Summer's over, the kids are back to school, and change is in the air. Don't you feel inspired to pull yourself together, better than you ever have before?
This year, Wonder Woman, you've got a little help from two stellar products just waiting to be your new sidekicks.
The Weekly Fridge Grid Pad by BusyBodyBook
We love this calendar! The Weekly Fridge Grid Pad by BusyBodyBook is a pad of 52 blank calendar pages you fill in and personalize. The pad has a big, hefty magnet on the back for sticking to the fridge (where the whole family can see it), and it's three-hole-punched, so you can file away the pages in a binder for future reference. The paper is a yummy, hearty quality and yes, that magnet really does do the job -- the calendar stays in place beautifully, even when you're scribbling on it.
What's cool about the design of the Fridge Grid Pad is that it allows you to cross-reference several categories across a single day.
We gave a stack of Fridge Grid Pad pages to three secretaries to play with. They came up with a variety of different ways to use the system, and here they are:
1. A column for each family member. Jean decided to devote a separate column at the top of the page to each member of the family. That way, she could easily read across each day and see if there were scheduling conflicts. Is Mom available to pick up Amy from soccer practice? Can Dad do it? Is everybody free for a family pizza night on Thursday?
2. A column for each area of your life. Dana doesn't have kids, so she made each column represent a different area of her life, "to create balance," she said. She marked her columns "Physical", "Financial", "Fun", "People", "Personal" and "Work". So for example, in her "Physical" column, she made sure she penciled in exercise at least three days a week. She could see if she was being antisocial when she didn't devote enough days to being with others in her "People" column; and she made sure she was taking care of bills and budgeting by setting aside at least one night a week for the "Financial" part of her life. We like this approach!
3. Columns for different categories of food. Madelyn's summer was one long junk food parade, so she made a resolution to eat better when the kids went back to school. Her columns were marked with foods like "Fruit", "Veggies" and "Whole Grains". She was able to work in more of these foods during the week by planning ahead to fit certain fruit and veggie snacks into each workday, and seeing that she ate a whole grain at least three days a week.
How will you use your Weekly Fridge Grid Pad? Order a year's worth of organization for just $11.95 at www.busybodybook.com.
The Corky Wall Organizer by KangaRooM
All right, so you know what you have to do -- but what about all the stuff you have to do it with?
Be better prepared with a Corky Wall Organizer by KangaRooM! The Corky comes with hardware to either hang it on a wall, or over a door. And it's not only adorable, but it's smartly designed for real life, too.
At the bottom of the organizer, there are pockets dedicated to specific items (which are embroidered right on the pocket), like eyeglasses, cell phone, MP3 player, keys and pencils. The things you need when you're flying out the door in the morning are right where you can find them -- and when you come home in the evening, it's just as easy to drop everything right into its designated pocket.
In the center of the organizer, there's a bulletin board for free-form note posting, tacking business cards, reminders, and fun things. We were impressed that the cork board on this lightweight canvas organizer actually is thick enough to use real push pins. We were expecting something more flimsy, that wouldn't really hold our stuff -- but the Corky's bulletin board is full-service all the way.
Above the bulletin board are three see-through pockets, perfect for dumping miscellaneous things and being able to see them in a split second. You can also showcase your favorite photos in them. Here's an idea: tuck a stack of your favorite pictures in one pocket, and every now and then, slip the top picture to the back, and have a rotating photo gallery!
At the very top of the organizer there's a deep pocket with a rounded bottom, perfect for bills and letters. The rounded design makes it almost impossible to lose anything in the bottom of the pocket, and yet it's deep enough to hold those larger items. Genius!
The entire Corky measures 24" wide x 30" high, and offers a choice of green, navy or pink piping.
You know you want one. And at $29.99, it's easy to have. Buy one today at www.kangaroomstorage.com.
