and beneficial to busy homes and helping us moms stay organized in our busy "forgetful" times. We have much to juggle between kid's appointments, schedules, birthdays, and trying to make sure our families have food in the house. Thanks to Cozi.com, we can gain some time by keeping our "things" organized.
You can enter a big contest! From December 31st, 2008 through February 4th, 2009, everyone who signs up and tries Cozi will be entered to win a two-day home organization makeover with professional organizer, and incoming NAPO President (National Association of Professional Organizers), Laura Leist. In Laura's two-day visit, she will makeover either the kitchen or home office in one lucky winners' home; a service with a retail value of $5,000. Now that is what I am calling an excellent contest!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Updates on what's new

Saturday morning I went to my first stamp club for the new "stamp year." This is my third year in my Stampin' UP demonstrator's club. I really love going an making 2-3 card/scrapping projects. I like feeding my hobby by going and making some new creations. I really like getting new ideas! We have a requirement of a minimum $15 purchase to make each month...and trust me, it is NOT hard to meet that requirement~ in fact, I have a hard time keeping it near the $15 amount. There is so many stamp sets and accessories that I crave to add to my collection. There are 10 of us in her club, so each of us get one month where we are the hostess, get the hostess benefits (which is a big dollar amount of FREE merchandise), and bring the treats. It is a great time to get away for a few hours and craft with other ladies. The only bad thing is that my club time is at 9:00 AM~ and I am not a morning person...especially on a Saturday. It isn't so bad now, but it will be a struggle getting there that early once baby arrives in a couple of months!
Terry's Dad, who lives in Alaska, is flying in for a week visit early Sunday morning. We haven't seen him since our wedding....just over 4 years ago. It will be good seeing him again, and getting to know him. I met him on our wedding day, and then we saw each other (I believe) 2 more times a week after our honeymoon. He has never met Caleb and Madelyn, so it will be great for them to meet and for him to get to know his grand kids. He is coming mostly because his sister passed away (early Saturday morning), so he is coming for the funeral and to see siblings. Some of the siblings he hasn't seen in over 10 years. I don't think that his family is real close with one another...I think it will be good to see and get to know my father-in-law, for the kids to meet their Grandpa, and for Terry to re-acquaint with his Dad.
It has been great having MEA break. It was great to have Nathaniel home on Thursday. I really miss having the whole days with him at home. Gone are the days of homeschooling...where I saw WAY more of him, and knew what he was learning. I do miss those days sometimes, but I do know he is where he is thriving, and I believe God is honored with that decision. Nathaniel spent the night at a friend's house Thursday night, and then he went with Terry for the day to cut wood. I think that was great for them to spend time together. Terry got his last two loads of firewood on Friday. Now he is going to be splitting, stacking, and tarping the wood. I am so thankful that we are going to be able to heat our home with the wood stove again this year. We used it most of the winter 2 years ago, but then we had a house fire. (another story for another time). Anyway, today Terry finished up the remodel on the inside walls around the stove piping, so it is great.
Saturday, I cleaned our basement, re-arranged the furniture, organized, de-cluttered, and cleaned off my work areas (a.k.a my desk and my craft table). I also swept, mopped, and cleaned up the upstairs living room/dining areas. It was a big-time work day (after my stamp club) but I feel wonderful that it is done...for now. I still have more to do, but it looks amazingly better. I wish I took before/after photos. It is work that has been staring me in the face for so long, and it is a relief having it accomplished. More things off my list of to-do's before my baby comes.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Time to get more organized!


I would like to send out a BIG Thank You to Angela from Seven Dogs and a Baby for picking me as a winner for the beautiful MomAgenda desktop! I love it, and I really love how it is pink! I have been on such a pink kick lately...(I think it is because I have a girl now)! I am excited to start keeping track of everything I plan. I never needed to write things down before I had kids, but now I must write everything down. Example: 10:00 P.M. Go to bed...
Opps...missed that appointment!
Thanks again, Angela! I am super excited and so appreciative!! You rock!

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Things I want to get done while my toddler is on vacation

  1. I would like to organize the "old school area" in our basement. That means clean off the filing cabinet, go through books and put away, take down posters (and save) and get rid of stuff we don't use/need.
  2. I would like to make the "play area" more fun and kid friendly. I want to find some kind of shelves or bins to put toys in. I need some organization here, too, just need to know how I am going to do it.
  3. I would like to clean off and organize the desk area. This is a sore to the eyes for my husband and I, and it really needs to be done.
  4. I would like to de-clutter the kitchen, and re-organize. This is a big job, so I may just focus on a few areas.
  5. I would like to get through the kid's clothes. This is in our very basement, and it is a huge job. I would like to put the sizes in the proper boxes/bins, so I can know what I have with just a glance. Any suggestions on the best way to do this without pulling out my hair? :)
  6. I would like to clean...vacuum, dust, sweep, mop, clean bathrooms...without any interruptions.
  7. I want to dust off my stamps and make some cards! This is a little easier to do with out our tornado-toddler.
  8. I want to get ALL the Christmas decorations put away, and actually put up the few Valentine's Day things I have. That would be fun. Seriously, I do not have a whole lot, so don't think that I am a fanatic. LOL
  9. READ
  10. RELAX
  11. Exercise
  12. Bubble bath with my daughter...ok, well, maybe.
  13. Play my new Wii...if it comes...still waiting! :)