Familytime.mine® Planner - Review and Giveaway!

I don't know about you, but I have tried a few day planners since at least my college years. I would start off really excited to get organized and not forget an appointment and then carrying around this big planner or the cover would get ripped off or something would get spilled all over it and that would be the end.

Flash forward to now.  I'm a SAHM to 3 kids.  That doesn't mean I am always home and we have nothing to do. So I have my big calendar on the fridge that I use to keep pretty good track of things when I remember to take it down so I can write on it.  I needed something more.  Something I could keep on the counter next to the phone that wouldn't be ruined if someone spilled juice.  I needed something that I could toss in my bag on my way to school meetings or appointments, so I could immediately write down future events and it wouldn't get ruined in my bag.  Enter the planners from Dotmine Group.

Tan Pottery Familytime.mine® Planner

They sent me the only planner I am every going to need again. Well, I'll need a new one in 17 months, because that's how long this one will last me. Not only is this planner functional it is pretty!  The front and back covers are made from sturdy plastic that I can just wipe off if any spills happen.  I also love that it is spiral bound. That makes it very easy to write on both sides of the planner.

When you first open up the planner the first 2 pages are made from heavy card stock that read Fall and Winter 2009 Schedule.  In the back of the planner there are two more pages for Spring and Summer 2009 Schedules. This is a great spot to color code your family's schedule that repeats itself weekly such as, sports, music lessons, ect.

After the seasonal planner pages there are some instruction pages, a page with a bit about the company and then there is a page for personal information, emergency phone numbers and holidays.  Then we get to the planner!  This is where I get really excited. =)

At the start of each month there is a big monthly calendar.  The boxes for the days are nice and big. I need lots of room to write, because more often than not I have more than one thing going on for one day.

Then you turn to the weekly pages.  The weekly pages are a page per week. The boxes here are nice and big to hold lots of information. On the side is a gray column that is perforated and can be torn out.  You can write shopping lists, errands, ect there.  I have been using the light gray box to write my weekly dinner menu.  Works nicely for me so when I check my schedule each morning I just have a peek at the menu and take out something from the freezer if I need to.

At the end of the weekly/monthly planner pages are some fun extras! There are additional pages for you to write important numbers for coaches, dentists, banks, ect. A place for all those numbers you are always having to look up.  There are also a few pages to use as a mini-address book as well.  There is also a sheet for babysitters - a spot to write your address and important numbers.  Finally there is a sheet of stickers you can use to mark important dates on your monthly planner sheets.

I love using this planner daily.  There is only one thing I wish the planner had and that's an elastic cord so I could easily open to the week without having to search. I think that's a very small deal though because the rest of the planner is phenominal!

You can see a demo of the planner being used here:

Buy it: You can buy your own Familytime.mine® planner at Borders
or you can order online at Amazon.com.

Win it: Dotmine Group is offering a free planner to one of my followers.
So you need to make sure you are following my blog using Goggle Friend Connect and
then all  you have to do is become fan of Dotmine Group on Facebook
and send them a message that you found their page through my blog.
Once 50 of my followers have joined they will raffle off a planner and ship it to the winner.

Disclosure:  I contacted Dotmine Group about reviewing one of their planners.  They sent me a planner and I reviewed it.  I received no compensation for reviewing this planner other than the free planner.