Choosing a planner for your home and homeschool schedule planning doesn’t have to be chore. Having two planners is essential for homeschool moms!

Homeschool Planning

Planners are a wonderful tool. Many people like online or app planning software. Me? I’m old school and love pen, paper, stickers, and washi tape. Having a pretty planner is a bonus to the actual functionality. DaySpring has just released some gorgeous 18 month planners that are simply perfect for homeschool moms.

Disclosure – I received these planners for review purposes. No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review. As always, the opinions are my own and I only share things I know are beneficial to our family and I hope will be helpful to yours.

DaySpring is home to my favorite Bible Journaling kits and when they announced they were releasing an Illustrated Faith planner, I was overjoyed. Friends, I don’t know about you but we are always looking for methods of better homeschool organization here. Ahem.

One absolute must for me is having a lot of space for each week. I need to be able to write out what we are doing, mark attendance, etc.  I like to insert post-it’s for writing down if we need things for art or experiments and other things. DaySpring has also released some gorgeous planner accessories to accompany their new day/week planners. I’m talking Washi, pocket folders, adorable post it’s, beautiful notepads, and stickers. If you’re a planner accessory lover like I am, this is awesome sauce.

When you are scheduling your homeschool it is also helpful to have a monthly view available. Having a big picture overview is an imperative part of our quarterly planning schedule. I like to know how many days/weeks that month are already scheduled at a glance so I can plan our field trips and pajama days accordingly. Don’t judge. In the fall there is literally one out of 7 days we do not leave the house for one reason or another and by-golly we wear pajamas and save me one days worth of laundry that day each week. It works.

Homeschool Schedule vs Home Schedule

And here’s why I believe homeschool moms should utilize TWO planners.

One for homeschool: A homeschool mom daily schedule takes an entire planner — curriculum for each child, lesson plans, reading records, attendance records, notes about what works, what doesn’t, field trips, group activities, etc. These are things you would write out in a homeschool mom planner.

That’s a lot of information, but you don’t necessarily need it when you’re trying to figure out what to cook for dinner on the nights your husband is home from work, or planning a weekend getaway, or laying out plans for fun things when you’re on a break from school.

One for home:  Doctor appointments, extracurricular activities, church and other commitments, if you happen to be a working homeschool mom all your business deadlines and notes must have a home, meal plans, grocery lists, vacations, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

You don’t need your weekly lesson plans taking up space in your personal mom planner. Your planner would be entirely too large to carry with you without hurting your shoulder because you have to have a massive bag that also carries a bunch of other non-necessary things. Hypothetically, of course. (Y’all, I’m still seeing my chiropractor for this)

Planners for Busy Moms

I like planners like my favorite dresses. With pockets and accessories! The DaySpring planners all have a pocket folder and fun stickers in coordinating colors. Pocket folders are great for business cards, receipts, chore tickets, etc.  My personal favorite is storing the notes my 4 year old writes to me so I can have sweet reminders when I’m checking off “magic eraser the walls in school room, bedroom, bathroom, near TV area” on my to-do list each week. If one isn’t enough, they also have a set of extra pocket folders that fit into the planners in the accessory section here.

Yes, you can absolutely skip the stickers and write in things like appointments and birthdays, but some of us don’t have the best handwriting (read: I could have been a doctor with my penchant for poor penmanship) and some of us just like stickers in bright colors. Regardless, most planners come with basic stickers now and these are adorable. The bright colors are fun and help make the notes more noticeable.

The Benefits of a Pretty Planner

Planning your homeschool can be daunting. If you’re having a difficult time with a child and/or a subject, it can be a dreadful thing to plan. If you are simply tired and haven’t had the time to pour into yourself and are worn out, planning can be a chore. Having a pretty planner, be it for homeschool or just the day to day business of running a home and family, can be a simple way to bring some joy back into the process. And can be a great encouragement for homeschooling moms.

These lovely planners from DaySpring are bright and cheery and have beautiful sayings and scriptures inside. Keep your planning process more fun with a pretty planner. They also look awesome laid out on the table at home or at your favorite coffee shop for some down time and planning sans-children.

The Planner Truth

I love these planners from DaySpring. They are great quality and a fantastic design. I would absolutely use them and love them.

I am, however a creature of habit and cannot relinquish my Charlotte Mason planner and, alas, I already have my Happy Planner set up for next year. Drat overcoming that pesky procrastination habit.

Because I appreciate you all so very much, I’m giving away both planners. Enter in the widget below and I will randomly select two winners on Friday, June 30th, 2017, to receive one planner each. Good luck and happy planning!

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