Monday, September 6, 2010

What Kind of Fruit Are You?

I'm bumping this August post up to this week for the chance to win an Amazon gift certificate :) No other compensation was made for this ad.

I was presented with the creative challenge of writing an advertisement for The Schoolhouse 2010 Planner in return for a copy of the planner and the opportunity to win a contest. Since I enjoy writing AND I've had a hankering to check out the planner for myself, I  have accepted the challenge :) I have not received financial reimbursement for this advertisement.



When I think about planning and organization, one gets my stomach in knots, the other puts me at ease and literally calms my mood. Why is that? I think it's because they are two different fruits on the Tree of Time Management.(I know -- "every fruit after its own kind" -- we don't get two different fruits from the same tree -- but just go with me on this analogy;) We might be one or the other, or a bit of both -- but understanding our own nature can help us achieve more, and do it more effectively.

Everybody loves a good personality quiz, right? Answer the following few questions to see why the The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner can help you ripen into the sweet fruit God created you to be so you can bring the fullest flavour and favour to your family.



What Kind of Fruit Are You?

Are you a Planner Plum?
Do you like to schedule your minutes, months, and memory making?
Do you like to know where you'll be and what you'll be doing in the next few years, as well as the next few moments?
Do you make lists of things to do?
Do you like to make schedules for people as well as personal property?
Are you a go-getter goal setter?
Do you like having the "big picture" as well as all the fine details in coded colour?

Check out these features of the The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner that might inspire you:
  • daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly schedule planners
  • 12-year education planning pages
  • field trip planners
  • Photo courtesy of public-photo.net
  • marking planners
  • co-op planning sheets
  • convention schedule planners
  • homekeeping schedules
  • computer schedules
  • daily to-do lists
  • weekly and monthly menu planners
  • budget sheets
  • party planners
  • bible reading schedules
  • garden planning checklists
  • vacation planning forms
  • car maintenance schedules
  • craft planning sheets
  • TV show reminder schedules
  • weight loss planning forms
These are just some of the well-designed, customizable planning pages that can nourish the nature of a Planner Plum. There are many more that you'd be plum-pleased to use in your everyday life!


Are you an Organizer Orange?
Do you like to have pre-made pages that can be filled in with individualized information?
Are you inclined to "package" or "sort" information, materials, and possessions in easily accessible ways?
Do you like to have lists of required materials so you can acquire things in advance?
Do you like to keep track of information in ways that are logical, easy, and accessible?
Do you like to have written copies of related information in a single place?
Do you like to have written guidelines of expectations for yourself and your family members?
Are you concerned about recording and meeting deadlines?

If so, these features of the The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner might get your organizational juices flowing:
  • basic supply lists (ex. lapbooking supplies, teaching supplies)
  • curriculum recording sheets (what you've used, what's worked, etc.)
  • curriculum key chart (for keeping track of curriculum names, acronyms -- like FIAR, costs, age levels, sources, etc.)
  • Photo courtesy of publicdomainpictures.net
  • website and vendor logs
  • menu forms
  • evaluation forms
  • progress reports
  • transcript forms
  • high school hours tracking log 
  • audio/video log
  • reading log
  • crafts completed log
  • extra-curricular activities log
  • co-op info sheets
  • pre-school activity box ideas
  • bible memorization records
  • science lab sheets
  • discipleship records
  • parent continuing education log
  • date-due lists (books, movies, assignments)
  • community service records
  • book inventory sheets
  • musical instrument practise sheets
  • home improvement project outlines
  • unit study templates
  • lapbooking templates
Again -- these are just a few of the many resources in the The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner that would appeal to an Organizer Orange.




So, have you learned anything about yourself as a result of this little quiz?

I am sooooo an Organizer Orange! Planning has never been my strong suit. When I first started teaching, I would spend hours pouring through materials deciding what and how to teach my students, but the plans that made their way to paper were just bullets to trigger my memory of what to do during each class. This did little to impress my principal, who made a point of telling me so (in a kind way). Even planning something as wonderful as my wedding was somewhat torturous for me -- I think because I find it hard to sift through myriad options and commit to a single BEST one. (Thankfully, my husband is a planner extraordinaire!)

Things haven't changed much 20 years later. I still find it hard to narrow things down to a single selection (whether it's a particular curriculum, or even more so, a hard and fast schedule!). It's not that I don't want to plan -- it's more that when I do spend the time doing detailed planning, I usually end up being frustrated that we're not sticking to the plan, or we get behind schedule (cuz life happens -- you know). Then all that time spent planning was wasted -- and I feel guilty that we didn't accomplish all that I'd planned (which is usually too much anyway!) -- yada yada yada.

Yet I love to be organized! (You should see my spice drawer;) Things in my home generally have "a place," and "everything in its place" is a household motto. I love to label things, and keep track of information in logical ways. (I'm a binder queen -- but that's another topic!) Things need to be tidy and neat in order for me to feel calm; when they're not, I feel emotionally and even physically out of sorts! (And you know what they say --- "Mama ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy!" ;)

That's what excites me about the The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner! It meets so many of my needs to be organized while challenging me to grow in my planning productivity. It's going to be a fantastic tool to keep my home and homeschool organized, while also enabling me to make better plans that can be adapted to my Organizer Orange nature.



And the cool thing is -- that's not all!

In addition to all the features listed above, the The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner offers these great things:
  • several monthly articles about such things as family fun nights, creative writing, science activities, food (including recipes), health, homemaking, geography, and logic -- just to name a few!
  • calendars (an assortment of styles and formats)
  • miscellaneous educational information (writing tips, basic astronomy information, miracles and parables of Jesus, and more)
  • links to other fabulous resources on the web
  • a total of 614 pages of planning and organizational tools!

There's enough fodder to feed whatever fruit you are for a full year -- and more!




The The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner is available at The Schoolhouse Store for $39.

Why not check it out for yourself -- especially now that you know what kind of fruit you are!



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