Chesed

Wednesday November 30, 2011

By Michelle November 30, 2011 Uncategorized 102 Comments

The Time Keeper

Household Planner 2012



On a slightly different twist from the books I’ve been posting, how about a planner?  David’s cousin, Starla, created this fantastic planner three or is it four (?) years ago and I have used it ever since she started.  I started with a notebook after we were married, drawing each page into weeks.  After awhile I upgraded to a computer version and taped it to the frig.  But when we started building the house, it wasn’t enough.  I was on so much overload I truly needed an external brain.  Christy kept telling me I needed a real planner and because I didn’t believe her, she gave me one and said, “use it.”  It was a gorgeous, leather bound little thing and I LOVED it.  You could buy new inserts every year for the calender part.  The only problem was that it was kind of heavy in my purse thanks to the pretty leather and the pages were too small.

Then Starla magically appeared on the scene.  This planner is perfect.  Lightweight.  Easily fits into a purse.  Doesn’t add much weight.  Nicely lies flat on my countertop aka its permanent home. 



I love that there is a spot for phone numbers so I don’t always have to get out the phone book to call the doctor.  I love that it has a “planning ahead for 2013” section.  I love all the blank pages for notes in the back where I can create lists of books to read someday.  There are also perforated grocery lists in the back which I use sometimes.  More often than not, I scrawl what I need on the “TO DO” list on the weekly page because the bigger things on my to do list are mostly in the day to day schedule.

As soon as we make an appointment for anything, it goes in the planner.  I write down upcoming activities so that I don’t as frequently over-book.  Do I ever forget something?  Yes.  A planner still can’t keep you from walking out the door without the plate of muffins you put right there so you wouldn’t forget them.  But it has simplified my life so much.  Especially because writing it down helps me to “forget” about it and frees my brain to think about other things. 

The other thing I’ve done to help us remember everything and especially to make sure David and I don’t end up with conflicting plans … like hey, I thought you were going to be available then … is to put a white board calendar on the wall next to the kitchen table where we eat most of the time.  Every person in the house has a color and every one’s important things get written down.  That way we get to look forward to them together and we don’t miss each other in the hi and bye.  I do need to get one more color because right now black has to stand for David and for all of us.  I love it.  The boys love it.  David says “hmm, that’s cool,” in his typical laid back manner, so we’ll just assume he loves it, too.   We still sometimes end up with curazy days like the 9th when I’d invited my SIL over for the day, Adam had a half day of school, we had parent teacher conference around five and a Dave Ramsey teaching seminar in the evening and that morning at the last minute I agreed to babysit four month old twins.  It was a crazy day, but a super fun day, too.  Having a calender keeps me from doing that more than one day in a row because then it goes from fun to over the top exhausting.



And that, my friends, is the method to our madness.  I would LOVE to know how you keep your life organized. 

Starla is giving away one planner to someone who has never used her version.  So if you’ve used it, please respect her wishes and do not enter this giveaway.  I will fudge the rule just enough to say that if you’ve used it and love it and want to give it to someone who has never used it, you can enter to win it for a gift.

To purchase your own planner, go here.  And yes, you do want one.

And just for fun, here’s a gift basket idea.



*planner … to organize your life
*huge bag of coffee … for energy to knock off that to do list
*two large mugs … self-explanatory

I will close this giveaway on Saturday, December 3rd.  As always, if you are not a xanga member and do not use your facebook identity, please leave an email address for me to contact you or check back to see if you won.  And anyone who links this entry to facebook or your blog wins a second entry (come back and leave a second comment for your second entry).  Good luck!


****************** This giveaway is closed ************************

102 thoughts on “Wednesday November 30, 2011”

  13. fruitloops115

    ooh, i’d totally take a planner like that. i have a standard ol’ little calender in my wallet that I can’t live without, but my life isn’t totally crazy, so that suffices fine. Daryl also has a dayplanner for weddings and photography appts.

    Reply ↓
  14. Lenni724

    I have entered like 3 giveaways for this planner.(didn’t win any of them) I want it! 🙂 It is the only thing on my Christmas list this year… but all the better if I could win it!

    Reply ↓
  18. srheam

    I would be a mess without my calendar!! I have to plan around my husband and children’s schedules…and grad. school assignments/class AND work!  I would never survive without it all being written down.  (maybe I AM a little OCD about this stuff, but it works).  The planner you have featured here sounds like it offers so much more than just the calendar.  It would be great to try out! 

    Reply ↓
  22. richlyblest

    You know what? There really is no method to our madness. I sometimes do a calendar on the computer. if there are a lot of things to remember. But because I am still pretty tied to home with my little girl, and can’t plan a lot of things in any given day or week, I don’t have that much to keep track of. But she is getting to be more flexible, so next year might be different. Do you think a planner like this would turn me into an organized person? 🙂

    Reply ↓
  27. Carsonsmom2

    I’m feeling a little boring…I tried using a planner this year, but I totally didn’t have enough to write in it to make it necessary.  I freaked out at how full your wall calendar is. 😉 Looks like you have a fun, busy life. 😀  December is busier than alot of the months, but I guess I’m a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type. 🙂

    You don’t need to enter me, I just wanted to comment. 🙂

    Reply ↓
  29. th3rdtimesAcharm

    I keep seeing this planner around… and people talking about it. I would love to try it. This fall I went and printed my own pages out, and took it to a print shop to have it bound. It works, but I can’t just haul it with me, as it’s a 8×11. But I  do like my planners… as I try to be organized and write things down all the time!!

    Reply ↓
  34. lwstutz

    I love this planner and I have used it for the past 3 years. I have the 2012 one sitting on my counter. So don’t enter me, but I just had to say, whoever gets this, will love it. But then, I love organization anything..;)

    Reply ↓
  37. Anonymous

    I used one of these for the first this past year, and it’s growing on me. It’s nice to have a place to unload my brain. =) It’s a must for next year! (myersabode@myactv.net)

    Reply ↓
  42. grace_to_be

    i am so NOT organized and therefore.. in need of this prize the most! trust me. 😉

    can’t believe i missed all the other great giveaway’s you’ve had going on – – at my folks last week i wasn’t on here much, and this wk has been crazy nuts w/ catching up at home, etc. anyhoo. THIS was probably the one i needed most. ha. so good timing for me. 🙂

    Reply ↓
  43. quiet_hearts

    Oh my.  53 comments.  Are there that many of us that need a plan or know someone who does? Please enter me.  I’ve gone through wonderful planned stages of life and the last while it’s been awful.  Just awful.  Maybe a nice little book would help.

    Reply ↓
  52. appalolly

    And it is SO pretty too!  I think I am figuring out a method for the madness in my life (per my previous post), but would still love to win this planner!  Thanks for the awesome give-a-way.  And I bet you are very organized. Somehow it just seems like you would be!!

    Reply ↓
  60. Anonymous

    I would love to try this organizer. Actually I had seen it advertised last year but didn’t get one ordered, then yesterday I was looking all over the web for it. Even if I don’t win it, at least I know where to find it now. 🙂

    Reply ↓
  73. jbontrager

    I LOOOOVE planners and they are a MUST for my life! Having a child with special needs throws you into a world of doc., therapists, school,… the list could go on! Makes life soooooooo much more stressfree! 🙂 ~Joanna

    Reply ↓
  77. vettechstudent

    Wow, how interesting! I just saw the planner for the first time last weekend at our family Christmas, and heard good things about it. Now to be able to enter the give away. 🙂 Awesome! I am going to post on FB (janel hershberger mullet) and my new blog (camoblessings.blogspot.com). Thanks

    Reply ↓
  78. thegrabertribe

    Would love to win this!  Maybe this is the key to getting my life more organized.  Love the size of it!  So I haven’t gone back to see what the previous 3 giveaways were, but I’ll have to go see what I missed.

    Reply ↓
  86. Becuz_of_Jesus

    As much as I love to organize you would think I have had a planner. But I have never had one. I would like to enter the drawing. The coffee and cups are a fantastic add on!! :)What a great idea Michelle!

    Reply ↓
  93. mariemullet

    I’ve been thinking about this planner for the past month as I am trying to set some goals for the new year I would love, LOVE to have one! And if you would be my neighbor I would give you one of my 5-grain loaves of bread that I just got out of the oven for your generosity to the world of women. Blessings! mariemullet@windstream.net

    Reply ↓
  100. burtndeb

    I’m in! I would love to win this! You are doing a great job with these giveaways. Love your gift basket ideas, and I’m planning to order some copies of “Life is Worth Living” for some of my friends. Thanks for letting us know about these books!

    Reply ↓
  102. jbontrager

    You mentioned you would like to hear other ideas… 🙂 Being the mom of a son with special needs of course means emergencies, doc. visits, therapists, meds, special ed school,….. you name it! I have a three ring binder and I use page protectors to have my pages last longer. I have all his personal information in one section, doc. info and doc reports in another, school info and school reports in another and so forth. That book goes with me to any school meeting or doc appointment so I have everything they need to look at. The school loves to see the doc. reports and the doc. loves to see how he is doing in school… It is awesome!! If anyone is interested I would love to help you get started!! Takes a LOT of stress off your mind!! So, that’s one of the organizers I like!  🙂 Joanna

    Reply ↓

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

%d bloggers like this: