Each new year, I search for a new portable calendar to carry with me. I previously had gone electronic (but I missed the pen on paper feel. Even though I think it is more efficient). In the past I’ve had a huge planner (I had multiple places that I needed to be - and was perfect for then),  a small calendar that fit in my purse (totally useless and never used),  now flash forward to my new wonderful find!! I am so excited about this one!

It is a Franklin-Covey product, and they are known world-wide for their classes on time management and accompanying planners. I have used them for years, but haven’t needed the super fat planner for a while. I finally found the perfect planner that is pretty, functional, large enough to actually fit useful information in, but still small enough that it fits in my purse (the page size is 4 1/8″ x 5 1/2″). It has a 2 page per week layout as well as a 2 page for a month at a glance. I am super thrilled with it! It is fun to open my purse and have a darling little calendar in there for all my scheduling on the go.

*While I was just looking this product up for the links, I noticed that for this week only, there is a 15% off the total purchase when you buy any binder and planner pages. The promo code is 18243 and expires 01/07/08. Lucky you! If you are busier, check out the larger planners as well. It is a great system - one that I have used for more than 15 years and have loved.Franklin Planner>

Oh, I am so glad my husband’s exams are over and I have access to my office again! Sorry about the temporary hiatus for new info on organizing, but I am back, ready to give you some great tips! I found the greatest gift wrap tool when I was last at Costco. It is a Scotch paper cutter and it is the slickest thing when it comes to slicing through gift wrap (or any other paper). It came in a package of 3 and I now have them stashed all around my house. There is one with my scissors in the kitchen, one in my office, and another at my kids “colour & craft corner” (out of reach of course). I love this it! There is a guide at the tip that makes cutting in a line no problem and is infinitely faster than a pair of dull scissors. I seriously love this thing and highly recommend it for your Christmas wrapping blitz’s! Happy wrapping!
Check it out here>

**P.S. - There is only 12 more hours to sign up for the newsletter and be entered in our draw for “Deceptively Delicious” cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld. (don’t worry - we would NEVER share your e-mail address with anyone, and you will always be the first on your way to being savvy!)

After giving this weeks find some thought, I decided on the PERFECT thing to review. It is a cookbook I just bought and know that it is going to be one of those cookbooks… one that will become a favourite and likely the only one I will use for the next 10 years! It is called “Deceptively Delicious” by Jessica Seinfeld and is about putting fruits and veggies secretly in your family meals using tried and tested kid-proof favourites (think mac and cheese meets cauliflower puree). This finally makes a healthy mealtime something to look forward to instead of dread (the latter is where I am at - if my kids even see green they push their plate away).The book is so fun to look at with the heavy retro feel (did anyone else read Barbie the Babysitter?) and the layout is great. It makes reading a cookbook actually fun!!  (more…)

No organized home is complete without a family calendar in a central area to schedule you and your families busy, busy lives!! This week’s FIND is all about calendars, and I have two favourites that I wanted to share. The first is a large, spiral bound 16 month calendar from More Time Moms. It has nice, big lined squares for putting all your appointments in and a small illustration banner at the top, which translates to more area to write!

The second calendar from Motherword is equally good, as it fits perfectly atop the freezer section of your fridge. It is magnetized, and if your kids are anything like mine, it seems that I am in and out of that fridge all day!! It is ideal to always have your calendar, at eye level and accessible where you simply cannot forget ANYTHING (that may not always be a perk!) The squares, while unlined, are still are a good size and I love that it can fit on my fridge.

Every year I buy BOTH, the larger More Time Moms calendar for the office, and the Motherword calendar for the fridge. Hot tip from Maja: Buy an assortment of pens - my personal faves are the Sharpie Ultra Fine Point Permanent Marker - you get the best, bright colours!) and assign each family member a colour. (Pick their favourite so it is easy to remember) and get busy scheduling! Make sure to have a colour for the whole family as well so you can plan family time as well. Once your calendar is up and running and all colour coded, teach your family to look at it daily so everyone knows what is going on and is on the same page! Have fun colour coding and enjoy knowing at a glance who is going where when! - Maja

The Dymo LetraTag Labelmaker had to be the very first product review in my FINDS on the site! Truly, it is the one tool I cannot live without. Anyone who is serious about getting organized and simplifying their space NEEDS this product.

Once the DYMO labelmaker is in your hot little hands, you will actively search for things that you need to put labels on, very soon your home and office will be the mecca of organization! One attractive feature in this model, is that the DYMO LetraTag is very easy to use, anyone can do it! It also features an ABC keyboard and large display for accuracy. Hot tip from Maja: just make sure you buy the right tape: paper labels should only go on paper (only use them if you never need to peel it off). For everything else plastic is the way to go (it is the only one I ever buy.) 

The DYMO Labelmaker is perfect for your filing cabinet, toy closet, bins, spice cupboard, electrical box, shelves, storage boxes… the list goes on.  It is one of the most important tools to help you AND your family - so they can be on board with your new, highly efficient and organized self!  When you first pick one up, buy at least 2-3 packages of the label tape, otherwise you will be heading back to the store just a few days later because you will be labeling everything! Prepare for the addiction. It retails for approx. $35 Canadian and is available at Office Depot as well as Grand and Toy and various other office supply stores. Additionally the label tape is about $10 per package, and the machine requires 6 AA batteries that are not included. Happy Labelling!