Coach Mom Newsletter - Oct 2012
Like a toddler with his
blanket, so I have been with my spiral-bound
calendar for years. It has gone with me
everywhere and has been my brain to help me
remember everything from a password on the
school website to bringing team snacks to a
soccer game.
Unfortunately, my
handy-dandy calendar system included a few
challenges:
-
My family could not
access it at all times. (And I wasn’t
reliable with updates when I tried to
solve that problem by using a large wall
calendar alongside it.)
-
I lived with the
fear of misplacing it.
-
Annual events like
birthdays were slipping through the
cracks if I forgot to transfer them over
to the new calendar.
-
It had to be
carried (not a big problem, but it did
add one thing to my arms).
-
If I forgot to take
it out with me, I might not have the
information I needed (for example, the
address of a speaking event or phone
number for the leader of the event).
-
I needed to
purchase it each year (again, not a big
problem – maybe $8-$10, but it did cost
me something).
The things I like about
my spiral calendar:
-
I’m visual. I like
to see the big picture of
month-at-a-glance in order to plan.
-
I like to work each
day with my calendar open and ready for
quick jots, details, etc.
As my school-year-based
2011-2012 calendar came to the end in June,
I decided to take what I felt was a bold and
progressive move (I know, go ahead and
laugh.) to go digital with my calendar. Yes,
the thought of it actually increased my
heart rate.
Because I heard moms
singing the praises of cozi.com, I decided
to try their calendar system. It is free, so
there is no risk. There was a small learning
curve that tempted me a number of times to
get in my car and dash as fast as I could to
the local office supply store for a
2012-2013 spiral-bound calendar, but I
promised myself to give it a real chance for
a few months. After three months, I am glad
I made the change.
Like the hands-on calendar, it has
its pros and cons, but the pros outweigh the
cons.
Pros for the digital
calendar:
-
It is always with
me because I use the cozi.com app on my
phone.
-
It can be easily
printed in week-at-a-glance or
month-at-a-glance.
-
Everyone in the
family has access to it--by computer,
iPad, or iTouch. They simply need to
know the site and the password for
entry.
-
When I update my
calendar on one device, like my cell
phone, it automatically updates it on
all other devices.
-
It is easy to input
all the details I need to know for each
event--what, where, when, who, and a
place for notes on other information
such as directions, or what to bring to
that event, reservation reference
numbers, etc.
-
It has options to
repeat an activity (especially helpful
for weekly appointments such as piano
lessons, and also birthdays, too).
-
It can link to on-line calendars
such as school calendars, so that I
don't have to input school holidays and
other important dates.
-
All family members
who have phones can receive text message
reminders for events.
-
Grandparents can
stay abreast of the family schedule,
great for knowing all the details of
attending grandchildren’s sporting
events or concerts.
Cons for the digital
calendar:
-
When our printer
was on the blink, I was unable to print
out my month-at-a glance sheet.
-
When it prints out
the month-at-a-glance it has a limited
number of characters per appointment (it
can’t squeeze as many words on each day
as I could by writing it.)
-
It takes some time
to figure out.
Most of the “cons” are
easily solved: If the printer doesn’t work,
it should be repaired immediately anyway.
Though all the needed info may not
show up on the box, I can always look on the
iPad, my phone, or the computer to see the
details. Yes, it takes some time to figure
out, but once I invested a few hours in it I
was set to go.
Another thing I like
about cozi.com is the shopping list feature.
It’s nice to say, “Go enter it on the cozi
list” when a child says they need
toothpaste. There is also a to-do list,
which can also be emailed or messaged
(although I wouldn’t recommend doing this
often for your husband unless he asks!). It
even has a place to journal notes and photos
on the calendar.
I’m not the expert in
this digital calendar thing yet, but after
three months of use I give this program two
thumbs up.
A few tips:
-
Keep the calendar
up and handy on a tablet such as an iPad
when you are working at the computer.
This enables you to enter details from
informative emails onto the calendar
without having to go back and forth
between tabs.
-
Post the website
and the password somewhere near your
computer so that the children can access
the calendar easily.
-
Print off calendars
by the month and put them in a central
location to use as an easy reference for
yourself and the family.
And as long as we are
keeping up with events so well, we will
probably do better remembering birthdays.
That leads me to introduce this month’s book
giveaway….
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 Win
Every Birthday Is a Special Occasion,
a new release by Janice Byrd.
Janice’s book, a perfect gift for a
birthday celebrant, covers
all-things-birthday, including the origin of
the “Happy Birthday” song, the history of
famous birthdays such as Christmas and
President’s Day, and a peek into birthday
customs around the globe. This quick and
entertaining read also includes recipes, a
fill-in-the blank dedication page and
creative and fun ideas for celebrating from
the day you’re born through your 100th
birthday. For more info, visit
Janice's Website.
To be entered in the drawing,
recommend the Coach Mom e-book
October Special for $2.99
by posting the following link on your
Facebook page or Twitter account:
http://tinyurl.com/9n39pck. Then email
Brenna with “birthday book” in the
subject line to be in the Friday, October 19
drawing.
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Please pray for Brenna
and her family as she wraps up her time of
mission and ministry in Africa Oct. 2-9.
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