Showing my Life Planner Love!

It's no secret that before having Miss K, I was a bit OCD when it came to organization.  I'm that girl that keeps her shoes in clear plastic, labeled shoe boxes.  My pantry shelves are categorized and our DVD/Blue Rays are in alphabetical order.  And bless all my former students' hearts- you've never seen more organized 8 and 9 year olds.  My files were organized by subject and then by the quarter in which they were taught.  My planner/agenda/calendar was with me at all times. Even once I got my iPhone, I still had to have everything on paper.  I couldn't commit to anything without checking my calendar. In the almost 2 years since leaving the classroom and having Miss K, I have been nothing short of a chicken running around with it's head cut off.  I kid you not.  It didn't help that in the first eight or so months after having Miss K, we sold our house in NC, moved into a corporate apartment for two months then finally moved into Casa de D last summer.  Total chaos, folks.  NOT my style.  As K and I became busier and I started getting involved in more things, the chaos intensified.  For those of you that don't know me in real life, when I feel unorganized or out of control, I become a

lunatic.  More of a lunatic than I already am.  Enter the self-intervention this past summer.

While home in Texas, I was trying to figure out how on Earth I could get a grip on my life. Then it hit me...  You see, I realized that I wasn't treating my new job like it was a real job.  And you know what's funny?  This new job, the job of Miss K's mommy/stay at home wife/mom is one million times harder than any of my eight years of teaching.  No lie.  But for 18 months I hadn't been giving this new job the respect or thoughtful planning that I gave to my old job.  If I would have run my classroom the way I've been running my house and my life- I would have been fired in a heartbeat.  Then as though the blogosphere and twitterverse had been hearing my thoughts, I was introduced to Erin Condren and her AWESOME products, including the Life Planner!  Let me tell you, I am hooked!  Never again will I own any other planner, and I have owned my share. It has been a lifesaver and between that and my Home Organization Binder, I am pleased to say "I'm baaaaack"!  Gone are the feelings of unorganization and total out of controlness (not a word, I know).  My days are planned, my meals are planned, my cleaning is planned, my PLANS are planned! 
For those of you that are unfamiliar with the Life Planner, here are a few peeks into mine. 

After MUCH debate, I ordered the taffy stripe in navy and pink! I loved all EC's choices, but this was my fav!! (The marker is covering my last name!)  The front and back covers are a thick lamination and I love the spiral binding on the side.

EC does a great job of including inspirational quotes and sayings throughout the planner, this one is at the front.  You can also see the tabs for each month along the side.

This is at the back of the planner- on the left side is a 2-sided pocket.  I keep my matching note pad in one pocket and use the other pocket for important receipts, etc.  On the right side is a clear pouch that has stamps, business cards, pens, address labels, and the fun freebies that EC sent with my planner!

Here is the monthly view that is the first page of each month and the page that the tab is attached to.  I am a color-coded person; each family member is a different color, and if it pertains to all of us it is a separate color!  We've been busy this month at Casa de D!!! (Notice the fun bookmark in the top right?  EC send you 2 of these to use in your planner!!)

Here are what the weekly pages look like!  I love that there are three separate spaces for each day- morning, day, and evening!  I follow the same color rule on these pages as well.  I write my daily chores in here as well so that I can keep up with what I've done and still need to do. 

There are SOO many more great things that the team at EC have thought of to make this planner perfect!  There's a place for important dates, lined pages for notes, a sheet for important numbers, and these AWESOME color-coded (SQUEE!!!) stickers for various things like birthdays, games, hair appointments, etc! 

Y'all get this- they have so much more than just the Life Planners!  I also ordered new family stationary with return address labels, circle address labels, notepads, and as soon as Big Poppa comes back from California this weekend, we're deciding on and ordering our Christmas cards! (Well, I've already decided, but I guess I'll let him have some say!)  And to top it off, their customer service is hands down, the best! 

*I am in no way being compensated for saying these things about Erin Condren.  I am just a huge fan and want to spread the love!