Sunnier scheduling with Blue Sky Home Series

I love my smartphone and use it in a million different ways, but I have never managed to get in the habit of using the calendar function, maybe because I’m still not a great thumb-typer. Nor I have I ever had success with an online calendar. Instead, we have a large paper calendar on our refrigerator, and I email my husband when I need to make sure he picks up the kids or takes the right vacation days.

Then I was asked to review the Blue Sky Home Series of planning products. In the week prior to receiving that pitch, I had 1) missed a dentist appointment entirely, and 2) peeled the big calendar off the fridge and dragged it to the ice rink to schedule lessons with my daughter’s coach. So it was clear to me that I needed to try something new.

I received the 8″ x 10″ weekly/monthly planner, the 3.5′ x 7″ weekly/monthly planner, and the multi-task notebook. Each has a fun, contemporary design from Susy Jack Contemporary Paper. And here’s one genius thing: They are dated July 2011 – June 2012. Because we all know that the school year schedule rules our world, right? I have been carrying the small weekly planner in my purse and I love it. These smaller-size monthly and weekly planners are actually two separate books which fit inside an ingenious, sturdy plastic cover with a snap–to protect them from all the frightening things in your purse so they will last a whole year. I didn’t think I would use the monthly planner much so I pulled it out of the case, making the whole deal a little lighter and less bulky. (Even with both planners in the case, it’s neither heavy nor thick, but I figured, why not streamline as much as possible?)

In the weekly planner, each day has 11 lines, plus you get an extra “day” space to write other notes. The lines are pretty small, since they’re in a 3-inch space. So that means you can fill up a day pretty fast–especially if you  have lots of kids or a super-crammed schedule. The 8″ x 10″ size planner obviously offers a lot more space, but is less portable. It has other goodies, too, though: travel checklists; grocery lists; packing suggestions for your purse, diaper bag, and car; to-dos for the month; and so on.

The to-do notebook is also clever. It has color-coded sections for things to  “DO,” “CALL,” and “BUY,” plus 6 storage pockets. This works well for everyday tasks, and I think it would also be helpful devoted to a particular project–like planning a big party or doing a kitchen remodel. You would have all of your to-dos and to-dones recorded for easy reference.

You can buy the Blue Sky Home Series line at Target ($4 to $10). Or! You can comment here to win a set of assorted Blue Sky goodies for yourself. Tell me your worst/funniest calendaring screw-up. Mine was probably the time I arrived at the airport at 8 a.m. for a flight that had left at 6. The whole family had to spend an extra day/night away from home, with no car. It was SO FUN!

You can also get an extra entry by liking the Blue Sky Facebook page. Just leave another comment telling me you did. Deadline: End of the day Wednesday, August 17.

Yes, I received these products free for review.