The Family Calendar Planner Organizer for Busy Moms / At A Glance

From my windowsill:

Not sure who wrote this Chinese proverb, but truth is truth no matter who says it.  This Old Testament passage uses a similar metaphor of gold being refined.  You may recognize the words from Handel's Messiah.

Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts.   But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness. 

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ORGANIZING YOUR DAYS

One of my strengths is organization.  Anyone who knows me could probably tell you that.   I am constantly working in our family to help them learn organization since I know it helps so much in work and school.  A calendar is one small part of this.  Learning to schedule events and manage your time well is a life-long asset.  It also gives a good impression to others that you are a responsible person.   I'm not opposed to spontaneity but scheduling is certainly my preference.  

I used to have pretty calendars hanging in my kitchen.  You know the kind I mean--half of the calendar is a pretty scene or photograph and half has the blocks for the the days of the month.  Several years ago, even with only four people in our family, I switched to a plain, no frills, BIG block calendar from At-A-Glance to keep up with our family activities.  This calendar is large, measuring about 15" x 22" with blocks that are 2" x 3".   I keep everything posted here also on  the calendar on our office computer as well (which is synched to my iPod Touch). It is on the opposite side of the house.    The only place I could find this calendar, #PM328, is at Office Max for about $10.00 but I see that Amazon also sells them for the same price.  I buy one each December and start getting ready for the new year.

The blocks on this calendar are lined which is great for me sinceI have a hard time writing in a straight line.  It's perfect for me and fits in the exact spot where I have always hung a vertical wall calendar.    The top part of the calendar is for one month; the lower part has the entire year so you can look ahead without flipping the page.  I also can tape appointment cards, invitations, date sensitive coupons, etc.  to the lower part.

Attached to the calendar are five (5)  Sharpie pens-- red, black, green and blue plus one wide black one, to distinguish events for each family member.

You'll also notice that I have lots of colored Post-It flags and little sticker stars all over the calendar. These are for regularly recurring activities and are shifted from one week to the next as needed. This saves a lot of unnecessary writing.  I love adding color to simple tasks when I can such as filing and organizing and colored post-its, pens and stickers make it fun.  My husband often gets freebies from vendors who visit his company and I get so excited to receive new supplies.  I know, simple minds, simple things...  Oh, in case you're wondering what the stars are for--they keep me motivated to exercise every day.  I put one at the top of the block if I walk or go to the YMCA; one at the bottom means my husband does the same.   As you can see, I walked this morning.  Check.  :)  

A good-sized calendar placed in a central location is so helpful to stay on top of the events in our family.  Everyone who lives in our home knows to "write it on the calendar" if they have something coming up so we know where they need to be.  It aids me with my meal planning and carpooling  and helps avoid needless confusion which can happen when activities conflict with each other.  These days everyone has computers and handheld data devices to keep their own activities, but living in a family we like to know what each other is doing.   If you don't already have one, try this.  If you do have one, opt for the one with the big blocks.  :)