HAPPY NEW YEAR.
I am so glad you are here with me and I hope 2017 is prosperous for us all.
As many of you long time smarties know, the ship I’m steering has a crew of 8 and keeping us all on track is a herculean effort. As the head of this rag-tag crew, my partner and I have always taken a, “divide and conquer,” approach to keeping our family afloat.
This has served our family well, his strengths are my weaknesses and vice-versa. A few years ago when he began working in a another state, I began writing from home and running the house. It was a big change but, he did come home at the end of the day to tag me out.
However, a recent diagnosis of Stiff Person Syndrome, which has been debilitating for him, has now forced us to think differently about how we are steering this ship. Our focus as a family is different now and it is all hands on deck.
The command center has been a fixture in my home for years. It started with just a white board calendar and a “to-do” list. 
It has since grown with our needs and while it is quite useful it really isn’t meeting its full potential.
In the New Year and with the new demands on my family, it’s time for an upgrade. I want us to be in better communication, keeping better track of how we are spending our time both separate and as a family.
Everyone has their own “peek at the week “cards. 
We use them to track school activities, extra curriculars, special events, and appointments. In this way everyone can see what everyone else is doing and we can plan accordingly. It started out really well but has since fallen to the wayside. The old card was nondescript and difficult to read. As you can see it looks more like a form for the DMV.
With the new cards, the focus is on function. It is meant to give a quick snap shot into what is coming up in the week ahead. This time around I kept it very simple. I think it is much more inviting and easier to use.
Next I set my sights on the shopping list. I am tired of keeping our lists on scraps of paper. Not only is it a waste of paper, I have lost the list a time or two in the dark recesses of my diaper bag/purse. I wanted to make my dry-erase shopping list, small enough to take with me to the market and while I was at it, I may as well organize the list into categories.
I still have a white board for us to jot things down as supplies run out but now I can transfer it to a neat little reusable list.
Additionally, I wanted an actual meal planner card that I could reuse and take with me to the market as well. I followed the same format as the peek at the week cards!
At this point it was time to print, laminate, and reorganize the space. This is how I am using these tools for my family, laminating these tools means I can reuse them like dry-erase boards but it really isn’t necessary. You could easily print and add these cards to a day planner or bullet journal.
The results are below.
I reduced the clutter and focused on the most important information. We use the calendar the most and our old one was small and squished. This white board is a dedicated calendar now, with room to grow. Our notes & reminders and to-do list now has its own white board and the cards are big, bold, front and center.
It isn’t a whole new transformation, just an upgrade. The space feels cleaner. I feel more prepared for 2017! Sharing is caring because I want you to be prepared too, my cards and lists are available for download below.
Before you do please consider a contribution!
