Organized Families » Mom Planners and Agendas

Blackberry for moms – A question from Berdie

Organized Mom — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:42:14 +0000

This questions from a new mom returning t o work arrived today. I wasn’t able to reply so I thought I would post her question.

“I am a first time mother who just returned to work on Monday! My head is spinning. I was once an organized person but i now feel life spiraling out of control. I read on this site that there are many Blackberry applications for moms to help keep them organized. I was wondering if there was a list of these applications somewhere on this website or on the internet? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.”

Although I don’t have a list – I will share with you MY SECRET for using my blackberry to keep organized.

Are you ready ? It’s not about a Blackberry Mom application. It’s about using a service that offers EVERYthing you need on a remote server so you can access it from HOME WORK and your blackberry.

If you are a busy working mom, busy stay at home mom, Busy work from home mom, you need to DUMP and simplify. To do this you head over to: http://www.Gmail.com and created yourself an email (then get RID of all the others – its a time waster.

With your new Google account you can SYNC directly to your blackberry AND to your outlook (where you can also download your GMAIL email), organize your calenders, and have access to everything from your desktop, remotely from work, and on your blackberry.

You can also:
Invite others to share with you – colour label your kids, work, personal appointments, in google calender – share documents you create (google docs) – budget & track payments in google (excel), create a monthly grocery list ect.

If you don’t have the time to ’set it all up yourself. Check out Famundo -it’s $4.95 a month – but you have to sync to outlook then to your blackberry. Whereas Google will Sync Real time with your blackberry.

So my Mom Blackberry keeping it all together trick is GOOGLE.

2010 mom day planner reviews from the Organized Mom – The Mom Agenda

Organized Mom — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:49:37 +0000

It’s 2010 and I am happy to share all the mom planners and mom agenda’s available for quick purchase online.

Today’s mom planner is more then a time management tool. The Mom Agenda Desktop runs through to December 2010 and offers monthly views at the front of the book, followed by a weekly view.

I personally am a fan of a weekly view mom day planner. The 7″x9″x1″ size is not to big, but big enough to handle a busy family’s schedule.
The planner can accommodate Mom calender needs and the busy schedule of up to four children.

For those of you needing a mom planner or mom organizer that is a bit smaller. The Mom Agenda’s Daily planner is a great option.

The planner only runs through to August (academic year) but it is already 40% off. The planner is 5″x7″x1″.

Be sure to stop by The Mom Agenda Website and grab their free printable pages as well.

Click here for free mom mom planner pages, organizational tools, and printable holiday planner.

Organizing the kids homework

Organized Mom — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 08:10:12 +0000

I don’t make it to my children’s school often. I am lucky to live in a small town where the kids still walk to school. However today a lightening storm started 10 minutes before the bell rang so I decided the mom bus needed to be started. What does this have to do with homework ? Well My daughters teacher told me ‘Abbie doesn’t seem to be interested in doing any work at school” guess what that means – we don’t finish our work at school …..

Then Darryl’s teacher says ‘Darryl doesn’t seem to be interested in doing his school work’. Sigh, I have to admit I have NOT been keeping the kids school events and homework organized. I have no homework system or home work routine. So in a hope in becoming the organized mom again I took my daughter to the dollar store to get a system in place for her.

The boys each have a school agenda, that I NEED to be using. Abbies is primary and the school doens’t order school agendas for the primary grades. So I needed to create one for her (actually it’s more for mom).

So here is our solution for organzing Abbie’s school homework.

Total cost: less then $7.00

Large zip locking bag (with a slider because the other ones are frustrating for little fingers and won’t get closed = lost homework organizers). ( I usually have these in my box but I bought 8 for $1.00)

One pencil (we had this at home)

One pencil sharpener

One fun homework bag sign

One hard covered blank journal (letter size)

The plastic bag keeps it all organized AND helps with rain (this busy mom lives in the North West). Of course now I have to establish a homework routine. Establishing any family routine usually takes some patience and incentive always helps.

So I made a Mom’s homework organization bag to help me with my attempt to get the children’s homework and school events organized. A bag to organize the homework items (which belongs to mom to ensure it dosen’t migrate into someones bedroom). It includes a new box of crayons, pencil crayons, three pencils, my highlighter & pen (for writing notes for the teacher), and $6.00 worth stickers (homework incentive). I think I might make a fancy sign for my bag as well.

Abbie’s homework agenda or organizer will be used to practise her spelling, write her reading times, send notes back and forth to the teacher, and write about her day to help improve her writing skills.

My homework routine means I can expect to site at the table with Abbie and Darryl for at least 30 minutes each night. No one said parenting wouldn’t be time consuming !

Now if you need an organizer for mom -> go check out the MOM AGENDA and get up to 40% off.

Another option for a school organizer if you want something a bit cuter … Freckle Box has personalized notebooks. They cost 9.95 personalized clipboards are just $19.95 the coupon code FBFRIEND may give you 15% off if it hasn’t expired :)