jlsgrant
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Yearly Blog Planner from Homeschool Creations
Posted in Book & Product Reviews on February 22, 2013
It is a great thing to get organized BEFORE you start something! That’s why I was so excited that our first assignment for Mosaic Reviews was to choose and review a blog planner.
There were several to choose from; everything from the all-inclusive, oh-my-I’ll-never-fill-all-of-that-out type planner, to the basic, one page, simple planner to keep you focused. This free blog planner, by Homeschool Creations, fell somewhere in between. I thought it would be perfect for someone like me….I am not an everyday blogger, but the planner includes specially designed pages to keep track of reviews and their deadlines and that’s what first caught my attention.
The Homeschool Creations Yearly Blog Planner includes:
- Blank Monthly Calendar pages
- Two week at a glance pages
- Review/Giveaway tracking pages, and
- Additional Planning Helps
The Additional Planning Helps section includes pages for keeping track of other bloggy type things like website analytics, usernames and passwords, affiliate programs, twitter hashtags, link-ups, and notes & ideas.
Honestly, it has taken me a few weeks to get back into the planner habit and I probably shouldn’t call it a “habit” quite yet! But with deadlines for reviews seemingly around every corner, I know I need to get more organized to prevent things from falling through the cracks.
In the past, I have tried to use technology to manage my to-do list. This includes the simple calendar in Outlook and on the opposite extreme, an expensive on-line homeschool planner. But none has really worked for me at this point. Maybe it’s because I am a tactile person. I grew up with paper and pencils in hand and I think that works best for me!
After a few weeks working with the Homeschool Creations Yearly Blog Planner, here are the parts I like best:
The Weekly Pages….when items are assigned for review I schedule all dates relating to final post. From setting up a draft on the blog, to adding images and links, adding specific product information, and finally adding my personal opinions. (I note the deadlines in red ink to make sure I don’t miss them!) For me, this page alone is probably sufficient 🙂
The Blank Calendar Pages…so I can customize and use the same planner next year, instead of needing to buy a new one every year. Each monthly template has a “Focus of the Month” section at the bottom. This is a great place for brainstorming upcoming post ideas.
The Flexibility of an unbound planner…being able to move pages around until I find a system that works best for me.
The Review/Giveaway pages are perfect if you like to record all the important product info on paper. As for me, I generally set up all that information in my draft post on the blog, so I didn’t end up using them.
In the Additional Planning Helps section, my favorite is probably the page for Website & Blog usernames and passwords. I am forever needing to request passwords for websites I haven’t visited in awhile, so this will be a great resource.
Bottom line… I really enjoy using this planner and will continue to use it in the upcoming months.
Ready to get your free copy? You’re just a click away! Just click the FREE Printable Blog Planner image to download yours. When you get to the website, there are tips for setting up and using this planner and links to some of the other planners available.
Be sure to visit other areas of the website for great resources for homeschooling families.
Other members of the Mosaic Reviews team have also reviewed this product. Please feel free to visit their blogs by clicking the Mosaic Reviews button.
Disclaimer: This product was given to members of Mosaic Reviews team in exchange for their honest review. No other compensation of any kind has been received.
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Change of Plans
Posted in Life Lessons/Inspiration on February 19, 2013
A fellow blogger introduced me to this journal project at FOLK. I looked through the prompts for each week and decided to give it a try. Last week’s prompt was to find a family photo and use it to tell a story. Thinking about all the photos and stories we have amassed through the years, I remembered an old post from a few years ago, and thought I’d put a new twist on an old story….
Change of Plans
The day started full of anticipation and excitement! We were going to take the boat out for a few days and just see where we end up! No big planning, just provision for a few days journey and head south down the Intercoastal Waterway. A spontaneous vacation…
Our first stop was in Sarasota Bay. We dropped the anchor, prepared a healthy lunch of tuna salad and fresh fruit, and gently swung on the hook. After lunch, we thought a nice relaxing nap was in order, so we settled in and got comfy. The waves splashed softly on the hull, the palm tree swayed gently on the shore, the sea birds flew gracefully over head.
We woke up refreshed, pulled the anchor, started the…..started the….started the….NOPE! The boat would not start! The ideal trip we planned was interrupted by a fried wiring harness. Once again, the realities of boat ownership had interrupted our plans. After an hour or so, upside down in the hot bilge, Mr. Resourceful had us moving again. But just outside the anchorage, it was apparent that one of the engines was not getting full power. There was not one, but two problems! Sadly, maybe even angrily, we had to head back to the dock. Slowly… about 9 knots! In other words, it would take us about 3 hours to go the 25 miles back to the dock. We were frustrated that our plans for a trip south, ended in a mechanical problem. Again.
We were caught up in our conversation about “selling this piece of junk”, not paying attention to the sights and scenes around us. This was not the first time the boat had let us down, but it would be the last. We were done with boating! We were SO through with this.
But as we made our eastward turn toward the river, we glanced back at a glorious sunset behind us and observed a pod of dolphin jumping in our wake. You see, our tediously slow speed, made the perfect wake for dolphins to play. We looked at each other and smiled.
Maybe we’ll sell the boat another day.
There are many ways this could have been worse…a fire could have started, we could have been much further away from the dock, we could have been in unfamiliar waters. We were reminded that even in difficult times, in times of frustration and disappointment, we need to remember just how much we are blessed.
God is good! 🙂 And I’m so thankful that I stopped moaning and complaining and looked up to see the gift that was right under my nose.
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