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Family Planning

Not in the cool way though. But, as school and fall sports have started and the wife and I are trying to get some order in our lives, I was wondering what people use to keep track of all of the meetings/practices/games, etc. that are on the calendar. Right now we just use a calendar that hangs in the kitchen, but it's not always updated as it should be. And if I had my way, I'd like to keep it blank, but the wife and kids have different plans. Is there an electronic one that we would be able to share on our computers that would work? Any ideas would be appreciated.

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Permalink Reply by TommysMommy on September 13, 2011 at 10:05am

Yeah, jumping on the Google train. We each have a calendar with colour coded entries with sports, appts etc. And my husband's work calendar sinks to it as well. 

 

And I love the reminders! I set it up to remind me with an email notification 1 day (or more depending) before of an event.  So for example, it's going to email me later today to remind me that my son starts gymnastics tomorrow. LOVE it. I have our due dates for credit cards, utilities etc. 

Permalink Reply by Andromeda on September 13, 2011 at 8:36pm
i think i'll try it too.  be on the lookout for a "google calendar help!" thread soon.
Permalink Reply by Herasmus B. Dragon on September 14, 2011 at 6:00am
Diggy, I'm tagging along.  We've had a paper calendar in the kitchen, but with my weekend work a few times a year, husband's travels and concerts/rehearsals, and now Big O's two music lessons and ballet plus church stuff, it's a bit hard to keep track of it all from a sign in the kitchen when we won't be IN said kitchen until 8 pm.
Permalink Reply by Diggy on September 14, 2011 at 6:58am
OK. But now I'm going to need help convincing my wife to do this. I mentioned it to her the other night and she was totally against it. She's totally ruining my plans. Any thoughts about how to make that happen?
Permalink Reply by DLBK on September 14, 2011 at 6:59am

I saw the Freddie Mercury Google homepage! He would have been 65 years old this month. I love his voice and stage presence.

 

As for calendars, I use a paper planner and write down all the birthdays in red at the beginning of the year, then add other events. My husband teases me that I need a computer-based calendar like his, but I'm the one who reminds him of every event, so my method is working ;-)

 

Andromeda said:

Speaking of Google, did anyone see the Freddy Mercury/Queen Google homepage the other day?  it was cool.
Permalink Reply by wookie on September 14, 2011 at 8:27am
diggy, unless she has and uses a smartphone, it's going to be a tough sell.  Maybe if you sit down and plunk a couple of months worth in and show her how it works (like a proof of concept) she'll come around?
Permalink Reply by G.G. on September 14, 2011 at 8:43am
You know Daria is on to something...since The Wife is a hard sell... is there anyway to take one of the calendars she maintains soft copy and sync it with a Google-ish calendar you can manage (and share a view with her)?
Less effort on her part?
Permalink Reply by Boring User Name on September 14, 2011 at 9:50am

Well, if you are arguing about paper v. electronic, you aren't the only one, see this NY Times article. I, of course, enjoyed this take down more.

Yes, if she doesn't have a smartphone, it is a bit more difficult. Although we were using electronic back when my husband manually synced his Nokia to Outlook to make it work.

Here's my reasons for liking electronic.

1) There's room for more information. Plenty of room to add: "Bring snack for 18 kids," "Actual appt at 8:30, but in calendar at 8:15 because that's when I'm supposed to arrive." "Make sure doctor fills in preschool paperwork."

2) You can add an address. I can then click on the address in my smartphone and have the phone navigate me to the location of the appointment.

3) I can monitor things that aren't actual appointments, but alter my life. Football games that I want to be home to watch, random holidays. I have a calendar for the all the free days at museums in the city. Obviously, I would never write all of them on a paper calendar, but they are nice to have in electronic form.

4) Easier to add recurring appointments. Birthdays? On the calendar in perpetuity. Soccer every Saturday? Entered once and I didn't have to touch it again.

5) Easier to spy on people (ok, maybe that's not a benefit). But my brother even gave me access to his calendar so that I know when to call when (he's a nurse and bounces between shifts) and can more easily plan a vacation to visit him because I can figure out his weekends off. Same with my husband. Do I want to see if he can be home early? If the calendar is blocked for a meeting until 6 pm, I know it is pointless to ask.

6) We spent less time talking about schedules (so theoretically more time to talk about important stuff). There's no phone call interrupting the day to ask about the schedule, we just know.

If you can't come to an agreement, it seems like one of you is going to have to take the responsibility of updating the master calendar, then physically handing the other person a copy so that they have it (or add it) to whatever system they prefer. So, if it was me, I would take over, create the electronic version, then print out a copy for her and the fridge weekly.

Permalink Reply by YoYoWannaBe on September 15, 2011 at 5:18pm
google calendar.
Permalink Reply by Bigkrygowski on September 16, 2011 at 1:27am
We use google calendar but it has been a long and bumpy road to get Bunny to use it. When Cozi came out for Android I thought that would be our savior but I couldn't get her on the Cozi train. I like how it is not only a calendar but shopping lists and everything syncs between the users without any extra steps.  You need to get her frustrated with the paper calendar system. May I suggest hiding all good pens and pencils in the house and replacing them with empty pens and broken pencils.
Permalink Reply by Alan on September 16, 2011 at 9:23am
And printing paper calendars on toilet paper.

Bigkrygowski said:
You need to get her frustrated with the paper calendar system. May I suggest hiding all good pens and pencils in the house and replacing them with empty pens and broken pencils.
Permalink Reply by Super-Papa on September 16, 2011 at 4:00pm
Throwingy hat in for Google Calendar to!

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