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.

Another busy mom shares her tips for keeping her family’s schedule and home together. . Today’s featured busy mom is Isabel Isidro Mom of three balancing parenting and co running a business.

Isabel Isidro is a mother of three boys, ages 7, 4 and 2. She is also the co-founder of PowerHomeBiz.com, a 10-year old site for home business owners and solo entrepreneurs, and runs WomenHomeBusiness.com and LearningfromBigBoys.com. She just tries to live and learn each day – not always succeeding, but always trying.

How do you keep your children’s schedules together ?
My kids are 7, 5 and 2 — and they all go to school. The two youngest are home by lunchtime while the eldest spends the full day in school.

We have a strict schedule in the house, and the kids know it. The younger boys take a nap in the afternoon. They play or relax in the afternoon after school, and one of their favorite activities is playing Wii with their father. The kids then eat dinner, and take a bath. Then from 7:00-8:30 pm, it’s their study and reading time.

I give them the materials they need to work on and practice with, and they choose the books they want to read. By 8:30 pm, they’re on bed and ready to sleep. They’re early risers, and wake up anywhere from 5:30-6:30 am – even on weekends! None in the family are late sleepers.

To the extent possible, we don’t do any extracurricular activities during the weekdays, only weekends. School is tough already for the kids, and we’d like them to have time to rest, have fun, play with each other and just be kids.

Saturdays, though, are when things go crazy with their schedules. They have various lessons, and by lunchtime, I am tired from driving around the area going from one lesson to the next. However, in the afternoon, we always make it a point to go to the library to pick up the books that they’ll read for the week.

Do you use a particular day planner ?
No. I used various dayplanners – from the cheapest to the most expensive leather bound planners. I even attended a daylong seminar by one of the big businesses in dayplanning business on how to organize and plan your day using their dayplanning system.

But none really worked for me. I will be “good” and use the planner judiciously for a few weeks, or even a month. And then nada — blank pages after that.

For one, I need something that I can carry with me all the time, not some bulky planner that sits nicely on a desk but impractical to be carried in my purse around. My purse is heavy enough as it is with all the kids’ stuff, and having a bulky planner does not work.

Do you own a blackberry?
Not a Blackberry, but I use an iPhone with an app for my to-do lists for the day. It’s been very effective for me. I carry my phone all the time, and having my things to do and scheduler on the same small device allowed me to keep track of what I need to do for the day. I just love it!

What is you most used ‘time saving tip’ when it comes to running your house?
You need to be a goddess of multi tasking and organization. Find the best strategy that works for you and your family.

For me, I need to spend a little time the night before thinking what the family needs to do for the day – e.g. making sure the kids have put their assignments in their bags. Otherwise, I’d forget it! I spend a little time putting my list in my iPhone’s to-do app.

My husband has also been extremely helpful in running the house, and I don’t think I can run the house without his help in everything.

Because we run a web business, I also rely on a lot of technology to run a home-based business alongside running a household with three kids. When the kids play Wii for example, I sit and watch them play, but I have my laptop with me to enable me to respond quickly to emails or do some web site maintenance tasks. We also have laptops in almost every room in the house, because you’ll never know when you can sneak in 5 minutes of work. My husband tells me that I am “surgically attached” to my computer. I know I need to unplug sometime, but it’s just so hard!

Do you have a favorite quick meal for your family?
Ramen. We’re Asian, and the kids love noodles. My 4 year old can eat 2 packs of Ramen in one sitting. They also love fried spring rolls, which they eat with rice.

Tell us the truth ? What would we find in your car right now ?
I’m pretty good in terms of managing the clutter in my car. I don’t leave anything in the car, except for the ice skating bag with the kids’ equipment and gloves. Plus a pack of biscuits and crackers that the kids like. There’s no clutter in my car because I carry everything in my big bag!

Even my husband is amazed at how heavy my bag is and what I bring in it. Plus, my husband vacuums and cleans the car weekly so I have no complaints :o)

What advice would you give to other moms who feel the pressure of trying to be ‘super mom’?
Don’t even feel pressured to be a “super mom.” I’d go crazy if I even aim to become one. I just live one day at a time, trying to enjoy life with my family. Let the kids have fun, teach them responsibility, appreciate the value of work, and be grounded with family relationships and religion.

I just want them to experience as much as they can. Don’t feel you have to do what others are doing – just do the best you can do for your family.

What is your number one goal for the year ? How do you plan to reach it ?
To finish my book. I’ve been working on a book about starting a home business for years, and this time I am about ready to have it published. How do I plan to reach the goal? By not sleeping! The only time I can write is at night when everybody else is sleeping. Daytime is pure chaos, and I just can’t write anything during the day.

Some busy moms would love to go back to school but can’t afford the cost. There are many single mom scholarships that could help them reach their academic goals without having to worry about the costs.

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 :)

How do you keep your children’s schedules together?
My husband and I use Outlook quite a bit between the two of us to maintain everyone’s schedules. Our daughter’s elementary school web site also has a great Outlook calendar download feature that tells us everything for the year such as parent-teacher conferences, field trips, early-release days, etc. It works pretty slick!

Do you use a particular day planner ?
No, I don’t. However, I do use some of the Steven Covey principles of prioritizing tasks and not over-scheduling my day. I used to feel so defeated at the end of the day when only five of the 10 things on my list were crossed off. Now, I’m happy crossing-off the five I scheduled for myself. (Well, most of the time!)

Do you own a blackberry?
Yes, I just purchased one a few weeks ago. I set it so it only rings for phone calls. Email notifications can usually wait until I have a block of time to read them.

What is your most used ‘time saving tip’ when it comes to running your house?
I enjoy cooking, therefore I like to prepare large meals on the weekends to either freeze or reheat later in the week. I also discovered how to cut my grocery shopping time in half. I organize my grocery list in the order of the store layout, tear it in half and pass it to my husband. We each take a cart and then meet in the middle of the store to checkout. I realize this sounds a bit silly, but if your husband offers to help and you’re willing to accept selections that aren’t exactly what you would have picked out yourself then try it! It also helps keep your spouse and/or kids involved in your grocery budget and realize how much food really costs.

Do you have a favourite quick meal for your family?
Breakfast for dinner. We raise a dozen laying hens here on our property and it’s pretty easy to walk out to the coop, grab a few eggs and pull together a quick meal.

Tell us the truth ? What would we find in your car right now ?
A pair of snow shoes, a container of trail mix, partially nude Barbies, assorted Crayola markers and a couple of empty coffee cups.

What advice would you give to other moms who feel the pressure of trying to be ‘super mom’?
Expand your definition of what is acceptable and cut yourself some slack.

What is your number one goal for the year ? How do you plan to reach it ?
My goal is to expand TicklerTags into the school fund raising market this year. I will be launching a marketing campaign in a few short weeks to elementary schools and parent-teacher organizations.

Nicole Budleski is a 35-year-old, married mother of two girls, ages 7 and 2. Nicole’s marketing background and knack for organizing lead to the development of TicklerTags for her daughter’s after school activities and transportation arrangements. You can visit her site, www.TicklerTags.com to see her full line of backpack reminder tags.

So here are my tips for looking after your family computers and keeping their maintenance up to date.

1) Check your antivirus programs and make sure they are downloading their updates. If you don’t have one, get AVG free. Make sure you only have one anti virus program or you will find your computer will stop liking you.

2) Protect your kids ? Hey PROTECT YOUR COMPUTERS. Kids will visit any and every website on the internet and downlaod all kinds of nice and not so nice things to your computer. So stop right now and get cyber patrol. Know what your kids are doing and keep them from doing things to your computer that they shouldn’t.

2)  Run a disk Defrag. Go to Start -> All Programs -> Accessories ->  System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter *do this every week. Need more ?  You need to do this each week

3) Clear your internet cache. You need to do this each week. Videos:  Fire Fox Internet Explorer

4) Take your videos, photos, and music off your computer. Most of us don’t have enough memory to store all of these on our computer without slowing down your computer.

5) Remove unused programs using the Control panel  add/remove programs.

6) Go to windows update and make sure you have all the latest updates for your computer.

7) Run a registry cleaner. I use Registry Mechanic. Be sure you have all of your driver disks in case you need to reinstall something.

Set a day each week to run a defrag  and cache clear on your computer.

They kids have gotten older and they are wanting to do more ‘their way’, instead of according to my checklists. They are involved in more outings, field trips, classes, homework and I am having a hard time keeping up.

I am learning to let go a bit as a single parent I can only do so much. My salary isn’t high enough to hire the extra help to keep up the yard, the laundry, and having to take time off to run kids to the doctor, dentist, ballet, or pick them up from school on sick days has proven a challenge.

With the New Year approaching I am starting to think about goals, plans, and dreams for the upcoming year.
I know some of the things I did this last year didn’t work – so it’s time to start thinking about new strategies for managing my family, health, and spirit.

Setting goals for the new year makes more sense to me then setting New Years Resolutions. I think it’s time to start mulling over some 2010 New Year Goals.

1) My children were reported to MY MOTHER by her friend (how old am I ?). Her friend felt the need to tell her that my two youngest children were late for school because they were outside splashing in puddles at a turtles pace walking to school. Yes, this is the same friend of my mother who caught me skipping out of school in 9th grade and felt the need to call her. OK that I understand but calling my mom about my own kids ?!  Her intentions a re good so I guess I should smile knowing she cares about me (my mom’s friend that is).

2) All in the same night -> my roof leaked, my dishwasher over flowed and the basement toilet began leaking.

3) My pay cheque was late and all my bills were overdue.

There are some weeks when someone is telling you to stop and laugh. If I didn’t I just might live in the bathroom with the door locked all week ! There is a silver lining, I received an email about a job interview with a large internet company that made me feel wonderful since I didn’t actually apply. Someone wants my skills – made my week!

How do you keep your children’s schedules together ?

It’s a constant juggling act! My main tool is a calendar. As soon as the kids bring home any kind of schedule (baseball, show choir, etc.), I transcribe the dates and times onto my family calendar. I also then tack the schedules on the bulletin board near the calendar, just in case I need to go back and double check the location of an event or need to call a coach.

Do you use a particular day planner ?

Nope. My “day planner” is my big Lang calendar, which hangs in the kitchen. Every family event — and my work deadlines — are transcribed on to the calendar. If I need a babysitter, I’ll list the name of the sitter once she’s lined up under the event; that way, I know I’ve got that handled. I also include such things as “return library books” and “schedule eye appts.”

When we’re headed to a 4-H meeting or some other meeting that will include discussion of future events, I’ll literally take the calendar off the wall and bring it along.

Do you own a blackberry?
Nope. I just got a cell phone again a few months ago!

What is you most used ‘time saving tip’ when it comes to running your house?
Prioritize. A lot of the things that we think “have” to be done really don’t need to be done at all — or if they do, they don’t need to be done nearly as often as we think. The more things you take off your to-do list, the more time you have for the things that remain.

Do you have a favourite quick meal for your family?
Frozen pizza. It might not be the most nutritious meal in the whole world, but it’s quick, easy and requires virtually no clean-up! Plus, the boys love it.

Tell us the truth ? What would we find in your car right now ?

The better question — what wouldn’t you find in my car right now? Off the top of my head, there are 3 jackets, numerous books, a random garbage bag (I have good intentions!), a travel mug that needs to come into the house, one Field and Stream magazine, an empty McDonal’ds fry container, a first aid kit and a handful of tiny plastic ninjas. Also pens, random change and lots and lots of dirt.

What advice would you give to other moms who feel the pressure of trying to be ‘super mom’?
There’s no such thing as “super mom,” only “good enough” mom.

It’s absolutely impossible to be super in every aspect of your life, and trying will only set you up for a lifetime of frustration. Think about it: a lot of goals we have as moms are mutually incompatible. We want a clean house — and we want a safe, welcoming, nurturing environment for our kids. Well guess what? A spotlessly clean and decluttered house is not a welcoming, nurturing environment for kids.

So prioritize: Which do you value more? And then LIVE by those values. That means really internalizing the fact that you value your kids more than the house. That means embracing the chaos and mess as evidence of your children’s growth. It does not mean gritting your teeth as you look at the mess and mentally berating yourself for not managing to have House Beautiful.

What is your number one goal for the year ? How do you plan to reach it ?
For my kids to feel safe and secure. That might not sound like much of a goal, but their Dad moved out in July, so our family is going through some serious reorganization issues. I remain committed to my professional goals, but right now, that one goal — helping my kids feel safe and secure — supersedes all others.

To achieve it, I’m making every possible attempt to keep their lives as normal as possible (keeping them in their regular activities, etc.). I’m also facilitating contact/visits with their dad, reaching out to family and friends and paying attention to their needs.

At the same time, I’m taking steps to take care of myself — counseling, giving myself time to journal and relax, and working on building my writing career. I need to be able to provide for my sons, and I’m determined to do just that.

Jennifer L.W. Fink is a freelance writer and mother of four boys. She homeschools the boys while writing for a variety of national magazines, including Parents, Boys’ Life, Ladies’ Home Journal and Pregnancy. Learn more about her crazy life at www.bloggingboutboys.blogspot.com.

Here are Tara’s interview answers and tips for moms to get organized:

How do you keep your children’s schedules together ?
My household is a family of 2 – me and my son. I’ve been divorced for 5 1/2 years now, run my own business out of the house and my son just got his driver’s license… some days it’s a tad busy!

I have a combination of schedule managers but use a write-on-wipe off calendar on the side of the refrigerator for anything that is on my son’s schedule or that will affect my son.

For example, it doesn’t really matter to him if I have meetings, appointments or conference calls while he is at school – those don’t make the fridge. But if I’m speaking or have a teleseminar that is in the evening, it is there so he could see it.

Of course, he is a 16 year old boy so verbal repetition and texting seems work a little better than my calendar system. :) At the beginning of the week I’ll do a litte, “Here’s what I have going on, here’s what you have going on… anything you haven’t told me about?” (There often is.)

Then each morning while he’s getting ready for school I’ll remind him of anything that day. Then when he doesn’t remember after school, he texts, fesses up that he didn’t really listen, I tell him for the 5th or 6th time and it sinks in. (They say people need to hear things 7 times to really hear them, in my experiencethat is extra true for teenagers!)

Do you use a particular day planner or mom planner?
I have a Mac and recently discovered this wonderful system called “Daylite”. It may be more than an average mom needs but if you are a mom that is also working from home in any way – check it out!

It has a calendar, contact list management, connects emails to people automatically, politely reminds you of upcoming events… it does everything but clean the bathroom! I have it on both my iPhone and Mac and they sync very nicely – so if I make an appointment away from home I just hit “sync” and don’t have to retype everything.

Daylite has helped me save time, find communication threads and remember when to call people back, send in art for consideration and more. I truly can’t say enough good things about this software!

Do you own a blackberry?
No. As an artist and avid Mac lover, I went from a basic phone to an iPhone. Now I couldn’t live without it!

What is you most used ‘time saving tip’ when it comes to running your house?
Don’t obsess over dust. If you have a choice between dusting and relaxing with your kids, spouse, significant other or a good book – choose the latter. (Do dust sometimes of course!) I often feel like I’m ‘falling down on the job’ if my house wouldn’t be ready for a white glove test or photo shoot with a home interiors magazine but the truth of the matter is, we live here. I work here. Kids hang out and play guitar here. It can’t be 100% clean all the time. So save time by dusting 1/2 as much as you are compelled to and spend a little more time having fun!

Tell us the truth ? What would we find in your car right now ?
If you asked my sister she would say ‘dirty floor mats’. As well as some stray leaves and bark dust, you would find crackers, a bottle of water, reusable shopping bags across the back seat, a book, umbrella and I think if you went under one of the seats you might find some McDonald’s Happy Meal toys… (I go for the Happy Meal when I break down and crave fast food.)

What advice would you give to other moms who feel the pressure of trying to be ‘super mom’?
“Give up the ghost!” Who defines what a ‘super mom’ or ‘perfect mom’ is or does anyway? I never got the handbook which makes it that much more confusing.

Especially after I got divorced and started working full-time plus building my business, I quickly discovered that there was no way I could do everything “perfectly” by myself. So I made choices about what was important and at what frequency (dusting, being a prime example) and how to balance being a mom, a business owner and let us not forget, myself.

I think that sometimes mom’s think they need to look like they can do everything seamlessly for their kids – never let them see that you get tired, burnt out or any other negative emotion. And while it is important to provide the safety and security that comes with being consistent and there for your kids, it’s ok to show them that some days, you just can’t do it all! Think about how much better they will feel when they have a day like that too!

I guess my real point is “Super Mom is a myth. Being a Real Mom is a gift you can give your kids – talents, strengths and weaknesses all rolled into the mix.”

What is your number one goal for the year ? How do you plan to reach it ?
This year I hope to really spread the word about my latest project – PrintYourOwnBunco.com. My main business is art licensing – I create art that manufacturers license to put on their products. (Fabric, rubber stamps, dishes, gift wrap, coasters, etc.)

The majority of my end-consumers are women. Loving to play with business ideas on the internet as well, I started my “Bunco” project in October. Over 7 million women in the US play regularly but unless they are very crafty and creative, they haven’t had a way to get fun, themed party supplies. I am now offering that and working on connecting with the Bunco women everywhere through social media, the website and blog, affiliates, traditional press (coming soon I hope!) and more.

Tara Reed is an artist, author and speaker who creates ‘art that will make you smile!’. Her art can be found on hundreds of products in retail stores as well as online. Learn more about Tara and her work at www.TaraReedDesigns.com

Follow Tara on Twitter

So this week was parent teacher interviews at my children’s elementary school. What does that mean? Well, for five days straight two of my children were dismissed from school at 1:10 pm.

This causes problems for most working moms and a few extra for single parents. First, we feel bad that we can’t attend and then we have to figure out who will care for our children.

I was thinking today about all the creative ways I try to balance it all and I thought this may be worth sharing.

First, I have learned to not just admit my limitations to myself but to be upfront with others as to what I can and can’t do. I have set parenting priorities and realize they will not be the same as all the stay at home moms nor even many of the working moms who have a double income family.

When my daughter came home with the slip for my scheduled parent teacher interview… I sent the slip back with a note to the principal stating that I would not be able to attend either of my children’s interviews because my scheduled hours are 11:30 -4 and at that time I have to be at my desk. (See how I did that ONE NOTE for two kids, time saving.) Then I went in to the school and spoke to my daughters new teacher the next morning.

I let her know that;

a) I am my children’s sole provider and as a contractor if I take a day off I do not get paid.

b) I also let her know I have worked my schedule to allow me some flexibility for 9 am- 10 am so I can accommodate all of my children’s appointments and I have at least two every week for the next two months (isn’t that crazy!) True, but crazy.

c) That I feel bad I can not be more active in the school during school hours, but to stay in the loop I do attend all PTA meetings by paying for a sitter for two of my children and taking one with me (for quality time) to the possible dismay of some parents ;)

d) That I have three children. One just entering middle school who has adhd and sever allergies, one in grade three being treated for clinical depression who has possible hearing concerns, and my daughter ( in her class) who is undergoing treatment and testing to figure out why she has recurring kidney/bladder infections. On top of all this I have to stay healthy, work, and launch a business to get ahead financially.

e) That I realistically have a total of 20 minutes each evening to help three children with homework.

f) That I can stay in touch by email if she has any concerns. I am an active parent and I will do everything in my power to support her suggestions within that 20 minutes divided by three children.

g) That I appreciate her as my daughters teacher.

So I made it through early dismissal week. How? This week I had my first parent teacher interview via email and it went well. We had one nice traditional dinner this week – the other days all included salad and something pre packaged ;) My kids walked home from school. I worked from home with an IP phone.

Priorities, realistic expectations, and acknowledging that yes I will never measure up to the queen bees on the playground – but it’s likely I am more emotionally healthy then half of them ;)