Have any of you heard of Cozi? It's an online family organizing tool, and I have to say I think it looks pretty cool and has great potential.
If you're a mom or a family who spend a lot of time online, this might just be a great way for you to keep all your eggs in one basket. With Cozi you can create a shared family calendar (complete with color coding for different family members or shared events), to do lists and shopping lists (with Iphone and smartphone applications), a family journal-slash-website that you can invite extended family and friends to view (something a little more exclusive than Facebook, perhaps?) and a couple of other neat applications. I think you can even sync it to your Outlook.
I'm not sure that I would make use of Cozi right now - to be honest I actually created an account before I was pregnant with Pax and it has lain dormant - but that is because our family is small enough and young enough for me to coordinate with my trusty paper calendar. Even in this techno-advanced world, the simplest things can be the most functional.
However, I can see it being very useful once Pax gets older and his activities stretch beyond accompanying mommy to the grocery store, and momma/baby play dates. The biggest key will be to get my darling husband to buy into the idea, and contribute towards and access the shared info!
Let me know what y'all think of the site, and if you would consider using it for your family.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Paperwork Purge!
My hubby has been home this week, and we've been enjoying a mix of fun neighborhood and city activities, lazing about at home, and catching up with some admin/organizational projects.
Since el bambino was born, I had definitely let the paperwork slide, and I am pleased to say that I am now all caught up! Did you know that 80% of what is filed away is never accessed again? There is certainly paperwork that needs to be filed away for tax/legal/accounting purposes, but for the most part we tend to over-estimate certain information's importance OR our need/inclination to look it up again.
We don't own a filing cabinet. This is partly because the ones I really like are pretty pricey and we haven't felt like splurging on one. But it's also because the two plastic portable file boxes we have are more than adequate and easy to tote around. One is my work/business file box, which holds all my organizing and book publicity related materials, and the other is our household file box.
The latter is home to the following categories: Financial; Medical; Transport; Household (utilities, insurance, etc); Immigration (MOST homes don't need this hanging folder!); Work (originals of reference letters, etc) and IRS.
Important documents like birth certificates, social security cards, passports, are kept in a fireproof safe.
Finally, for paperwork and information that I would consider 'actionable' items and need to be accessed quickly, I keep in pretty green folders on a desktop organizer. These include the following folders: To Do; To File; Bills To Pay; To Discuss; and whatever other current projects I have going on. Right now, since we are hoping to purchase our first home, I have a couple of folders called Condo Search, and Home Decor Ideas.
When the mail comes in I go through it asap, recycling envelopes and junk mail, grouping identity risk papers near the shredder for when I have some time to shred, and filing the rest in the appropriate desktop folders.
I love erasable folder labels, especially for my desktop folders. I can keep using the same pretty folders even when my current projects change up.
It's also good to have a box or bin that can contain your 'To Read' items (magazines, catalogs, etc).
If you're confused about what paperwork should be kept and for how long, I have a rough guide that I'd be happy to send you. Leave me a comment with your email address. However, I am not an accountant or lawyer, so with paperwork that could have tax or legal implications, it's always best to check in with a professional in that field!
Since el bambino was born, I had definitely let the paperwork slide, and I am pleased to say that I am now all caught up! Did you know that 80% of what is filed away is never accessed again? There is certainly paperwork that needs to be filed away for tax/legal/accounting purposes, but for the most part we tend to over-estimate certain information's importance OR our need/inclination to look it up again.
We don't own a filing cabinet. This is partly because the ones I really like are pretty pricey and we haven't felt like splurging on one. But it's also because the two plastic portable file boxes we have are more than adequate and easy to tote around. One is my work/business file box, which holds all my organizing and book publicity related materials, and the other is our household file box.
The latter is home to the following categories: Financial; Medical; Transport; Household (utilities, insurance, etc); Immigration (MOST homes don't need this hanging folder!); Work (originals of reference letters, etc) and IRS.
Important documents like birth certificates, social security cards, passports, are kept in a fireproof safe.
Finally, for paperwork and information that I would consider 'actionable' items and need to be accessed quickly, I keep in pretty green folders on a desktop organizer. These include the following folders: To Do; To File; Bills To Pay; To Discuss; and whatever other current projects I have going on. Right now, since we are hoping to purchase our first home, I have a couple of folders called Condo Search, and Home Decor Ideas.
When the mail comes in I go through it asap, recycling envelopes and junk mail, grouping identity risk papers near the shredder for when I have some time to shred, and filing the rest in the appropriate desktop folders.
I love erasable folder labels, especially for my desktop folders. I can keep using the same pretty folders even when my current projects change up.
It's also good to have a box or bin that can contain your 'To Read' items (magazines, catalogs, etc).
If you're confused about what paperwork should be kept and for how long, I have a rough guide that I'd be happy to send you. Leave me a comment with your email address. However, I am not an accountant or lawyer, so with paperwork that could have tax or legal implications, it's always best to check in with a professional in that field!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Organic Veggies
Finally, teethers I can feel really good about for Pax.
These soft chewy teethers are by Under The Nile, and are organic, 100% cotton, eco-friendly and fair trade. They have a number of different fruits & veggies to choose from - I bought the boy some green beans and a carrot. Hopefully this will encourage a lifelong appreciation of vegetables!
Bonus: Some stuffed toys can't go in the washer/dryer, but these can.
These soft chewy teethers are by Under The Nile, and are organic, 100% cotton, eco-friendly and fair trade. They have a number of different fruits & veggies to choose from - I bought the boy some green beans and a carrot. Hopefully this will encourage a lifelong appreciation of vegetables!
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