Day Designer :: A Stylish Day Planner for The Busy Mom

I am one busy mom. And I know most, if not all, of my stay-at-home mom buds are rolling their eyes right about now, having to once again hear me say… “I’m busy” – but the truth is, Mama’s gotta WERK.

I don’t have time for anything these days. Playdates are a thing of the past. Catching up on my TGIT shows are virtually impossible. My husband quite often catches a glimpse of me here and there – but it’s usually in the form of a trail of smoke. This mama just can’t keep up.

The one thing that does not get sacrificed in the chaotic, busy mom life is this little thing.

And she’s thrilled about it.

Why shouldn’t she be? Mama is there for her 24/7. Okay, minus the 12 hours she’s in bed (and YAY – we have FINALLY gotten her to sleep ON HER OWN THROUGH THE NIGHT. It only took 5 years. More on that later!). But in her waking hours, this sweet monkey of mine gets a lot of mommy time, busy mom or not.

Most of the times it’s her activities. My fellow mamas out there know what I’m talking about. Sports, music, dance, preschool/toddler socials, tea parties, park play, castle building on the beach. If it involves fancy gloves, kinetic sand, interactive books that make way too much noise, mismatched train sets, or a yellow leotard, OR all of the above… I’m pretty much right there in the crux of it.

So much to do, so little time.

And of course, we have to fit in good old fashioned mommy-and-me outfitting in the mix. I mean… priorities, right?

This post isn’t about complaining. It’s about life. My every day life. My life has inadvertently become melded into this little person‘s life, and I love it. I also have a business. Mama’s gotta work, and working at home is not for the faint of heart. I’m learning this the hard way.

For the last few months, my focus has been on this little girl, building our family, improving our health, and keeping sane. So what has suffered? My work. And that’s not good either. The thing is, being a work-at-home mom is a beautiful thing for the most part, but the reality is, it’s H.A.R.D. The balance act seems almost heart breaking at times because just as I’m getting into the groove with work, I have a little one reaching up for my hand asking her to play with her. Who am I to say, “no… later”. My heart is literally incapable of doing that. Plus, would I rather have my phone to my ear and my fingers on the keyboard, or would I rather get down and dirty jumping in mud puddles or dressing up as a wizard while chasing a sweet little princess around the corners of her kingdom?

But I have to work. And because I do, I end up pushing it to the wee hours of the night where I’m the least functional.

And then sleep takes the back seat.

Then I’m grumpy.

Then I forget things.

And then, this little face goes from jolly to melancholy.

And that’s when I bumped into the Day Designer. It was their motto that caught my eye:

A well-designed day, is a well-lived life.

I needed my balanced life again. I needed to be intentional and focused, while still living my life and not losing myself in the process. For the last few months, I was starting to feel low about my productivity, my success, even my role as a wife and mother was something I would question, and especially how I felt in my role as a woman. I was no longer feeling empowered. I was chaotic. Tired of the emotional rollercoasters. I was done with the 8 loads of laundry sitting in my living room waiting to be folded – clean, mind you, but still waiting. I was overwhelmed by the post-it reminders taking over every surface area of my home. I was getting cross-eyed with all the reminders coming up on my smart phone telling me I was running late for the next stop. It was just too much. And I needed to find balance, and gain a little more control of my everyday life, otherwise spiralling out of control. I no longer wanted to be the proverbial busy mom, without reaping the rewards.

Mama had to get her groove back.

Now, I’m not saying as soon as I got the dayplanner, I immediately transitioned into this fairy god mother of multi-tasking, ready to conquer the world one planned minute at a time. It is still a work in progress. But I am already seeing an improvement in my overall outlook on life even with merely one month of using my planner.

Ladies and gentlemen… allow me to introduce my game-changing, fabulous-making, A5 Ring Bound Day Designer. *sigh

Paired with my go-to custom pencil, my new planner coordinated with my “must wear white” theme of the season. I had yet to open it, and I was already in love with it at first glance. I have never owned a planner so… pretty.

I know what you’re thinking… WHITE? Why would you choose white? You have a kid!!!

And while, I have to admit, that was pretty much the first thing I thought about (as soon as I managed to get past how adorable I would be sporting my go-to white pencil skirt with this thing of beauty under my arm, that is) – I have to say, it’s easy to keep clean. My very lovely, but almost always dirty, Little Mama, couldn’t wait to get her tiny little hands on my beautiful new planner. However, I was able to wipe it with a soft cloth, and voila! It was back to the deliciously creamy warm white that it once was. I also have learned to make it a habit to keep my beloved planner a safe distance away from Little Mama‘s favorite fruit juices, while keeping it safely tucked away in its box or in my work bag until I use it. But only after I protected it – thanks to Big Daddy reminding me that this planner is right up there in the must-protect category with his beloved leather Cole Haans. It’s a simple solution for an otherwise disastrous situation. I’ll be visiting here for more ways to keep my gorgeous Day Designer in good shape. Let’s just say my walls have suffered the wrath of my incredibly creative, curious, color-loving preschooler. <insert head slap here…>

Now that doesn’t mean I can’t go about my daily business of snacking while I work – I mean… let’s not kid ourselves. We gotta do what we gotta do. I know that when I own something this lovely, and this important – I might as well do what I can to take care of it. But it doesn’t mean it cannot survive the wrath and joy of a busy, hungry mama. Besides, it’s not just a pretty face… it’s durable too.

Aside from its durability, I love its gold accents throughout. The gold zipper for the pocket to store loose notes and whatnot, and the gold 6 ring binder hardware is both beautiful and sturdy. The magnetic enclosure flap keeps things easy and convenient, as this mama doesn’t have time to be fiddling around with straps, ties, hooks, and buttons. Not to mention – the 6 ring gold binder makes it very easy to find refills. Huge plus.

Speaking of plus – there is an abundance of features that made my decision to go with my A5 Ring Bound Day Designer.

• 120 GSM White Text Pages with Dark Grey Print (heavy and luxurious!)
• 180 GSM Colored and Customizable Tab Pages
  • Six Warm Color Tabs in Pinks, Yellow and Green
  • Blank Stickers and Prompts for Tab Personalization
• Two-Page Yearly Reference Calendar for 2016 and 2017
• Full Page Check Lists to Mark ‘Important Dates Coming Up in 2016’ and ‘Things to Plan for in 2017’
• Perpetual Calendar that runs from January through December
• 12 One-Page Monthly Overviews with a Monday Start Day for Each Week (dated January 2016 to December 2016). Includes Check Lists for Personal and Work or School To-Do Lists.
• 96 Undated Daily Planning Pages (good for 3 months of use!)
  • Scheduling from 6am to 9pm
  • Today, To-Do, Due, Dollars, Don’t Forget, Gratitude (LOVE THIS), Top 3 To-Do Prompts, Notes and More!
• 12 Address Contact Pages
• 12 Phone Number Contact Pages
• 12 ‘Big To Do List” Pages with Columns for Work and School
• 12 Grid Dot Notes Pages
• 12 Expense Tracking Sheets
• 2016 and 2017 U.S. Holidays Listed by Date and Day of the Week
• Two Sticker Sheets with Tab Labels and Decorative Stickers (and we all know that mother’s of 5 year olds have an affinity for stickers!)

RIGHT???

But the deal breaker for me, was the actually daily planning pages. This is where I needed help the most – my everyday.

… I mean – how could one go wrong? I actually look forward to starting my morning with filling out my daily page. As much as I am a smart phone and digital gal, there is nothing quite like writing down reminders and thoughts to help me truly feel accountable to myself, and accomplished at the end of the day. The cool thing is – the pressure is off, because I use a pencil in the event plans change.  This is used to organize my day, and nothing beats checking off that box to pat myself on the back.

So how do I balance these two loves of mine?

Quite simply actually. I add her into the mix. I always had a blog planner to keep myself in check blog-wise, and I always resorted to my handy dandy post it note-taking for little mama and her zillion activities. Now, I can integrate everything all into one super fabulous Day Designer.

I don’t have to refer to 3 different places to figure out when I work, when we play, and when we chill. It’s all together in one fabulous page. What a concept!

But aside from the convenience of wrapping up my whole day in one pretty package, it is an absolute game changer for me. I find myself so much more productive, less chaotic and frazzled, lighthearted, happy. I have more control over my day, yet the ability to have this kind of efficiency in my daily life has coincidentally given me the freedom I’ve been looking for. When I otherwise go about my business without any sense of structure, I lose valuable moments in my day and before I know it – it’s 3am, and I’m still feeling unaccomplished. The Day Designer has been both rewarding and freeing for me as a mompreneur, blogger, and as a wife and mother.

We’re so excited that this beautiful edition of the White Pebble A5 Ring Bound Day Designer is officially being sold online HERE starting TODAY, May 11th, 2016 at 11AM CDT.  If you are feeling frazzled, and need a dose of fabulous-meets-function, please don’t waste another minute and check these beauties out.

TO.DAY.

Because we all know… Mama ain’t got no time.

THE LOOK:: WANT IT? GET IT!

_{BIG MAMA – Accessories :: Jimmy Choo Julie Oversize Sunglasses  |   Outerwear :: JOA Shaggy Fur Vest  |  Top :: In Cashmere 3/4 Sleeve Linen Pullover   |  Bottom :: Camo Alternative Go-To Leggings  |  Footwear:: Fold over ankle boots (similar MUK LUKS Chris Womens Ankle Booties here)}

_{LITTLE MAMA – Accessories:: River Island Girls pink oversize brown tinted sunglasses | H&M Fringe Cross Body purse (similar Deb & Dave Girls’ Fringe Handbag here)  | Outerwear:: Little Girl Faux Fur Vest) | Top:: Petit Bateau Off White Turtle Neck Tee  |  Bottom:: Scotch & Soda Kids Print Worker Pants) | Footwear:: Joe Fresh Knee High Brown Riding Boots (similar Kid’s Veronica Slouch here)  |  Whitney English Day Designer 2016 Planner}

Good bye “busy mom”. Hello fab and functional mom.

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DISCLOSURE: BABYSTYLISTA WAS PROVIDED WITH THIS PRODUCT AS A GIFT AND FOR REVIEW. ALL OPINIONS ARE OUR OWN. THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS.