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Greetings from a frazzled mom in the Midwest!
I just wanted to let you know that I LOVE the design of your planner. I
found a reference to your site in Redbook. I've struggled for years to find
a planner that works for a busy mom. Something that's practical, easy to use
and simple to keep up.
Thanks for stream-lining a busy mom's life! I've got 3 kids (4 if you count
my husband) and the "normal" calendar squares get filled to the point of
confusion. With your planner design, each family member gets their own
square for each day. If they could possibly exceed a square daily, that
would be a sign to downsize their extracurriculars. :-)
I am a graphic designer, so I loved your "Dots" design but covers aside,
it's the inside contents that woo me. I consider myself an anal
perfectionist, super mom wanna-be and schedule magician. Your busy body book
is a must for any mom's sanity!
Love it - thanks for sharing your idea with moms everywhere!
Jennifer M.
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Joan
I must tell you how very much I appreciate your making the downloadable pages available to us. I have the "real" BusyBodyBook
(and LOVE it), but I also print out the monthly pages for my kids. They're able to write down their school assignments, doctor
appointments, baseball practices, youth group meetings, etc. It's a great way to teach them how to schedule their lives now, so it's
not a difficult task to learn later. I'm hoping to order a BusyBodyBook for each of them before the next school year starts.
Thank you for a great product. This is by far the best planner I have ever come across. It goes everywhere with me!
Sally D.
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Hi Joan!
I just wanted to let you know that I just got my school year BBB yesterday. I admit I tried another calendar, but realized yours is far
superior and came running back. I also posted about it on my blog: One-Handed Clapping with links to your site and I put your blog in
my blogroll. I also put a tip in there - I bought the little clear address labels at Staples and ran them thru my printer with my
headers for the columns instead of writing each one out. It was a huge help, especially since I can only use 1 hand due to having a
second wrist surgery on Friday. Thanks again so very much for helping me keep life organized!
Julie
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Hi Joan!
Laura and I received our organizers. Ok, I absolutely LOVE this book! I'm starting to fill mine up and I'm not even a
"back-to-school" mom yet! I have so much going on in my life though that it still works out for me. Thank you
so much! We're in the process of writing a review up right now.
Amy, at
MumsTheWurd, June 2007
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Joan,
My own BBB has been in heavy use for 3 weeks - I think I'm hooked (I usually start strong with
planners and then fizzle).
I don't know what my average time is - I don't ever totally abandon a planner, but as far as
daily/weekly use, this one is fairing pretty well. I think that one issue is that (now) I have
more to keep track of, and the 5 columns definitely encourage me to use that as my
ONE go-to resource. I think another problem I've had is keeping lists/goals/menu plans in
various places, and with BBB's format, there's just no reason to go anywhere else!
Jennifer Donovan, 5 Minutes for Mom,
Jennifer's Snapshot blog
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I like the pockets, it's affordable, more room to write and I LOVE the tear away to do lists! That's
just the beginning!
Another thing I was getting feedback about and love, which makes me want to get them for friends: THE
REMINDERS!!! Back to school, Prepare for spring, Prepare taxes, organize & store decorations! put
your feet up. The reminders to even organize not just store! Are you a genius or what????
Heather Douglass, Mom in the Know, www.Momintheknow.blogspot.com
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Hi Joan,
I am the person who posted the recommendation of your product.
I use BBB to balance work and family - since as a "Music Together" Director, I need to schedule
my home-based business work around taking the dog to the vet and the kids to lessons etc.
I use one column for keeping track of advertisements I am placing - when they are due and when they come out.
Next column is "Music Together" admin tasks that need to be done that day - paying teachers, sending
something to the printer etc. The next column I use for keeping track of what week (it's a 10 week program) we
are in at each location (we have multiple class locations and if a class is cancelled in one location it isn't
necessarily cancelled in another). I also use that column to keep track of which teacher is subbing for whom
that day - so I can pay them correctly! The next column is for my kid's stuff, and the last column is for my
husband and I - our personal appointments, or household things like dishwasher repairman coming at 2pm!
The only improvement I can think of is adding more columns, premarked possibly if the book was actually
customized for "Music Together"!
Jenny Goings, Dir. Music Together
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Hi Joan!
It's me again! I have a great new use for your book...I am now homeschooling my 2 daughters. I am going to use
the grid to list their subjects across the top, each day of the week reflecting how many pages to work on under
that subject. It will be a great tool to teach them how to work independently. Now, they wait for me to tell
them what to do next. Plus, I need a calendar that they can use for their appointments (they may be few but are
so very important to them)! ;) Learning how to follow a calendar is a skill we all have to learn! Agree? (Ha) So
again I order your books and am so grateful to have found them in the first place!
Take care Joan and thanks for the personal note!
Nancy H.
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Dear BusyBodyBook:
As the Mom, I of course have a column dedicated to each family member. My son is using [his] calendar to organize
his life: each column is dedicated to a major activity: his sports team, tests at school, his youth group. We love
it! I purchased 2005 calendars for my teenage son and for me to track the whole family. It is a wonderful system.
We are spreading the word among our friends.
Regards,
Amy
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I'm a mother of 2 young children, I'm using BusyBodyBook
family calendar in a different way - I use two columns for our schedules - one labeled "grown-ups,
" the other "kids." This lets me see at a glance what we're doing this week. The other
three columns I use for meal planning: breakfast, lunch & dinner. Having our schedules in the same
place as our meals ensures that the meals I plan are ones that I can manage - it's worked wonders!
Lindsay D.
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I am going to use my BusyBodyBook in an entirely different way (which is what sold it to the MOPS girls).
I am sure you already have people doing this but I thought I would pass it on. I head the top with the 5
different areas of my life that need my attention in the order they need my attention. GOD, FAMILY, MOPS/ PTO, ME,
and HOUSE. That way I am assured balance if I follow the book.
Jennie W, MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)
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I just started using my November calendar this week. I instructed my sons to fill out their schedule for their
after school sessions in addition to listing all of their basketball practices and games. They wanted to know
why I needed it done. So, I kindly told them so I can keep up with what is going on every day.
Penny M.
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I love the section where you can mark down next year's plans,
like the flights I book well in advance for our family to visit far-away in-laws.
Colin F.
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I bought this for myself and my two best girlfriends and
we all adore it. (we each have 2 kids and a disorganized husband)! Thanks for creating this.
It has sturdy construction and a very user friendly setup - even for the most disorganized!
T. Randall
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Hi Joan:
I have been looking for a family organizer for months. For the past 2 years I have been working on family
organization and slowly things are coming together. Four years ago, my husband and I adopted 2 children
(3 & 4 years old) so life for us is now totally different. My children are in many extra after school/Saturdays
activities and I work part time. I was keeping our schedule in my mind and on scrap pieces of paper. What a
disaster! I had no idea how organized a mom's life needed to be. Your BusyBodyBook is awesome and it has made
my life a little less stressful. Now I know where I am going, who is going with me and what I need to do next. Once again, thank you!
L. Johnson
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Dear Joan,
Just wanted to say that I really enjoyed getting the BusyBodyBook. I am a mother of six children. My husband works
full time and when he is not at the office there are nights he coaches soccer, attends Foster Care meetings, and
then there's our date nights. Now he has no excuse and cannot say, "Well, I didn't know that," or "I
didn't remember that". I use my slot for my appointments, our eight year olds events, doctor appointments and
Foster Care appointments for our two babies that we are adopting. I also keep track of when other children come in
and out of our home. We do emergency shelter. As you can tell my BusyBodyBook will be very busy. The book will stay
out on the kitchen counter by the phone so there are no excuses. Thanks for inventing a book not only for us busy
Mom's but for busy children as well.
Karen
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Joan--
I love the book. It is just what I needed for my family of 6. I'm sharing it with my friends and
family.
D. Donegan
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I have two daughters. My oldest child is chronically ill, sees about 3-4 different
doctors + she is an active teen of 16 with a full social, extracurricular and academic calendar. My youngest of 5 also has a
busy social, academic and extracurricular life. Then there is me - a mom, a full time student, busy full time employee with
a full social and active life. BusyBodyBook has made it so that we can make sure that everything gets done and nothing
overlaps. It is clear and spelled out. Since I started using BBB we have not missed an appointment or commitment. I don't make
a move until I pull out BBB and see what is going on. It has been great.
C. Martin Howard, June 2007
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Hello,
I saw BusyBodyBook in "Parenting" magazine. This is how I am using the book: I am a Mom of 3, but I
use it to help me with my daily routines and personal priorities. The first column is for exercise - what I
did or what I plan to do that day. Walk, yoga, weights etc. The next column is for dinner plans. I plan the
week before I go grocery shopping. This way it isn't a last minute "what can I throw together". The
third column is for prayer/reading and meditation. I write down inspiring thoughts I received that day, prayer
requests or an important idea I read or heard that day. The fourth column is for work. I work part time and
always have things to do on my off days. The final column is the cleaning zone. I write cleaning, de-cluttering
or organizing goal for the day. I use left side of the book to make a grocery list and write the initials of
what store to purchase it at. The blank part is where I write down other to-dos for M-Sunday. I write the day
and write out my lists. This calendar/planner has been awesome for my needs! It keeps me focused and organized.
The only thing that could use improving is the pocket. The papers I put in there, especially if smaller, fall
out very easily. Otherwise, I love it the way it is. Lots of room for a busy week! Thanks again.
J. Curran
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