1 Mother 2 Another

Have I mentioned I’m an organization
freak? I’ve got three dry-erase boards on my refrigerator
alone (meal planning and leftovers board, contents of freezer
board, and Cora’s solid foods tracking board if you’re
interested); I own and frequently use a label maker; I wrote
letters to Container Store for six years begging them to come to
New York City (Notice that they did. I met the owner once and may
have actually squealed). So I am all for anything that will help me
organize our family life.


I’ve seen a lot of “mommy organizers” out there,
and have bought none of them; many seem to have fun blanks to fill
in but end up requiring more work, not less. So when I stumbled
acrossErin
Condren’s website touting her calendar and family
planner, I was skeptical but gave it a look.

After scrutinizing her products, I thought
I might have actually found something good. For the past several
years I’ve been using a basic calendar and writing our
appointments in with different colored ink, so we’d know at a
glance who was busy any day. This Erin chick was clearly on the
same page, and I was intrigued. I ordered the package, which duly
arrived quickly thereafter. And may I tell you, my heart beat
faster as I opened the box and saw the goods.


The verdict? I love this woman and what she offers. The gianthref="http://www.erincondren.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=129&products_id=494"
target="_blank">family calendar is fantastic and sturdy,
and comes with a bevy of extras – stickers to quickly denote
parties, birthdays, sports events, doctor’s appointments, and
more. My favorite part is the cover personalized to your
specifications; with places to fill in emergency numbers, doctor
info and more, it becomes your babysitter’s best friend.


The rest of her “combo” is thehref="http://www.erincondren.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=129&products_id=495"
target="_blank">life planner – the travel-sized
calendar. It’s a weekly calendar with space aplenty for notes
and appointments, another personalized cover, blank pages for phone
numbers or stray grocery lists, more stickers for easy reminders, a
plastic pouch to hold stamps or coupons or whatever you pick up,
reminder cards to hand out to friends when you set a playdate, the
list is endless. See why I love this woman?


On a side note, I also think her family Christmas cards are the
coolest I’ve ever seen, but I hesitate to mention it in case
it’s too late to get them ordered.


Speaking of too late, you’ll have to order fast if you want
this as a Christmas present. This is partly my fault: I meant to
write her up in early November to give everyone time to order, but
I got caught up in vacation planning and forgot.


Next time, I’ll write a reminder in my calendar and family
planner.