How I use my planner.

Before I made my Erin Condren purchase, I wondered how I would use it, and if it would be worth my money.

Of course y'all know how much I love this thing, and the hardest decision I have coming up is what cover to order for 2013....
Ok, that might be a slight exaggeration, but you get my drift.

I'm a tad OCD.  I like a schedule.  I like to plan.  I like to-do lists.  I like my t's crossed and my i's dotted.  I like to think ahead and know what is coming up next.

It just makes me feel a lot better when I'm organized.

So, here is how I use my Erin Condren planner, in case you wondered.  Or just in case you ever wanted to be nosey and take a sneak peek inside.  :)

I use the green marker for my "to do list" each day.
The boys appointments/things to do are usually in blue.
Purple is my color ... it's the things I have going on, or the exercises I did.
Orange is primarily for meals, but sometimes other random stuff.
Black is for all of us, or other misc. items.

I really use this thing to track everything.... and keep me organized as well.

When we go out of town, I also use it as a journal, so I can remember what all we did while we were gone.  Otherwise all of the trips start to blur together, you know?

It took me a long time to get our "menu" figured out... I tried many different methods of keeping myself on track for groceries and what we have in our cupboards, but this has BY FAR been the best one for me.

Also, it makes me laugh a little that the week I decided to take a picture of the meals, we had pizza rolls one night.  Hey - what can I say - I'm not a gourmet chef every night.  :)

The beginning of each month comes with lined paper, so I usually use it to write down what I have coming up... the big picture.

Also at the beginning of each month, is the "month view".  The boxes are little, so you can't write too much in them, but I use it to track our bills. 

The stickers are used often... I'm like 'em.

And I love the back pocket.  I keep checks, stamps, and misc notes in there.

 My tabs have seen their better days... but all things considered, they are still in good shape.  And the 2013 planners have laminated tabs, wooo!

What can I say... I'm a big fan.

And now you realize how big of a freak I really am.  Do you still like me?

PS:: this is not a sponsored post!  Just a product I really really love.  :)

Organizing coupons.

You know me... organization is like coffee creamer in my life... a necessity.

I love to use coupons from time to time but really couldn't figure out a great method for organizing them and keeping them with me.  Before I got my Erin Condren, I kept all my coupons in my wallet.  I would try and organize them from time to time, but never figured out a way to separate them from the different stores and remember to use them before they expired.

Once I got my planner, I organized them by store and expiration date, and kept them in an envelope in the back of my planner.  Unfortunately, because I had so many, the coupons made it super bulky.  See?

This worked for a while, until I was in Target (of course) and found a better option for a small $5.99.

This notebook is great because it has a hard shell, organizing folders, and a notepad so that I can write what coupons I have and when I need to use them by.

So, I got right to it.  Organized each folder by the store, and then used the paper to track what I actually had.

I keep this in my purse with my wallet so that I always have it with me.  And the best part, my beloved planner is no longer bulky.  Back to her original shape.  :)

Some of you are probably un-friending me as we speak for being such a nerd, but this is me!

A true crazy lady through and through.

Have a happy Thursday!

Organization makes me happy.

I've had my eye on an Erin Condren life planner since the first time I saw one featured on another blog.  Being the type-A organizational freak I am, something inside me got really excited about a place to put EVERYTHING, from errands, to-do lists, menu planning, and of course our family calendar as well.  I quickly jumped onto their website, only to be a little discouraged by their price.  We don't have an extra $50 laying around...ever...so I dismissed it and thought about asking for one at Christmas time.

Enter Plum District.  Recently they ran a special where you could get a $50 voucher for just $25.  On top of that, they had a coupon, so I was able to get a planner for $22.50.  There was no way I was passing this one up!

Deciding what cover/theme to get proved to be the hardest part of my decision.  I googled "erin condren life planner reviews" and read about a million of them, and kept going back to this one design... candy lace, which I kept hearing is even cuter in person {and it's true}.

Turn around and shipping time was extremely reasonable and one day, the heavens opened up and dropped off this package...

Seriously, don't you love companies that take pride even in their packaging? 

I literally gasped as we were walking out the door to go to the store, and Jaxon said "what Mommy? a big spider?"  :)

 love these pages, keeping track of birthdays & anniversary's... super easy! 

the whole year at a glance

 each month has a "month view" and then a "day view" as well, which is broken into 3 categories... 

morning, day, night so you can REALLY plan your day :) 

  a spot for receipts, stamps, etc... i plan to organize my coupons and keep them here

 tons of blank pages for notes/lists/etc

2013/2014 mini calendars on the back inside cover

So many fun inspirational quotes throughout as well... here's just a few!

And then all these extra's she included for free!  Love!

see the clear zipped pouch?  perfect for keeping things together you don't want to lose!

I also got my Sister one for her Christmas gift, but I will let her show hers off  :)

Stay tuned... I'll keep you updated as I figure out exactly how I'm going to be using this planner! 

Thank you to our veterans who have served our country so faithfully, and given so much to us. 

Have a great weekend! 

Picture dump.

Wilson's visit was fun while it lasted, but quite catastrophic when it ended.  I somehow was able to calm him down after telling him maybe he'd come visit again soon.... Christmas time, perhaps. 

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Cohen never seemed to get better last week even after starting his new antibiotic and my Mama intuition just kept telling me something wasn't right.  Saturday night when his fever hit 106.7, we rushed him to Childrens Mercy.  They ran a series of tests and xrays... all of that only to be told that they didn't know what it was, "probably" a bacterial or viral infection.  (Sound familiar?)  His fever finally broke last night (after 4 days of it being 102-106) and despite not having a temperature anymore, he is still not himself.  Praying for wisdom in this situation and I'd love it if you'd join us in that.

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Before our chaotic Saturday night at the hospital happened, I was able to sneak in a sweet family session with a beautiful family from church.  While I was headed there, I was gripped with fear... but it all turned out great.  Getting 3 kids/2 adults to look at the camera was not an easy task, but it was done quickly and the kids were all awarded with gum at the end of the session... hey, whatever works!

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I am swamped this week cleaning and prepping for Cohen's birthday on Saturday... can't wait to celebrate with our family and friends!

invite design by thatangiegirl

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I'm sure you've heard buzz around the blogworld about Erin Condren life planners.  I've been wanting one since last year when I first heard about them, but the price tag always turned me away.  Plum District is currently running a special that you can get a $50 voucher to ErinCondren.com for only $25, so if you're wanting a life planner or anything else off her website, now's your time to snag the deal!  Also, use the code "fabulous" to get an extra 10% off.  Here's a link to Plum District if you don't already have an account:  https://www.plumdistrict.com/?ref=u4531cfd4cda

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As most of you probably know, we don't "celebrate" Halloween around here, but the boys do dress up for fall festival at our church each year.  Because I waited so long to get them, they were both 60% off so I was able to get both of them for less than $20.  I hesitated buying costumes at all this year but with their $8 and $12 price tags, I couldn't resist.  Of course you know me, pictures will come soon.

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I love getting phone calls from my newly-married Sister throughout the day.  Love hearing about her setting up their new house, love the questions she asks, love the chats we have.  

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Cohen's surgery for tubes is scheduled for Monday morning (yep...Halloween) at 7:30.  I keep hearing about how minor of a surgery it is, but for any Mama, you know nothing is minor when it comes to their baby.  However, I can't wait to see my baby happy again.

All that to say... Happy Tuesday.  

I will praise Your name, LORD, because it is good.

Psalm 54:6