The Busy Woman’s Daily Planner

www.TheBusyWoman.com

The Busy Woman, Inc.

PO Box 1557

Thousand Oaks, CA 91358

800-848-7715 for phone orders
805-375-1144 for inquiries

Most of my friends will tell you that I am a very organized person. However, I would argue that I’m not! I am to a point, but I never feel like I am getting it all done like I should be. Then I received The Busy Woman’s Planner for review - it is definitely heaven-sent! I’ve tried using day planners before, but just never succeeded in using them long-term. I do not think that will be the case with this planner. Created by a fellow homeschooling mom, Susie Glennan, it is just obvious that she understands the needs of other homeschooling moms!

The item that I received for review is the Carry All Purse & Tote, Busy Woman Basics Planner Set – it sells for (as of 8/1/06) $69.97, a 15% savings over the cost if the items were purchased separately. From the website, "These Cotton Purses & Totes are functional, convenient, and "washable"! With plenty of pockets for your purse contents, you will have one of the most organized purses in town. With the FREE removable binder inside of the purse, the planner will be nestled inside of your purse without anyone noticing. The tote is perfect for your file folders, books, as a diaper bag, toy bag for moms, or whatever you need to put inside. It's not bulky and cumbersome like other totes either!" I really like the item I received. The tote is nice-looking and could be used in many ways. The planner is tucked inside a carry all purse with long straps. There is a small pocket on the outside for checkbook, cell phone and keys and a few other pockets inside and out that can hold a few more necessities needed while you are away from home. I received a CD with my review set and listened to it as Susie Glennan explains how our personalities should dictate how to set up our planner. However, with the purchase of the set online, you receive the same instructions FREE in an MP3 format to help you set up your planner.

Here are some more details as displayed on TheBusyWoman.com website:

Busy Woman Basics Daily Planner includes:

• Special Occasions Set
• Address Tabs
• Monthly Tabs & Pages (12 month supply)

20 each:

• Address Pages
• Note Pages

1 each:

• Zipper Pouch
• Page Turner

Six Month Supply:

• Daily Pages

The Carry All Tote Features:

• A large roomy purse pouch is under the front flap.
• Inside of the roomy purse pouch is a little zipper pocket for loose change or gum.
• On one "side" is a place for 3 pens/pencils.
• The other side has a cell phone pocket.
• The back is a plain narrow pocket great for thin catalogs.
• File folders fit inside perfectly!
• A standard notebook will fit inside too.

I have to admit that I purchased a few more sets of pages to add to my planner because I found some items that I wanted – Fitness pages, Menu and Budgeting pages, Weekly planner pages, and Child ID and other personal pages. The Lesson Planner pages are good for those people who want a ready-made way to schedule their children’s assignments each week. They are small and so, if you have a lot of kids, they probably do not have enough room to schedule everybody. However, I plan on using mine in a different way. I will use them to note areas in which the children are needing extra help as well as writing down resources I need to check out. This planner page is broken down by subject, so if I see a wonderful history book that I want to add to our home library, I can note it in the History box.

After using my planner for several weeks, I can already see a difference in my day. I am getting more done and not procrastinating as much as I used to. I sit down each weekend and plan out my menus, check out how the budget is doing and write in the "to-do" list for each day of the week noting important appointments and people to call. The Fitness pages help me stay on track with my goal to eat healthier and exercise more. I carry my planner with me at all times. I am still using my regular purse because I just have more to carry than I can fit in the Carry-All Purse, but that is not a negative to me. I’m always carrying extra papers with me in the front seat anyway! The only feature that I would like to see with the planner purse-like cover is removeable shoulder straps. There are times that it would be nice to just carry the item like a book, especially since I am not able to use this as my purse. TheBusyWoman.com website also contains lots of resources – articles, personality tests and time management tips – to help us make the most of our busy days. If you are looking for a mom-friendly day planner, then you should really consider The Busy Woman’s Daily Planner. There is something for everyone’s taste and budget at their website. Do yourself a favor and let this item help you make the most of the limited hours that you have each day!

-- Product Review by Kris Price, Assistant to the Publishers, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC

... Kris ...