Keep holiday organizing simple!
If you are a naturally, infallibly organized person, this does not concern you. In fact, you should write a book for those of us who have trouble remembering what season we are in. As we approach the new year, I will once again be resolving to “Get Organized.” And then of course, the follow up resolution: “Stay Organized.”
Both are challenging to me as a mother of three little ones who also works from home – on several different projects at any one time. And who is a class parent. And who manages the doctors appointments, food shopping, gift buying, party RSVP-ing and vacation planning -basically, all the living, working, sleeping and nose-blowing that goes on around here? I run it.
I leapt at the opportunity to try out the Discbound Customizable Notebooks from Martha Stewart Home Office™ with Avery™ (available exclusively at Staples as of November 1st). I love the colors and style of the covers, the simplicity of the system, and the promise of keeping my always-hectic life and work in order. You can easily find and get different accessories to help customize your own organizing system.
People, please, listen to me. If you are not genetically gifted in the organization department, get yourself these notebooks. I have been using mine for several big organizing demands over the past few months: keeping receipts, phone numbers, charities, e-mails related to post-Hurricane Sandy matters in one place; planning for Mommybites’ Jingle that happened November 27th; and holiday parties and gifts. The divided sections, calendar pages, customizable formats and pockets have made it easy to keep track of lists, business cards, and even random ideas for teachers’ gifts (Kindergarten teachers like dry cleaning coupons, right?).
Then I got cocky. I thought I could wing it. Man, I really thought I didn’t need my notebook. How hard could remembering things be? Last week I signed my three kids up for an evening pajama party at our local indoor play space. I psyched the kids up for it, threatened them with not going if they didn’t behave, got them bathed, dressed in pajamas, on the bus and to the party with a few minutes to spare. And as the place filled with other children in PJs carrying gifts – who all seemed to know each other – it became painfully obvious that I had mixed up the dates. We were crashing a private birthday party.
You see, I went about my business without consulting my Discbound Notebook – into which I had written the correct date of the pajama party. So we wound up in the middle of a four year old’s pizza party. Me, my husband, and our three kids – who screamed and cried and begged not to have to leave the party we weren’t invited to.
Do not let this happen to you. Don’t crash toddler parties. Don’t double-book yourself this holiday season; keep the kids’ holiday break schedules straight – can you imagine dropping little Janey off at school one December morning when the building is closed? (I can actually imagine it. That’s why I asked.) The new Discbound notebooks from Martha Stewart Home Office are the one tool you need.
The notebooks contain specially-punched, ruled paper held together by discs; it’s easy to add, remove, and rearrange pages as you need. Discbounds really do help keep everything straight.
I was given Discbound Notebooks for review purposes. Opinions are my own.
Wendy Bradford is a mama of three, wife, writer, spin instructor, ardent New Yorker and blogger at mamaonetothree.com.
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog contributor’s. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Writers may have conflicts of interest, and their opinions are their own.
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