I’ll admit it. There has been plenty about the past three months that has had me ready to call “uncle.” Little Miss’s fifth birthday, for example – Not only does that mean the typical birthday planning that every other parent goes through, but it also means a whole host of extras that special needs parents know all too well: re-evaluation for services with the school (and corresponding meetings), adjustments to the IEP, beginning kindergarten transition planning… the list goes on.
And on top of all that, there have been medical issues, data and care plans to keep track of, specialists to notify, procedures to schedule. It’s enough to make even the most organized person completely insane.
But through it all, I’ve had the luck of a trusty friend to keep track of everything for me: my own personal assistant, if you will. And her name is Erin Condren.
I got my Erin Condren Life Planner just as things were beginning to… well, “hit the fan.” The thoughtfully designed planner is the bright idea of California designer and mom, Erin Condren. But don’t just listen to me sing my praises of how good this planner is… let me show you.
For one, the planner is sturdy. The heavy laminated cover and spiral binding ensure that the book will hold up to being tossed in the car, on the floor, spilled on, and all the other things parenting bring your way. You also have a choice of many cover designs and can even include family photos – or whatever inspires you to get through the day.
Inside the planner, you’ll find the beautiful art of “mise en place.” True to the French phrase that is often applied to professional kitchens, everything in the Life Planner is “in place.”
Two-page monthly spreads give lots of room for putting appointments and school meetings at a glance, while spacious weekly pages break days down into morning, afternoon, and evening sections – and even give room for goal/to-do lists.
I quickly discovered that the weekly spots gave me plenty of room to jot appointments, record observations on Little Miss’s behavior… even keep a log of seizure activity for her neurologist.
But the beauty of the planner doesn’t end with the calendar portion. The planner also includes room for important contacts and other information, lined notes pages, tabbed dividers, a “keep it together” pocket, stickers you can use to mark special dates, laminated ruler, and a plastic pocket that’s perfect for odds and ends.
And my favorite part? Well, that has to be the inspirational quotes peppered throughout the planner (because gosh knows – as parents we can all use a little inspiration along the way!) In fact, I had already been using my planner for a couple weeks when I opened the pages to run smack into one of my favorite quotes…
What’s not to love – right? And now, there’s one more reason to love Erin Condren. She has graciously offered one lucky SPDBN reader a $25 gift certificate to spend on anything in her store. This includes Life Planners, notebooks, stationery, iPad/Kindle folios, and more.
To participate in this giveaway, you must complete the form below before midnight EST on 3/28/2013. A winner will be drawn at random and announced the following day.
And while you wait to see if you’re the lucky winner, we invite you to visit the Erin Condren web site at http://www.erincondren.com, follow her on Twitter (@erincondren), or join her on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/erincondrendesign) to get the latest on sales and promotions. Good luck!
