Planner Review: Motivated Moms Chore Planner
FamilyTimeMine winners, your planners are (finally) on their way. I know they didn’t make it time for January 1st, but you should have them by Thursday at the latest.
I have two more planners to give away. I think you’ll be very excited by this first one: the Motivated Moms Chore Planner. I love this thing. (Kathryn wrote about it here.) It’s a download and you print it out yourself. Even though I’m already quite happy with my daily planner, I like the idea of a daily chore planner to help me keep on track in my beautification efforts.
There are several versions of the Motivated Moms planner (click here to see them all). The variable options have to do with size (you can choose between 8 1/2 x 11" and 5.5"x8.5") and configuration (weekly or daily). For each size/layout combination, there is an option to include a Bible reading schedule as well.
The version I have is the full size (8 1/2" x 11") weekly planner. The layout is clean and simple: there are no fancy graphics here. Down the left side of the page runs a column with checkboxes for daily chores: make beds, unload dishwasher, and so forth; and there are blanks for adding your own daily chores as well. These are the things you do every day, and each chore has seven little checkboxes below it.
The right side of the page is for chores specific to each day. Every day of the week (it’s a Sunday through Saturday week, which I prefer) has a list of six or seven tasks to complete that day. Each task is finite and simple: clean out purse, change handtowels in bathrooms, dust office. Through the course of a week, month, year, you rotate through all the household tasks that should ideally happen on a weekly, monthly, yearly basis.
The halfsized version of the weekly planner is exactly the same except it prints out with two weekly pages on each sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" paper. You can cut these apart and put them into a Franklin Covey-style planner, or you can put them in your own notebook. The full-sized weekly planner is 55 pages total: cover, 53 weekly chore pages, and a reproducible 2-week menu planning page. The half-sized version prints out in 28 pages.
You can order each of these with or without the Bible schedule.
The daily planner comes in the same sizes, but instead of a week (or two weeks) per printed page, it’s a day (or two days) per printed page. In addition to the daily chore checklists, each day has a space for menu-planning and a section for recording appointments.
There are sample pages at the website. Each version costs an affordable $8 to download. I have printed mine out, hole-punched it, and put it in one of my lovely Small Meadow Press "Pigeonhole" binders. It’s so pretty I just like to see it sitting on the end table! But to
keep on track with the chores, what I’m going to try is hanging each week’s page on the refrigerator. There are so many little household tasks that never seem to occur to me, and I like the idea of the mental nudge every time I go to the fridge in search of chocolate. Gosh, if I do one chore every time I sneak a chocolate chip, how clean and shiny will my house be!
(I’ll let you know how it goes.)
Here’s the fun part: the nice folks at Motivated Moms have offered one of their planners for a giveaway here. If you’d like to enter, leave a comment on this post. No need to decide now which version you want—the winner will have her pick after the drawing. Let’s see, today is Tuesday…why don’t I do the drawing on Friday, January 4th, at noon Pacific time. That will give the winner the weekend to catch up on this week’s chores.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go change my handtowels and declutter my purse.
MomAgenda
Catholic Woman’s Daily Planner
Small Meadow Press — Circle of Days
BusyBodyBook
Amy says:
A fresh chore plan for a new year – sounds motivational to me! Now, when I don’t win, I can blame the state of my house on that. 😉
On January 1, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Mary Beth P says:
I’d love to be entered in! Thanks!
On January 1, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Nicole says:
I could use all the help I can get to stay on top of the chores, so count me in!
On January 1, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Jeanne says:
This sounds so…hopeful! Perhaps it really would get me on track for the New Year. Please add my entry.
On January 1, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Sherry Early says:
Yes, please. I need to try something!
On January 1, 2008 at 4:23 pm
LLMom says:
Please enter me! Thanks.
On January 1, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Linda says:
I am a calendar junkie…but I don’t have a CHORE calendar…please enter me in the drawing!!
On January 1, 2008 at 5:49 pm
KC says:
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this planner. I’ve not ordered mine for this year. I’ll wait until after your drawing before I do. Thanks, Lissa!!!
On January 1, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Celeste says:
Sounds like a great idea–I need all the help I can get! 🙂
On January 1, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Becca says:
Hmmm, maybe a PLANNER is what I’ve been needing to make me magically organized and motivated! Worth a shot, anyways!
On January 1, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Leslie in Springfield says:
Oh, I’d love a chance to win one of these! And if I don’t win, I may have to buy one. I definitely need more help in the chore-accomplishment department…
On January 1, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Joan says:
Looks like something I should try! Thanks for writing about it!
On January 1, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Activities Coordinator says:
Did I miss the deadline for this one? Somehow my chocolate infested brain missed it.
On January 2, 2008 at 5:42 am
Melissa George says:
I’d like to give this planner a try! Thanks for such a detailed review.
On January 2, 2008 at 10:23 am
Jessica says:
I’d love to be entered! 🙂 Thanks!
On January 2, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Joann says:
I could use this. Working, traveling husband and best help away at college are taking their tolls on this homeschool family’s home-school! Happy New Year, Lissa & clan
On January 2, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Heidi says:
This is exactly the kind of thing that I need. Thanks for the reviews!
On January 2, 2008 at 9:24 pm
KellyJ says:
If the contest hasn’t closed, I’d like to be entered. Thanks! 🙂
On January 3, 2008 at 6:50 am
Gem says:
Oh, I need so much help in this area! I could really use a planner to keep me organized — my brain is just too scattered!
On January 3, 2008 at 9:10 am
Hannah says:
Hi Melissa, I used this planner for the second half of 2007 and really liked it. Would love to win a free one! Thanks!
On January 3, 2008 at 12:47 pm
NancyP says:
This sounds great…
On January 4, 2008 at 7:31 am
Maria says:
I would love to have this to help with my our new chore system around here…….
On January 4, 2008 at 7:45 am
Margaret in Minnesota says:
Pick me! Pick me!
On January 4, 2008 at 8:00 am
emily says:
My house would definitely benefit from this!
On January 4, 2008 at 8:09 am
JoAnna says:
Oh my– I need this badly. I’m checking out the samples now…
On January 4, 2008 at 8:35 am
JennGM says:
Does owning it make the chores get done? Or do I still have to do the work?
Hoping to be lucky in 2008!
On January 4, 2008 at 8:42 am
KathrynB says:
Oh, this is exactly what I need! Sign me up (and pick me, Pick me!)
On January 4, 2008 at 9:14 am
Jenny says:
Hello organization…Here I come!
On January 4, 2008 at 9:25 am
Ana Betty says:
I’d love one!!
On January 4, 2008 at 9:32 am
Charity says:
I’m looking for a new planer. Thanks for the review. And the giveaway!
On January 4, 2008 at 9:38 am
Elizabeth in Canada says:
I’d love to be entered for this–Thanks! and thanks for all you write–you are very encouraging even when you just write about your daily life.
Elizabeth
On January 4, 2008 at 10:15 am
Melissa Wiley says:
Kathleen Miller’s entry
On January 4, 2008 at 11:11 am
aBookworm says:
I’m really scatterbrained these days. If I’m lucky enough to win, I’ll put it to good use. Thanks! (hope it’s not 2 late 2 enter)
On January 4, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Sandy Bachar says:
Hi, this sounds great! Will you have one out for 2009 as well? Even though its August I might just have to order this years.
Sandy
On August 9, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Melissa Wiley says:
Sandy, this planner is sold by Motivated Moms. I’m sure they’ll do a 2009 version. 🙂
On August 9, 2008 at 3:11 pm