the WRITE Balance: Hey Mama! Print Schoolhouse Planner 2016-2017 Review

Hey Mama! Schoolhouse Planner 2016-2017 Review

For many of you, school has just let out and Summer Break has begun. That means Hey Mama! Print Schoolhouse Planner 2016-2017 from The Old Schoolhouse is just in time for a new academic year! Although a school year looks different for every homeschooling family, we all need some kind of planning method to fight the madness. Even before I was in charge of anyone else's education, I always struggled to find a planner that met my needs and made me smile. When I was given the chance to review a planner specifically designed for the homeschooling mama, I knew it was worth a try!

What I noticed first about the planner was its size. It is a spiral bound notebook less than a 1/2 inch thick - thin enough to fit in most bags or medium to large sized purses, but big enough to write out ideas with comfort. Especially for multi-student planning, those pocket-size planners just don't do the trick. As you can see in the picture, Hey Mama! is just enough in all manners of size.

This planner runs from July 2016 to June 2017 and perfect for those looking ahead to another school year starting in the fall. Since we school year round, the dates of a planner aren't all that important as long as you have unmarked weekly planning pages and have the option to photocopy extras when needed:

There are 12 monthly calendars that begin with a "Hey Mama," devotional and monthly notes. After that begin the 36 weekly planning pages with more "Hey Mama," devotionals throughout. The last section of the planner includes a host of planning resources and options including monthly, semester and yearly goals, attendance charts, reading logs, curriculum planning pages and reference pages for writing, historical dates, presidents, capitals, and a resource on creating academic transcripts. It's a great collection of things that are useful for a variety of ages and purposes.

Honestly, there are a zillion different planners or apps to keep up with your stuff. I've attempted to use many along the way and now that this homeschooling thing is really moving along, I'm learning (out of necessity) what is really useful and important to me and what is not. Writing things out - from plans to just ideas - is ten times more effective than typing them into a device. It may not be hip to say so, but there is something about pen to paper that helps my brain process better. Keeping our goals, collectively and individually, in mind improves my attitude and thus the school days. This Hey Mama! planner encourages me to be a better, more well thought out planner myself. I need more things like that in my life. If you decide to order one of these planners before July 15th, you can get $10 off a with the code: CREWCODE