Midori Style Planner Resources

I am a plannerd. That is a planner-nerd. I have a problem, I have now admitted it so we can all move on.
I just started the divorce process with my Erin Condren Life Planner{referral link}. My EC was great and gorgeous but a bit overwhelming for me. Most of my daily to-do-ing is the same routine, so I don't really need all that space to plan. Most of my planner was filled with stickers and note-taking in the back section. I also prefer to be able to customize my planner and switch things out.

Platinum Bubblegum Erin Condren

The ARC planner from Staples was great for this, but when I got larger discs I hated having it my purse. DUNDUNDUN> In walks the Midori Traveler's Notebook{affiliate}.

Midori

After scouring Pinterest for hours, I found some great ideas to make my own inserts for a Midori style planner. BUT I still didn't have a planner yet. Next, I spent hours on Etsy and YouTube finding people that had already created what I was searching out for my planner. Here are some links to help you to the same:
Cori aka The Reset Girl's video called Midori 101 [She has a long list of resources and links below the video!!]
Brit from Just a Beautiful Life's video on her Prayer and Gratitude Journal.
Ray Blake's YouTube channel and site My Life All in One Place are full of tutorials and free printables.
Nina the Paper Nerd has a fab tutorial on making your own inserts.
Dawn at Break of Light has my favorite FREE Undated Monthly printable.
After watching Cori's video I searched out the Etsy shops that she recommended and fell in love with the Foxy Dori notebooks. I stalked followed Kelly from Foxy Dori everywhere I could find her. She is really sweet and answers questions quick on Etsy and Instagram. When you go to her shop it will, most likely, be pretty slim. She posts new goodies every single day, but they sell out FAST.
I always say go big or go home, no-not really, so I ordered the Extra Wide Foxy Dori in raven with a light pink strap. I will share pictures with you as soon as she arrives.
For now here are some pictures of the inserts that I have created. All the paper is from Stampin' UP! This series paper is retired but there are lots to choose from {consultant website} including a different black and white style. I cut the paper to size and then on the fold, so it would fold easier after laminating. I laminated the covers with 3mm Scotch Laminating Pouches {aff} and my Scotch Laminator {aff}. Then I bound them, like Nina did in her tutorial, with my sewing machine. So far, I have made a monthly planner, to-do journal, pocket, and some bookmarks.

This is the inside of my monthly planner. Calendar is from Dawn (above). Pocket is a laminated scrap that I attached with sticky strip {cons}. The year at a glance is from Ray Blake (above).

I used some scrap paper to make some bookmarks. The baker's twine is from the $ spot at Target. The pocket is also laminated but I cut the pocket before laminating and added it with sticky strip. For the to-do journal, I alternated paper. I use a 32 lb paper from Hammermill {aff} and the pink is 24 lb from Staples.

Next I will be working on my prayer/gratitude/Bible study journal, which may end up being more than one insert. This was a quick post, so please let me know if you have any questions or if something doesn't make sense. Follow my blog and my Planner Addiction board on Pinterest. I'm also on Instagram.
Follow emegren's board planner addiction on Pinterest.
I have affiliate links, a referral link, and consultant links in this post. With affiliate links I may make a little bit if you buy something using my link. A referral gives me a set amount of money for referring customers. My consultant links take you to my personal website for Stampin' UP! and I will make a commission from anything you purchase. Using my links is your choice.

How I Plan Homeschool Days with LifePacs

I have found a successful planning technique and because it is working so well for us, I thought I'd share it with you. I am a planner (I'm working on a post for that, too) and I like old school paper-style planning. I love pens and paper, so this is best for me.
Nikolas uses LifePacs from Alpha Omega Publishing for second grade. I don't have him do a set amount of pages per day or week. I look at the pages and plan it out by they day, some days are heavier in language arts, some in history... But it is usually about the same amount of time it takes every other day. When he finished a LifePac and does well on the test, I let him skip that subject the next day.

This is the way I was doing it and it was working out really well. I just wrote out each day's work on a sticky note and he'd cross it off when he finished it. This was a 4-day week. I just wrote the page numbers next to the subject, easy. I kept these in his notebook where his handwriting practice also is.

This is how we started planning. Instead of sticky notes that just get thrown away, this is more of a record as well. I list out each subject just like before and he crosses them off as he finishes them. I make notes at the bottom for the book he needs to read for the week.
The book is a super cheapy composition notebook, that I already had. So there was zero investment. LOVE IT.

Alpha Omega Publishing
LifePacs
These links are for reference only.

Student Weeklies

I made workbooks for the boys for the first quarter of Mystery of History and I also decided to make them a weekly book that will span the same nine weeks as MoH.
Here is Joshua's. He is eight and entering third grade. He prefers a weekly layout of everything that needs to be done rather than a daily. He chose a red cover and will help me bind it. There are nine weeks of planners, daily drawings, gratitude journals, word searches and cursive practice.

from Money Saving Mom

from 1+1+1=1

I made this in MS Publisher

sight word-search from k12reader.com

from Confessions of a Homeschooler

 Nikolas will be seven in October and is starting second grade. He likes knowing what he needs to do each day, so he has a different style planner. His weekly includes copywork and daily drawing, as well as the gratitude journal. He loves to draw and he designed his cover.

from Motherhood on a Dime

from 1+1+1=1

I made this in MS Publisher

from Copycat Books

Getting Organized for the New School Year

I am a big planner and I love being organized but... I have a hard time sticking with the plan. Anyone else? I have purchased a lot of planners and printed a ton of free printable ones. This year I am doing something a little different though. My boys are becoming more independent and will have their own planners (that will be another post), so I will only be planning our group learning which will include (read about our curriculum choices here):

• Mystery of History Volume 1
• We Choose Virtues
• Zeezok Music Appreciation
• Supercharged Science

I am a planner addict and this is the planner [they are available at Staples and Office Depot just added a new line! also for a super nice version, check out Levenger] that I use and love, with my Frixion (ERASABLE!) pens and washi tape. Those are the 3M tabs that you can write on, I use those on my dividers because I like to be able to move things around. 

I have a weekly section that has areas for my life, blog/business, health, and (my) school; I got it from Polka Dot Posie. But the newest addition to my planner is a homeschool section. I have always used, or tried to use, a separate planner for homeschooling and, clearly, that was not working. Like my other planner, it helps to have everything in one place, and always with me. I looked all over the internet and pinterest and etsy to find one that I liked. I am lazy and I really didn't want to make my own. Why try to reinvent the wheel? I got the weekly planner here. I printed the weekly calendar on one side, and their note page on the other side, cut them in half (they are junior size, which is half a regular sheet of printer paper or 8.5" x 5.5"), and punched them to go in my planner. Here is a picture of how they look:

I have started filling them out and if all works out we should finish the first quarter of Mystery of History before our vacation in October. YAY! Well, that is my homeschool planner. I think I finally found something that will work. I love the note section next to the week, and also the small Sat/Sun at the bottom so I can remind myself of any prep work that I need to do. Off we go to year four of homeschooling!

Motivated Moms 2014!

I have been using Motivated Moms consistently for about a month now. I am excited to mark things off the list each day and get things done. My home is cleaner and more organized but the biggest thing for me is that I don't even have to think about it. Motivated Moms has it all planned out for me. I use the half size chore planner that has a full week on one one page. On the back I print a simple weekly to-do, to keep track of my school assignments. Then I hole punch it and put it in a half-size Staples Better Binder {more on my planner at a later date}. An exciting update to MoMo is some color! The black and white version will still be available but I do like to add some color to my planner. MoMo also has an app for your smartphone but I'm not there yet. I really need it on paper, for now. I may try out the app. I highly recommend MoMo! There is a plan for everyone! And there is a special going on right now! {This post contains affiliate links, scroll down to the bottom of my blog for my disclosure. Don't forget that if I don't love it I won't try and get you to spend money on it!}
With the purchase of a 2014 ebook, you will receive the Oct-Dec 2013 planner FREE! Just add the 2014 ebook to your cart and the free product is automatically bundled. The Oct-Dec 2013 ebooks are also available to purchase for $2. AND the coupon code SAVE1 will take $1 off any purchase!