Need Help with Organization/ Need Calendar Program

Hi D.,

Try this website. You can download and print one calendar a month.

http://www.calendarsthatwork.com/

Good luck.

S.

Hello, I am a teacher and I use calendars for everything I do. I am a mother and wife and have lots to accomplish. I use www.calendarsthatwork.com it has free calendars available for download that you can type into.

Go to FlyLady.com. Changed my life and will help you to get a good routine going while making it fun.
K. S
P.S. The word CHAOS in FlyLady language means Can't have anyone over syndrome........and there are lots of us in the same state. Good luck

Having everyone in the household spend an hour together cleaning up one public room is a way to talk, catch up on what's going on, and still get stuff done. When I was in grad school and working with two elementary schoolers, we used to fold the laundry together twice a week in the family room. It turned out to be one of the most fun times we had together (which were precious few at that point), in fact, when my kindergarten daughter made my Mothers' Day card in school that year, one of the things she wrote was to thank me for letting her match up the socks when we fold laundry--a task I truly hate, even now, but she LOVED doing the whole family's socks! (We still tease her about it...) But some shared task that each does at their own level will give you help and companionship as well as get a job done--maybe not as thoroughly as you would yourself, but they need to learn how, also, and if it takes the pressure to "do it all" off you, you get some perspective. And a high schooler needs to know how to do their own school work, it will not help them to have you doing it for or with them.
I'm gonna go check out flylady myself now...good luck!

I was going through this very recently and feel very strongly about what you are going through alone with kids and home and work! I took the bull by the horns and got organized. I work FT and have a 2.5 year-old, 12 and 16 year-olds. I was also single with kids for many years and understand..enough said. To the point..some ideas that saved me. My life is WAY easier--see tips below. Hope it's not too much info. but really helped me.

1. Computer program--Microsoft Outlook I use for work and home for meetings, taks, Dr. appts. and email..VERY user friendly. I am NOT technical. I would NEVER switch. It has a calendar to view by week, day etc. You just click on whatever you want a task (chore), meeting, appt. etc. and shows on your calendar and you can set up for kid docs. soccer, snack days holidays etc. shared cutody schedules...whatever..and it will send you alerts. YOU chose to be alerted for REOCCURRING Appts. tasks etc. days, minutes, or weeks ahead of time..EASY!!! You can print out the calendar by week and hang it on your fridge or take to work. See if you can get Outlook loaded on at work computer too. I work at a tech place, but I'm not tech...so easy. Get Microsoft Outlook today-

2.) OR Option 2--get a giant calendar from office Dpeot with a marker and hang on your fridge with the marker tied to it. I prefer Outlook, because I can do both and it sends me alerts to remind me of things I need to do, but this works too. I like the reminders from Outlook

3.) KID Advice--your 2 older kids can and should assist you. They need to do their homework afterschool--with only some stuff they can't finish left for you to help with while you cook dinner. Your high schooler and pre-teen need a calendar and schedule for them to do daily and weekly chores to help you. Post this on their rooms, bathroom. A list so you don't waste a lot of time with reminders (my kids call my reminders nagging). A set of rules and consequences. My kids did since age 8 before I got home. Older kids CAN and should help with: get dinner started by making a salad or pasta, emptying dishwasher, taking out garbage/recycling, vacumming,folding laundry etc. BEFORE YOU get home from work. BUT It needs to be on paper, have a meeting with them about it to get their cooperation (buy-in) and make everything a reward of things they enjoy. NO T.V., computer, phone, video-games allowance, friends, UNTIL daily and weekly chores are done. No yelling and nagging and fights because of misunderstandings. JUST RULES and Rewards or Consequences for getting stuff done.

4) 2 year-old--You have 2 big kids that can do a lot liitle things to help you each day. This way your 2-year old can be in bed at 7:30 - 8 PM without fail. At this age baby needs 11 hours at night and nap during the day. Older kids can be quiet finsihing their homeowrk or reading and you get to relax. Good Night Sleep Tight is a quick read which will give you sleep and schedule ideas baby needs to be healthy by being on a schedule. It helped me..baby is healthier and less stressed beacuse I am organized.

5.) Get baby outfit out for the whole week on Sunday--keep a sectioned cloth hanging organizer and set up 1 full outfit for each day in each section (diaper/underware, scoks, shirt pants). NO thinking in the morning of what to wear...it's already there. The other kids can get all their stuff out a night and laid out. Have backpacks, shoes and jackets, by the door and ready to go. Saves morning rush.

5.) Cooking--Plan your food menu in advance--1 word CROCKPOT. foodnetwork.com is a good resource for food. Cook every other day a large meal and you'll have leftovers. So you are cooking only 1/2 time. Homemade soups are easy and inexpensive and can go with good bread and have leftovers. Trader Joes has quick cheap and healthy prepared food. Stuff you throw int he over including vegatables. You do nothing but heat it up.

6.) Cleaning--I learned this from a housekeeper. On the weekend clean only wet or dry every other week. 1 weekend I do upstairs, and the next weekend downstairs or kitchen bathrooms and the next vaccuming dusting/windex etc. so that you aren'st stuck with all the cleaning of all rooms each weekend. The kids can help too, so it takes 1/2 the time. I do 1 laundry every day to avoid a big pile up. Set a time for weekend chores. Keep one day on the weekend your un around day and the other your clean day (1/2 day) amd make Sunday your relax day 2/3 of it or all of it, if possible.

7.) Grocery List--make one in word with everything you would ever need with a space by it to check off. Save the list and then just check off the things you need that week. No frazzle in the store trying to think of and remember stuff.

7.) Time for yourself--you NEED a break. I had no family here so mom's groups for your little one to play and share babysitting. It's nice to talk to other mom's while your 2 year-old has fun. Church other faith based--some places have a lot of support. Get to know other moms in your area, you can socialize, vent, share playdates. Don't go it alone. Email me anytime....if any of this helps, hopefully saved you time in the long run by reading emai.

About me--fomrer high-school teacher (used to organization of 120 kids a day). Mom of 4 ranging from 21 - 2 years. Single-mom of mamy years. Now with new marriage and husband that I love--he went from no help to go from NO help to big help :).

Hi D.,
I just found this great, free on line website Cozi.com. It seems to be fairly basic and it keeps all your events organized and you keep your grocery list on line so there is no need for paper. All you need is a computer to login into. It call also email the others in your household to remind them of events. other family members can also add events to the family calendar and they get posted. It's seems like an awesome tool. I am still getting familiar with it so I am sure it has tools that I haven't yet found.
Good luck!
A.

Hi D.,

I feel your pain!! I'm a mom with 5 children and my husband was tired of me doing all the work, and constantly chasing my tail. He works a lot and I work from home, but the kids needed to help out. So, in Excel, he created a chore chart. That lists their daily chores, laundry day, etc. Each day I write in their name and what they are supposed to do. They get a star every day that they do their chores properly. Then, they get an allowance. Also, if they go 4 weeks with all stars, then they get to go to the prize box. This has worked tremendously well since you can put whatever you want in the chart. If you'd like, I can send you a copy and you can customize and print off so you don't have to start from scratch. It will get better, but the more organized you are, and the team effort you impose on your kids are lifelong lessons for them.

My e-mail is ____@____.com
Have a great day!
B.

I'm not sure what you want in a calendar program, so this may not be helpful. If you happen to subscribe to Mailbox Magazine and have their online access to printables, they have calendar pages for each month that you can fill in online and print out. You can't save a completed calendar on your computer, but at least you'd have what you want for your kids, and the calendars are nicely decorated for the season.

Try "FlyLady.net" It is great for organizing your family and home. Schedules and all to download.

Dear D.,
You are SO not alone!
I am a single mother too. I broke my leg and my house went to hell in a hand basket. Couldn't work, couldn't walk. Still can't drive. I had to break my right leg, of all things. I could beat myself up about it, but what good would that do me?
One of my best friends is a teacher. Between her school kids and her own children, she remembers nothing. I mean, she does, but she has calendars and schedules and post-it's all over her house because that's the only way she can keep up. She has a place by the front door for her kids back packs and homework, etc. That way, she can go through things without searching the house for them. She makes the kids help with the dishes and trash and keeping their laundry separated. She may throw some things in with each kids clothes, but they are responsible for getting it out of the dryer, folding it and putting it away.
The biggest thing she does is never beat herself up when it's not all done or perfectly done. There are only so many hours in a day, after all.

Remember that you are amazing and strong. Implementing a few things here and there may help things go more smoothly for you and your household. Just be thankful for your kids, know that nothing has to be perfect, and find a way to connect and laugh with your kids as much as possible.
You are doing a super job!

Hello,
I just wanted to point you in one direction- check out the google calendar. It is so nice to use if you also have a google mail account, if you don't i suggest you open one because there are so many EASY things to do to get organized and keep everything in one spot.

Basically, what we love about the calendar is that you can easily input calendar events, recurring things (like weekly chores and scheduled homework time), etc. and set up a reminder for it to be emailed to you or your kids (great for appointments and special events planned so in advance you can't remember by the time it's there)! Then each of you can create a color-coded calendar and be able to see each other's so everyone knows where everyone else is at particular times and yes you can print it out.

You can also create other documents linked to your account like spreadsheets or word documents that can be accessed anywhere online.

I am not that computer savvy but this calendar system has helped me to live my life with 3 kids and a forever degrading memory.

Please respond if you need more information.This is not meant to be a lot of work, but sometimes having it writtten down somewhere is all you need to get on track!

Hi D.,

www.flylady.net is the BEST web site to get organized, 15 minutes at a time. There is an article on her site that teaches you how to use a wall calendar, with great results; no logging in to your computer to update it, and it is on the wall for everyone to see, and you to access all the time; you can even take your calendar with you to a meeting. I've found that changing up the tools you use won't help if you don't have some structure to your method.

Check out flylady's web site, subscribe to her mailing list, and start organizing your life by cleaning your sink. Her advice is free, and she is terrific.

P.

Hi D.:

Flylady.net is the way to go. No need to hire anyone or buy anything.

You will be so organized and get things done in no time.

You will have time to pamper yourself, work on your hobbies, enjoy your kids, date nights with your husband and even have whole Saturdays free for family time.

She will give you daily reminders for routines. It's like taking your hand and leading you everyday. It's amazing all the FREE information that is available. You CAN do it. It is possible.

We always put things off til we have plenty of time to do them later but it is amazing how you can do anything for 15 minutes at a time and I've found that 5 minutes is just as magical.

Join and enjoy her wealth of information. It will change your life forever and for the better. Don't forget, it's free.

I try not to feel bad that I didn't have her when I was younger and had a houseful of kids and chaos. But my home is better now and I'm passing on her information to my friends and family.

Good luck, (you won't even need it)

If you have a Mac computer, it should come with iCal. That's easy and allows you to do what you want. You can color code events. For example, my work events are green, my daughters are purple, my husbands are blue, mine are red, etc.

iCal allows you to put more than on event at the same time. It's easy and simple.

Stephanie

Sign up for a Yahoo e-mail account if you don't have one yet.
It's free and easy - you will get a calendar as one of your menu options. It has holidays & daylight savings notated in it for you to get you jump started. You can set alarms to pop up in your e-mail to remind you of appointments or a birthday, etc. & you can mark things that repeat like a birthday so you don't have to put it in there every year.
I can't live without it!
I have an expensive Palm doodah that I use too, but I don't always remember to check it for reminders and use it more for addresses and notes ( don't tell my hubby!)

Wow! You are amazing for all you do. I don't even do half that and I'm exhausted all the time!! A program that might work is microsoft outlook. Its an email/calendar program that comes with office (if you have office you have outlook). I'm not totally sure how to use it but I know it has printable calendars. Good luck! I hope you get some organization in your life soon!!

Hi D.,

I felt similar to you do now when my baby was first born. What saved me is a simple tip that I later wrote about in a book I authored 'The Naked Desk' (free chapter at www.actionsymphony.com). :-)

The trick is to *shorten* your to-do list.

Scan your vast to-do list and home in on three rocks that you will address or accomplish today. For example:

- Work on new project.
- Spend quality time with kids.
- Do two loads of laundry.

Of course, you'll get more done than just three things, but the idea is to make sure you do the biggest priorities so that you're not running around doing unimportant things and then you wonder where the day went.

What I do daily is I write down my top three priorities. Then I draw a line under them and jot down other things I want to get to. But, I put the three biggest priorities into my Outlook calendar first and make sure to dedicate blocks of time to them. This gives me focus and a sense that I'm on track. It also helps me to get disciplined on the things I don't want to do.

A good motivator is setting a timer for a 10 to 60 minute time period to plow through tasks such as doing dishes or laundry, filling out school forms, preparing for the next day, etc. The timer is my 'accountability partner'--I fend off distractions and stick to the task until the timer dings.

Hope that helps, D.. Take care!

S. Brenner

I so know where you're at...I was there until just a few months ago.

I love iCal. It comes standard with a Mac. I use it for my personal life, work life, my husbands work stuff, birthdays, holidays, school schedules, and so so much more. I have a different color for everything so it is super to easy to know what is going on with just a quick glance.

My husband and I each got an iPod Touch for our anniversary presents to each other--because of the iCal features. My iPod Touch syncs with my computer an updates any changes I might have added while I was out and about. AND it syncs with my husbands iPod Touch as well. So he can add events or plans to his iPod and it'll show up on my iPod and onto my computer. We hardly ever double book ourselves now.

iCal is almost idiot proof--it is really, really easy anyway. I've never been able keep up with a calendar because I thought they were difficult or hard to figure out.

A non-computer suggestion would be a Flylady Calendar. The squares are extra large so you can write stuff down on them w/out having to squish it in. There are cute stickers to go with it. My brothers and I love putting stickers on to remind us to get our hair cuts, go to the library, birthdays, school holidays, and dentist appointments. You can check them out at http://www.flylady.net/pages/FlyShop.asp

Remember, even the best calendar/organization program won't work if you don't use it. You could make blank paper work for you if you make it a habit---everything else is just a bonus.

As a side note, I think you might want to take a look at the whole Flylady program. You sound super stressed and worn out. Marla helps people to develop routines that make life simpler. Another plug for getting an iPod Touch is that I get to listen to the Flylady Podcasts while I'm cleaning my house.

Hi D.,
I agree with the other moms, Outlook is a good calendar. But, the best way to get yourself some help is to make your kids pitch in with the chores! You have two who are plenty old enough to handle cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming, mopping, washing dishes, etc. My six year old helps me with cleaning our floors - I showed her how to mop and she does a great job!

I am the mom of two and work about 50 hours a week, and recently had to let my cleaning lady go (my husband is a residential realtor, and things are pretty rough financially right now)... it has been a struggle changing gears to try and clean the house after I get home from work, but that's life I guess. I finally made the decision that if I'm working this hard, I'm not going to be the only one in my household who does! Tap into the free helping hands in your household, and try Outlook's calendar for the rest of the stuff. I put all of my kids' engagements on Outlook, such as bake sale, ballet class, teacher conferences, and then set it up to alert me a day or two in advance so I'm never caught off guard.

Good luck, and hang in there!!

Hi D.,
It sounds like you have your hands full with work, kids and all the other duties of being Mom. I would suggest asking your 2 older kids to help out, it can be fairly simple tasks from helping with the laundry, or putting out the garbage, or even helping with bathing the younger one. Maybe a chores chart that would pay on a weekly basis could be a carrot for them. I think with a few less things you have to worry about, you won't seem so stressed and tired. You'll be teaching responsibilty to your older children, as well as they get to earn a little extra spending money.
Good luck to you...

Hi D.,

It looks like you're doing more than 2 people's jobs! Since you work 50 hours a week, that leaves little time or energy for cooking, cleaning, or anything else for that matter. Wow! I commend you for sticking it out this far - you certainly sound like a hard worker who wants to give her best to her family.

Have you thought about outsourcing your responsibilities by hiring someone to cook or clean - at least take some of the load off temporarily?

Have you ever heard of FlyLady? She helps women through the chaos in their homes. Here's her website:
www.flylady.com

Hope you get what you need to make your life a bit easier.

Warm Regards,
J.

This is what we do, and it seems to work pretty well.

We have a white board that we write all of our bills on, when they are due and how much each bill is. Then, we have a special divider for all of the bills,another divider for all of our unopened mail, and another divider for mail that needs to be taken care of right away. These are all posted next to the whiteboard and are all bright red in color with their appropriate titles.

I have a chore chart for my son with all of his chores on it for every day of the week. Every time he completes a chore, I draw a star on the day he completes it. By the end of the week, we total up the "grand total" of points, and usually go to the park, or we have a family movie night if he completes all or most of his chores throughout the week. The chore chart is like the white board with a dry-erase marker so I don't have to print it out every week.Here is a website that has a lot of chore charts to choose from:

http://www.ecrater.com/search.php?keywords=chore%20chart&...

Additionally, I have another chart which titled "I Completed My Homework Without Complaining" along with a set time on it, so that my son knows when it is 4:00 pm, he needs to be completing his homework. If he completes it without complaints, he gets a sticker on the chart. I also had my son decide on homework time, I think this gave him a sense of responsibility because he sticks to it a lot better than if I would tell him the time. He also has to sit down and finish without getting up and playing, or going to the bathroom every five minutes. Furthermore, if homework is not finished before dinner time, after dinner, he has to sit down and complete it until done, then he has to get ready for bed after that. This gives him incentive to finish up his homework without complaining and fooling around because if he doesn't, then he might have to go to bed late, and not have time for play. Additionally, if he goes to bed late, he will be tiered in the morning.

For myself, I have a daily planner where I write down all of my day to day important things to do list per day. Then, if someone wants to schedule something, I check my planner, and "pencil" them in. This also helps when making appointments. Additionally, you need to have set times for waking up, having your kids wake up (an alarm clock for your kids might be helpful), a set time for meals, and a set time to take the kids to school, and warn your children ten minutes before that time, so that they will be ready to go when it it time.

Additionally, check your e-mail once a day, do it when your children are in bed, or in school so you have no disturbances and also you will have time to write beck. Also, answer only the e-mails that are important, get ride of the junk.

Basically, it takes a lot of discipline to keep things on task. Oh, and another thing, try not to be super clean, or have the "yard of the month", try to schedule certain days for housecleaning and yard work. It is not a big deal if your house is a little messy. This one is difficult for me, but I try really hard to stick to the schedule. That and I have chores for my son and husband that they have to do to help me out with that. ^.^

And most importantly, schedule in some special time with your family, and nights out with friends or that special someone. Try to relax, some down time is very important and healthy!

Two books that have helped me with this are:

"Never CheckE-mail in the Morning" by Julie Morgenstern

"The Promotable Woman" by Norma Carr-Ruffio, Ph.D.

Good Luck!!

M. *~

Hi D. -

I teach organizational and calendaring skills to teenagers...and as a single mom running her own business, I know how crazy this can be. Here's what I recommend and what I do.

First, get yourself a cell phone that runs SmartPhone software. I have a Pantech Duo which I love. This is essentially a version of Windows for a phone. Next, I use Outlook on my PC. I can sync my calendars between my cell and PC one of two ways -- either by an old fashioned sync where I plug my phone into my laptop and sync it, or, by using a third program called Plaxo on the internet -- this application automatically syncs up my calendar, task lists, and contacts. I actually sync three computers and my cell phone using this application.

Next, in Outlook you can color-code your activities. All of my Meetings are blue, my counseling appointments are teal, my kids appointments are orange, etc. You can set Outlook to do this automatically using a script -- when you type in "Meet" it automaticallly labels the item blue, for example.

What I also do is schedule time for general activities such as cleaning the house, writing reports, etc. This way, you don't overschedule yourself.

If you'd like more info, send me email...good luck!

J.

D. `
Try 'FlyLady.net' You will be so amazed! Good Luck!!

Lucy B.

You've already received this suggestion several times, but I just want to also recommend Flylady.net . It really is amazing, and while I haven't purchased her calendar (I just have a 2 year old son, so scheduling hasn't become a big issue for me...yet!), others on the website say it's been the greatest thing for them. But her baby steps program is amazing and really works. Even if you fall off the wagon every now and then, you can always get back on easily.
Good luck to you!

you have a lot of responses, which I'm sure is overwhelming in itself!

as a few others have mentioned flylady.net is a miracle! It's free and simple and so encouraging. please, please, please check it out, you will not regret it!

best to you!!!

Hi D.,

Wow, it sounds like you are doing everything yourself.

Outlook is a great calendar and you can sync it to your pda phone and print out the calendars.

Another help to you is get your kids to pitch in more. I know that your high-schooler and pre-teen are old enough to take on chores like: dishes, lunches, breakfast, ironing, cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming, etc. Also, for the toddler you can have him set the table, clean up his own toys, etc.

When I got my girls (9 and 6) to start cleaning the bathrooms, that helped me tremendously. They also do breakfast, clear the table, vacuum, rinse the dishes, and after my surgery they did the laundry.

Do not be afraid to delegate. They cause much of the chaos so they should help alleviate it.

D.

I religiously use www.google/calendar.com. LOVE IT! It allows you to create a calendar for each of your kids (by color) and then you can also print it out. It's easy and my husband refers to it ALL the time so it is easy for him to access it. I can look at a glance on Sunday for the week and I've also created a calendar with birthdays (so I don't forget). I find it very user friendly. It's nice because you can print it out for the month also. Then, I have it text me appointments also. So, I have reminders on my cell phone as well. Hope it helps or at least it starts some organization for you like it did for me :)

D.,
I completely feel your pain. I award myself the "worst mother of the year" award at least once per week when I forget an assignment or important date for the kids and have to fess up to the teachers! I use the Mother's Helper calendar that you can get at calendars.com online and I keep every single appointment on there, it hangs on my refrigerator so everyone can see it. Plus, I carry around a journal and keep all my "to do" lists in there by date. It helps just to have one central place to write everything down. I flip thorugh it daily to see if there is anything I did not check off and I carry it over to the new day. My girlfriend uses a huge white board calendar in her pantry with different colors for each child - but I do not have the square footage for that type of arrangement. And, make a chore list, kids really like to help out and work as a team. Good luck!!

The Google calendar is awesome. I can even view my google calendar on my iPhone so it is portable. My husband also lets me have access to his calendar so when I look at my calendar I also see his schedule. It is great and so easy to use.

Other people have suggested this, but I'll add to it. Try flylady.net. She is wonderful in helping you sort out what needs to be done, and then get it done--and in not beating yourself up over what doesn't get done. Good luck!

Do you have outloook? It has an easy to use calendar planning tool. Also, recuruit your HIgh Schooler to help with the younger kids. he/she can help with the cooking, cleaning and laundry. The toddler needs a set bedtime, my 5 year old twins sleep 7-7, and my 14 year old helps with childcare and baths when needed.
We also have a whiteboard calendar posted in our kitchen with all activities, engagements, doctors/dentist/orthodonstis appt. etc on it so I can easily look up asn see which twins day it is to be "first" where the teenager needs to be, what school activity is coming up.
And if at all possible get help from other mom's, they know what it's like and can empathize.

Good luck!

Microsoft Outlook has the capability for recurring events. I put in all the events for the rest of the year. Then once a week I print out the week's calendar. This leaves some space and I add in some of my tasks. I plan out the weeks' meals in advance and write what I am doing on each page. Then I can look at it in the morning and pull out stuff that needs to be thawed or whatever.
I also downloaded a Microsoft Excel worksheet from FlyLady to help organize tasks.
One note of caution: don't beat yourself up for this. You will not be perfect, no matter what. And coming up with a program can become a problem in and of itself sometimes.

And work with your children to get their input and help. They can learn with you how to organize and accomplish tasks. They won't think it is great at first, but they will appreciate it someday!

If you need more details about Excel or Outlook, contact me.

You are not in an easy situation- on your own with three kids and a heavy work schedule. I'm not going to pretend to know what that's like, but I do know how it is to be overwhelmed and to feel like you're just spinning your wheels.

I'm not that computer savvy either. What helped me was a book called Sidetracked Home Executives. It was written by two sisters, way back in the 70's so it's kind of "retro". It involves an index card system. Don't laugh- it works! There is a list of household chores for you to prioritize- daily jobs, weekly jobs, monthly jobs. You file them in a card file by the week and rotate them. Every day you do your cards. Pretty soon you're in the habit of doing things by a schedule. Things are going much smoother over here I can tell you.

What I finally figured out was that the best way to get the house clean was to *keep* it clean. When I leave one room to go to another I look for things to take with me so I'm not back and forth so much. Going to the bedroom for your slippers? Look around- you can take a jacket, a book, or a pair of shoes with you to put away. My son is five and I'm trying to give him organizational skills appropriate for his age. He puts away his shoes, puts his clothes in the hamper- things like that.

Instead of putting dishes in the sink, I put them in the dishwasher right away. It's already in my hand, so why not? It takes a lot less time than doing a whole sink full of dishes later. Your high schooler and pre teen are old enough to do this too.

The book helps you tackle your house and get it clean so you can keep it that way. You can say to each kid (except your toddler!)- these are your cards for the day- wipe the counter, sweep the floor, dust, etc. They will grumble at first but when they see the results they will love it, believe me. I was surprised to see how much my family appreciates actually living in a clean house!

You should be proud of how much you are doing- seriously, if no one has told you lately, let me say "good job!" You've got two kids though who are big enough to really help given some direction. With all three of you working in an organized way you just may see a light at the end of that tunnel.

Go buy that book! Good luck!

I use my calendar on my email program which is yahoo. It has a box for repeating events. You can print it by week, month or year. If you don't have the email calendar, excel is a better program to set up a schedule.

Also, you may want to get a professional organizer to help you with your organization. You get names from NAPO. The National Association of Professional Organizers.

Three other websites (you will have to make the time to go to them: are Flylady.com, Peter Walsh and (forgot name - book is Decluttering Fast (i think her name is Mimi)

I still have trouble sometimes with my organization, but try to put certain items to do on certain days and certain times.
For instance, Monday morning I work in my office. Monday afternoon, I work on Student's work for the week (I tutor after school).

Also, try to get your kids especially the two older ones to help with the chores. It will teach them responsibility. You can make it into a game so they win time with you or something else special to them.

What about getting a housekeeper to do weekly cleaning since you work so many hours per week.

I hope this help.

C.

D., check out flylady.net. Also, if you use a Mac, iCal is a great program that will do what you are looking for.
Blessings, A.

I us the yahoo (sbcglobal?) e-mail calender. You can add events, tasks, etc. You can even have a seperate calender for you high schooler and/or pre-teen and sync them together to make a master. It is important for our kids to take responsibility themselves, with guidance of course. Under tasks, you can add when school projects, your own, anything really that is do and prioritize them. You can print out a task list for the week, a daily, weekly or monthly calender. I would create a weekly menu prep food items on the weekend:cut veggies, marinate meats (if you eat meat), anything that can be done ahead. A crockpot is my bestfriend. Schedule homework, reading to your 2 year old all at the same time. Sleep is important to all and if everyone is getting enough sleep, it may make everything else seem a little easier. I know it is hard, but bedtime around here is not negotiable. Even if they go in their room, so you have 30 min to yourself. May you find strength in yourself!

My husband & I have 4 children, ranging in age from 5-17. When the youngest was a baby, (the other kids were 4,10,&12), I started making a chore chart. I would put all the chores for the week into a hat & have each of the kids blindly pick a chore. No child, whether they picked it or not, would have to do the same chore 2 weeks in a row. They would simply blindly pick another chore. They were responsible for their chores every day, for one week, and then it would change. Mommy and Daddy were also assigned chores for the week, so that the work was divided equally among the family. I bought a dry erase board, and posted everyones chores for the week on that. They were also responsible for their own rooms, and picking up after themselves. Each chore consisted of one room in the house, and was all inclusive (meaning it included vacuuming, dusting, etc.) After a while, I stopped pulling chores out of the hat, and just made a rotation, starting from oldest to youngest. Jessie (oldest) had the kitchen last week, so Joey (next oldest) has it this week, and so on down the line. I also put the dry erase board in a central location where all the kids (and adults! lol) would see it, so they wouldn't forget. The children all started off with $7 worth of allowance at the beginning of the week. If they didn't do their chores, homework, rooms, or get to bed on time, they would lose a quarter for each thing they didn't do or didn't do on time each day. It worked pretty well for our family. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via mamasource. B. D from Gardnerville, NV

D. - Good luck with your situation, I feel for you. I was a single parent for many years but with just 2 boys. I got a really big calender - actually a paper one that is a year at a glance - and put it on the wall next to the kitchen/dining table making it impossible to miss. Wasn't all that pretty, but it worked really well. Sometimes they have the calendars at Staples; if they don't have them in stock, you can order one. Seems like it was less than $10 the last time I got one a few years back. Take care - J.

You have been given a lot of excellent advice. You didn't say where you live, but if you're in the area and would like a personal consultation, I will offer you a Mamsource discount for an organizing session. I'm a professional home organizer. You can check out my website at www.SacHomeTransitions.com
Sometimes, depite good advice, the hardest part is implementation, and having a neutral party there to shepherd along the process is helpful.
Good luck to you!

Hi D.

Have you every tried a Palm. I use a Palm Centro, they are very inexpensive and can synch with a computer to be printed.

If this is too techy, then I would recommend going to the Franklin Covey Store, and I am sure one of their experts can help you. I am a big fan of Franklin Covey.

Outlook has a wonderfil calendar that you can print daily, weekly, and monthly. It is very easy to use

Check out FlyLady.com

Good luck!

J.

I also recommend Flylady.net. She has a great system for doing just a little bit everyday so you don't get overwhelmed. I have her calendar which is great because the squares are so big I can fit a lot of info in each one. I also color code all the activities for my family.

I hope some of the advice has helped. If you need further help getting organized and implementing a plan to stay organized and on track I would love to help. I am a mom of 5 and have an organizing/decorating business. I would love to help you. I too was a single mom and know how tough it can be. My prices are very reasonable and I can offer a free consultation. My business is listed: All In Place. Feel free to read the reviews. Hope you find some peace in your chaotic life soon. Please contact me if I can help. K. ###-###-####