This morning Big was running around the house shouting, “We don’t have anything to do today! We can do whatever we want!”
Of course he had school, but that wasn’t what he meant. What he meant was that there was nothing on the calendar this afternoon. His excitement? Well it was a sign of two things, I think. One, that we’re over-scheduled. He was seriously thrilled at the idea of nothing. Two, that having a calendar out for the entire family to see has made a real difference in our house (of control freaks).
Yes, for the past couple weeks, I’ve been using Erin Condren’s new FUNctional Family system. (And if you aren’t familiar with Erin Condren, feast your eyes on this site. This company creates beautifully designed stationary, planners, iPhone cases — and much more.) Not only is the system really attractive, which is a bonus, but we’ve honestly found it to be so helpful for our family. As you know, I’m the queen of missed appointments and forgotten parties. It’s not a crown I wear with pride. It’s just that I have multiple calendars going — work, social, school — and sometimes I forget to check them all. Having this wall-hanging planner in our kitchen has forced me to write things down, right away.
I must admit, I thought it would be a help for Lenny to be able to plan for our busy evenings and weekends, but I had no idea how important it would be for Big. As a kid who has trouble with transitions, being able to start the day knowing what’s coming has been so empowering to him. And it’s helped me not have to answer the constant nagging of, “What are we doing today?”
You know what else it’s helped me do? Not miss things. Amazing, right?
Here are the cool features:
• You can get either a chore tracker or a calendar to clip on the left-hand side. While I got both, I’ve decided to use the calendar in the kitchen and may use the chore chart in the boys room when we tackle making chores/allowance a part of our routine. Which is going to be soon…very soon. (You can also get reward cards for the chore portion, but I didn’t. Worth checking out on the site though!)
• While the calendar is weekly, I’ve decided to draw lines myself so I can see a couple weeks out. I leave about 1/2 for the current week, then break the bottom half into two more columns to write in two more weeks. This way things don’t sneak up on me when I update it each Sunday night. (Though I took this pic before I started doing that…)
• On the right-hand side, there’s a magnetic notepad. I’m trying to use that for our Safeway/Target/Costco lists that tend to be scattered around the house on sticky pads.
• The board itself is dry erase, so you can write in all the emergency/sitter info in either dry erase or permanent if it’s information that won’t be changing.
• Below the calendar on the dry erase part of the board, there are empty boxes. When baseball season is over and I start cooking again (at least sometimes), I’m going to use that for meal planning. Again, no more, “What are we having for dinner?”
• I love the personalization Erin Condren provides too. I chose the background pattern/colors, added our name, and included a picture of the kids. People are constantly telling me how cool it is!
• While it comes with a pen holder and a ready-hang backing, I decided to use Command strips since I didn’t want to put a nail in our cabinets. So far, so good!
If you want to see it in action, here’s a quick, cool video showcasing the product:
So, be honest. Are you an organization queen who could use a new minion? Or are you a disaster looking for some sort of magic trick to help you (read: a lot like me)? Either way, you can enter to win my FUNctional Family Planner giveaway.
There are three ways to enter — and each individual may enter in all three ways to increase your chances of winning. Enter by Sunday, June 2, 2013 at 11:59pm (PT). The winner will be chosen at random and I’ll contact that person via email following the entry end date.
1) Leave a comment here sharing your best organizational tip, or your worst (lack-of-)organizational mistake.
2) Like Erin Condren on Facebook, then leave a comment here that you’ve done so (please include your name).
3) Follow Erin Condren on Twitter, then leave a comment here that you’ve done so (please include your Twitter handle).
Disclosure: I was sent a FUNctional Family system for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
We use track all of our family events and kid activities on our google calendar. We set notifications — and my husband (while at work or traveling) gets them too. He loves knowing what we are doing all day in real time–that way he can ask the kids about their activities in detail.
My best organizational tool? It’s all in my head. And therein lies my problem!!
I am definitely not an organizing queen… I am very particular about things though so I think it would help to write everything down so my husband and kids could help out too. One thing I really need to work on is making a list of what i’m going to make as far as lunch and dinner for the week!
I like ErinCondren.com on facebook!
Cassandra Eastman is my facebook name!
Following on twitter – @eastman928
I like Erin Condren on Facebook. (Mary Elizabeth Van Heule)
I follow Erin Condren on Twitter. @MEVanHeule
Hi Mary, Random.org chose #7 and yours was the 7th entry. Congratulations! You’re the winner! I’ll be in touch via email so you can get your FUNctional Family system ordered. Thanks so much to all who entered!
My best tip is to plan all your meals out in two week spurts. That way I can do a majority of the shopping in one trip and not have to worry about it again until the next big trip.
I follow ErinCondren on twitter. My name is @awew.
As a working mom, I try to organize everything for the week on Sunday evenings. All clothes are picked out and ironed for the week. Meals are planned for the work. That definitely helps!
My husband and I just bought a house. I always make us to do lists and assign tasks. I also plan out our weekly meals. The problem is they are all over the place! Would be awesome to have everything in one place!
Like EC on Facebook
Like on twitter @julesw106
I liked Erin Condren on Facebook under Breann Cooper. I follow Erin Condren on Twitter under the twitter handle mommy2tlc. I love to use my Erin Condren planner to keep everything in order on the go. We are constantly going be it for my direct sale or photography businesses, college, gymnastics, PTO, golf, or whatever else my son and I can plan up. I am able to keep everything organized with my planner. Plus I get tons of complements on the pictures of my son on the front and back.
Liked Erin Condren’s page, as Maribel Reyes {ReyMaEst}
I follow Erin Condren as @strllradvsocal
My best organization tip is in my closet, I color code it to find the perfect outfit.
OMG as a teacher I have been coveting one of her teacher planners but can’t justify the price. I would be so excited!!!
I liked her on Facebook and followed her on Twitter (@mommatolg)
Well….while I’m at it, I’ll call out some of my favorite Erin Condren products:
–love the On the Go Life Planner–great calendar — with lots of room for notes and goals…each page is beautifully adorned with inspirational quotes…
–love the “Oh What a Week” — calendar. We fill it out each week and post it on the kitchen wall.
–LOVE the gift tag stickers — “just a little something from…” or “a gift for you from…” makes kids’ birthday parties a breeze. Also — fun to adorn a bottle of wine.
I consider myself somewhat organized. My tip is to do at least one load of laundry in its entirety everyday. You will never fall behind, I promise. :). I love Erin Condren. I have the life planner and address book and couldn’t live without them. Would love to win. I follow her on twitter as ShannyMC and liked her page on Facebook.
I use my erin condren life planner!
Just followed Erin Condren on Twitter! My handle # is browndogbeadco
Thanks for the contest!
Our biggest organizational mistake is thinking we can remember which chores are assigned each day for our children and who’s turn it is! Pretty sure my children have pulled fast ones and got away with not doing chores!
I follow Erin Condren on twitter (@maast1) and like her on Facebook.
My worst organizational faux pas was leaving dropping off one son at the other son’s baseball game and vice versa. I would love to have an Erin condren calendar to keep me on track.
I follow erin condren on Facebook – Sara Toole Miller
I follow Erin condren on Twitter – @samill1
I feel like I’m so unorganized all the time! But my Erin Condren day planner helped me with that so much this year. I’m in love with it, yet I’m a tad neurotic about keeping it all to myself. My daughter constantly wants to practice her writing in it, my 3 year old wants to tear the pages out…so I keep it hidden. It would be so nice to have the family system so that everyone could see what our week looks like. And I love all her designs!
I like Erin Condren on Facebook! :).
I liked Erin Condren on Facebook under Shade Oluloro 🙂
I followed Erin Condren on Twitter via @TayoOluloro
My favorite organizational tip would be to color code things according to importance and what it pertains to. If I have something that is very important then I usually color code it as red to symbolize that it is very important and needs to be completed. This helps me when I have many things to accomplish in a particular day. I am able to look at my list and prioritize according to importance level!
I need organizational help. One tip of what not to do… Use a planner and make sure you look at it. And don’t use piles. I have a pile of school papers that should have been sorted during the school year. Now I get to do it this summer!
I like Erin Condren on Facebook!
I have a whiteboard in my kitchen to write all our appointments on so we have a constant reminder.
Liked on Facebook.
I followed on Twitter.
My Erin Condren Life Planner is the best organizational tool ever! Granted, any planner works, I just LOVE my EC one. I added some extras to mine and it still came out to only 14 cents a day for an 18 month planner, can’t be that.
Without a paper planner I would be LOST. I dont know how people deal with scheduling on their phones, would drive me bonkers.
I like Erin Condren on Facebook (Heather Bonhote) and I follow on Twitter (@leapyear0208)
I love, love, love organizational tools like this! With my hubby’s work, my kiddo’s activities- and My activities… it’s a full-time job to keep up with it all!
I followed on Facebook!
I followed on Twitter!
My handle- @bloggergirl27
The best organizational tip I have is making list on my fridge with box next to it and put and x when complete. I can look at it daily ad stay on track!
I like Erin condren on Facebook. My name is Barbara Jean Revene
I follow Erin Condren almost everywhere! Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Youtube. I guess I’m just short of stalking, right? Ha! My worst organizatioal mistake was a short-lived mini post-it phase as a freshman in college. They were everywhere!
Fb: Amber Sharitt Davis
Twitter: @haybersown79
My biggest organizational tip is having Sunday and Thursday night meetings w my husband so we’re on the same pages
I follow EC on twitter racey7
I like EC on fb…
I use my life planner to help me meal plan- it is the best thing since sliced bread!
I follow on twitter @cleanleanmommy
I like EC on Facebook Lynnsey Childress
I like Erin Condren on Facebook
Kari C.
I follow Erin Condren on Twitter
@alas3lads
My organizational tip: I have four kids (12, 14, 16, 20) so it’s always been a challenge to keep up with all their school/activities, etc. I have a three-ring binder that i keep for each year. There is a tab for each child where i can store papers related to school, etc. I use the pockets in the front and back of the folder for time-sensitive papers (i.e. field trip permission slips, etc.). I also keep a monthly calendar in the binder as well as a front page with all of our emergency information (dr./school numbers, insurance, medications)
Wow, that’s some awesome organization! I hate to say it, but the giveaway closed last night. Thanks so much for coming by and sharing your amazing tip. I’m definitely going to give it a try.
Hi,
What colors did you chose? I love that color scheme. I can’t figure out if it’s the cornflower or not? I’m assuming the grey is the dark grey?
What colors are the blue and grey? I wanted to ordery new
Lifeplanner with this color scheme. Let me know. Thanks.
Hi Victoria, My photography is just bad…it’s the white/cornflower standard combo. I love blue, so it was a natural pick for me. Happy shopping! Amy