Gettin' my Sh*t Together

So this post is completely off topic. . .

I've been in a bit of a slump lately and haven't felt "inspired" to write much.  I go through this periodically, and I joke (though I certainly understand that mental issues in real life are no laughing matter) that I am bipolar.  I'm either completely unmotivated and exhausted, or . . .

I'm gettin' my craft on!

Pinterest is my crack, I swear.  I posted once before about Pinterest Peer Pressure.  I browse through image after image as my heart rate increases and the little hamster in my brain races faster and faster.  I begin a checklist of all the supplies I need in order to provide my family with inviting outdoor spaces, sparkling surfaces that have been cleaned with organic, home-made detergents, and intellectually stimulating crafts that would make Mary Poppins feel inferior.  I need glue!  And lemons!  And wooden crates that I can fashion into furniture!  And spray paint!  And fingernail polish!  And a poster of Rob Pattinson!

It makes me anxious.  Once I get a project in my mind, I will drop everything else (including parenting) in order to get 'er done.

Par exemple - I love a good calendar.  I am a planner by nature, so I totally dig getting my pens out and planning the next month's activities.  This is generally a good thing since I am, as you know, the CEO of the BoyMommy Family.  I make sure everyone gets where they're goin' and that they are on time, at the correct location, and wearing the right color jersey.  I have two months at a time on dry erase calendars in the kitchen where each family member's activities are tracked via color coding.  Daddy is purple, Mommy is red, Large is green, Medium is blue, and Small is orange.  This way, everyone can see what we've got going on.

I also use iCal on the computer and my phone so that I can track everything with the same color codes. My phone is convenient when I'm standing at the doctor's office while my three offspring argue over I-was-a-good-boy stickers and chase each other around the waiting room as if they were unsupervised zoo animals because I always carry my phone with me.

I still like to see it all laid out on a paper calendar though.  I had a perfectly good day runner.  Nothing wrong with it.  BUT, it still didn't feel right.  I scoured Pinterest for hours looking for the perfect Mommy calendar/agenda.  I even polled my girlfriends to find out how they handle their families' activities.  Finally I decided that I'd need to make my own day runner because nothing else was going to satisfy me.

And then it started . . . the patterns, and paper, and stickers, and markers.  Makes my heart go aflutter just thinking about it.  So here she is.  Yes, I know I could EASILY have purchased a day runner.  The first step is admitting I have a problem.

Front cover - made the monogram using an iPhone app called 3initials,
then emailed it to myself and printed it out.
I also have my monogram as my screen saver on my phone because . . .
well, have you MET me?

The binder is 6x8 so I can fit it in my gargantuan purse.  
I printed the monthly calendar on 8.5x11 paper
and added a tab (the red thingy)
so that I can open it and see the entire month.

Naturally I decorated each monthly tab.

Right behind the tab is the monthly calendar, 

and then the weekly calendars for that particular month.

Both the weekly & monthly calendar spreads
are color coded by family member.
I can put notes or reminders on the right side of each date.

I have a nifty little pocket folder thingy so that I always have the appropriate colored pen.
Whew.  I'd hate to get caught without the correct pen!

It's important to keep a running tab . . . 

Birthdays are on the monthly calendar and
are indicated by little blue star.

Please keep your you-have-too-much-free-time comments to yourself.  It's not free time; it's time I'm using unwisely.  There's a difference.  Clearly I make bad decisions and I have a problem, BUT if you want to know where I'll be next Tuesday at 9 a.m., I can tell you!