Girls…I made a HUGE scheduling mistake recently. I’ve been thinking the ‘ol brain isn’t retaining all the information I try to stuff into it on a daily basis. Ha! I bet it’s not even processing half of it much much less retaining it! I frequently ask Chris if he’s worried about my mind. He politely tells me “No…like I told you the last time.” The irony is not lost on us that I keep asking and he keeps repeating. Back to my huge mistake and new planners. All this talk about planners makes my heart so happy…I’m a happy Catholic planner girl! No really, I have all sorts of Catholic planner ideas running around in my head!
Six years ago, when we purchased our home, we set a goal to pay it off in five years. (Thanks Dave Ramsey for teaching us Gazelle intensity!) As a reward, we would go to the beach–our children have never been. Well, at the five year mark, we still had one more year to go…not too shabby even if not our original goal! We still kept pur promise to ourselves that we would go to the beach once we paid off our house. The time has come! Well, technically we have two more payments, but close enough to schedule a trip to the beach sometime this year!
A little more backstory for you. I’ve mentioned a few or frequently that our children play soccer. Well, one such lovely child has a pretty big tournament this year. Although I knew about the tournament…I didn’t really know about the tournament. You know, process dates and times and other such important facts. When Chris and I planned the dates for our vacay, “soccer” wasn’t even on our radar. Until everything was in place and the email/text came through reminding all the parents how much we owed for said, forgotten tournament. Ruh-Roh!
I’m not ashamed to admit I cried as I profusely apologized to Chris.
Chris took it in stride…like he takes all of life. Our soccer player made her wishes known, but let us know, she knew our family life wasn’t all about soccer. I cried some more while apologizing to her.
We rechecked schedules. We made tentative alternate plans with a couple of different scenarios. And after all things considered, we decided to shift our vacation back by a couple of weeks. And in God’s mercy, the new dates actually work better for everyone, including our friends we were going to visit!
Nothing like a good cry over multiple apologies to make you want to change your ways right? I was and am determined not to let that happen again. We are a family of nine and it’s silly for me to think my momma brain can process everyone’s schedules and then remember them! I had always wanted to be a planner girl, but my follow through has always been sorely lacking. Again, nothing like tearful apologies and rescheduling vacation plans to light an “I’m going to get organized” fire under myself. First on my list, beauty.
Yes, beauty. I knew that if a planner were going to work for me, it needed to be beautiful. And there are many beautiful planners out there. But they were a generic beautiful and I wanted a personal beauty. Have you heard of the Happy Planner? It’s beautiful on its own. But in researching this planner, I stumbled upon an entire community of women who beautify their beautiful Happy Planners! It’s like Bible journaling meet planner!
I have found my Happy Planner groove! I keep this lovely out on my desk and write EVERYTHING in it. I write things in it that are only a “maybe” knowing I can always put pretty planner stickers or some washi tape over a last minute schedule change. And when I say EVERYTHING, I really mean EVERYTHING: soccer schedules, work schedules, appointments, reminders to give the dog heartworm medicine, things I need to follow up with my children in school, blogging and writing, birthdays, liturgical calendar celebrations and saints feast days, paydays, to do lists, bills to pay, eating habits, Bible reading…EVERYTHING!
To accommodate everything, I purchased the larger discs for my Happy Planner. The discs, oh let me tell you about the discs! I love these discs. I can take pages out, put new pages in and the discs don’t get in my way. I love disc bound systems so much, I have moved my prayer journal over to one. (I’ll post about that soon.)
But wait, I just told you this stays open on my desk all the time. What happens when I’m out and about? Well, I have a solution for that and I’ll share that in a later post.
Jenny Panico says
I am very intrigued on how you paid your house off in 6 years!! That’s amazing! Congrats! Did you just read the book or was there a special plan?
Jenny says
Hi Jenny, I will probably write a post about this soon. Lots of people have been asking the same thing, lol!
Evelyn says
My planner for about 7 years were the small planners by Blue Sky from Office Max then I was finding them at Walmart. Once I became a momma I moved into a little larger size. Now he is 4 years old I am in a Ring Bound planner with inserts. I have purchased the Happy Planner with a 50% coupon to see how I like and seems to be a possible contender for 2017.
I use a regular composition notebook for budgeting purposes though.
Jenny says
I just purchased the Big Happy Planner to keep on my desk for home stuff. It is actually enough I may move my writing schedules into it. I love the size for keeping out on my desk.
H says
cant wait to hear of your ‘out and about’ solution! congratulations on finding a planner that makes you ‘happy’.
Jenny says
The post will be coming soon. I finally feel like I’m not so scattered, thanks be to God!
Jenny says
The post will be coming soon. I finally feel like I’m not so scattered, thanks be to God!
Eve says
I sit here and I giggle teehee welcome to the world of paper planning and a Happy Planner!!! Doesn’t it make you Happy just looking at it in all its beauty and to know it will eventually keep you sane. I love this post and I can only imagine what you will conjure up to go with your handy dandy planner to share with us.
Jenny says
Oh I am so looking forward to the sane part of your comment. I feel like I’m getting there slowly. I also like the creative aspect. I need the organization, but also the ability to be creative and see beauty. Now I can combine the two instead of having two separate projects.
Michelle says
I used to have a nightmare that I’d slept past the time for work. I mean I had to be there at 8am and it was 3pm. I’d wake and be so relieved. Well, last week I completely missed a doctor’s appointment! It was the test and a follow up on the same day. Both of them! I felt terrible and also did not want to lose the respect of the good doctor, ya know?
Yes, it’s time for me too. So, since I can’t fit a planner in the budget at the moment, you have inspired me to stamp, color and sticker my very plain, existing monthly planner. It looks great and I’m into it more. Thank you my dear friend.
AND….I am so excited at the thought of your children (and you??) seeing the ocean for the first time!!!!! Chills. Wait, maybe I’m more exited at the thought of a mortgage being paid off. 🙂 Nice going.
Jenny says
My sister told me she uses a 8×10 planner from Target and at the beginning of each month she sits down and uses her stamps and pretty pens in it. And the ocean…so excited!! Bernadette actually saw it in January and hasn’t stopped talking about it since 🙂
Clare says
What a brilliant idea…I loved reading this post…
Hmm – now how can I adapt your idea for my situation…???
Blessings on your day and all your plans…
Jenny says
I would love to see how you adapt this to your life. I’m always intrigued by our friendship…a nun and a homeschooling momma of 7 🙂