CURLY AND CANDID

I like to run a tight ship and with two children and a business I find being organised is the only way to make sure everyone is where they should be, with what they need and that all calls are made and deadlines met in good time. It doesn’t hurt that I’m something of a planner tart, with a slight obsession with stationery, notebooks and especially planners, organisers and diaries.

Last year I had no fewer than six diaries as I simply couldn’t find a system that worked for me. This year I’m being more pro-active about finding a set up that does what I need it to and brings with it the planner related joy I crave.

I started the year with my old faithful Ranger Personal Filofax and a page a day diary insert. I’ve been using this as a bullet journal of sorts for work tasks, calls and emails with a section at the bottom of the page for appointments and reminders.

Filofax, personal Filofax, Diary, Page a Day, Planner, organiser — My Personal-sized Ranger Filofax aka Old Faithful. (Click to enlarge)

The page a day insert meant that all of the other papers in my Personal needed to be removed as there simply wasn’t room and so I did what any self-respecting planner-fiend would do, I bought a new Filofax.

My second planner / organiser is an A5 Identity Planner in Black. This is my first A5 and so far I like it. I’ve set this up with client information, business “stuff”, goal setting pages, my A-Z, finance and more. I’m still tinkering with getting the format right although have started to customise it so that it looks and feels like something I want to use, not have to use.

A5 Filofax, Filofax, Diary, Planner, Filofax identity — My A5 Identity. My first A5 but I’m liking the size. (Click to enlarge)

Between these two you’d think I’d be set however the page a day diary just isn’t enough. It doesn’t inspire me, it looks messy at times (although not so much since Roy bought me Frixion pens that erase beautifully, damn that man knows me so well) and it just isn’t right. After spending days searching the net, reading reviews and watching stationery porn on YouTube I’ve bitten the bullet and bought myself an Erin Condren Life Planner. This is a big step for me because firstly it isn’t a Filofax and secondly it wasn’t cheap and I have to wait for it be custom printed and arrive from the US. Honestly, I think it will most definitely be worth it and look forward to it arriving in time for me to start using it in May.

I will of course be doing a full write up and maybe even a video (maybe) of how the Erin Condren I’ve chosen looks and feels so keep your eyes open. In the meantime I’m setting up my poor discarded Ranger Filofax as a finance / budget planner with some extras. I can’t bear for it be left in a drawer abandoned as it’s been a faithful friend for many years however I’ve simply outgrown it as a diary.

For those wondering what Frixion pens are they are fantastic! These are “proper” pens and yet are easy to rub out using the Frixion rubber on the other end of the pen. Well worth investing in for me.

Fingers crossed the Erin Condren tick all the boxes! What do you use as a diary / planner? Feel free to comment below and make me jealous!

Roy and I are both keen readers, having been so from an early age. I remember fondly my early library visits, reading anything I could get my hands on from the Chalet School and Trebizon books to historical Mills & Boons (it is a proud day when you get your young adult library ticket), classics such as Sense and Sensibility, Little Women, Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild, horrors, Anne McCaffrey, historical accounts and more, much more! I was always something of a sponge when it came to reading and no genre was ignored.

Roy is also widely read, although his favourites fall within the sci fi and fantasy section (a love of which I’ve keenly adopted which means I may add Raymond Feist, David Gemmell, the Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms sagas and more to my list of favourites!). Even now as busy grown ups with work and responsibilities we both ensure that we have reading matter to hand and carve time out of our week here and there to dedicate to enjoying a good book.

Reading gives us both a lot of pleasure and has broadened our horizons immeasurably which is something we both hope the boys will enjoy as they grow. At 4yrs and 8yrs both are story/book fans with Kieran (the eldest) devouring books much as I did when I was his age and Taylor loving story time. Already he is telling stories to his teddies, his brother and to us by using the pictures in his books and letting his imagination run wild. He’s recognising and sounding out letters and I know that when he starts school in September that his reading skills will start to develop quickly. An exciting new chapter indeed!

Roy and I both have our favourite type of books and favourite authors and of course there are some that we’d love to see the boys enjoy as they get older that we did when we were younger. What’s important to us though is that they find their own way, develop their own love of reading and decide what brings them the most joy. I can see Kieran enjoying the same fantasy type and adventure books that we have loved although I also think he might also be one who likes mysteries (he likes working things out). Taylor is harder to read as his favourites at the moment include The Dinosaur That Pooped a Planet and similar titles (oh to be four again!).

All we can do is encourage their love and make sure a wide range of books are readily available (we are fans of The Works). We visit the library, take part in their Summer Reading Challenge (this year will be the first time Taylor has been old enough to take part!) and keep our own bookshelves very well stocked with a range of different books, comics and more.

We both sincerely hope that their enthusiasm for reading continues on as ours has. I can’t imagine a world without reading, without the magic of walking in someone else’s shoes and experiencing worlds (real and otherwise!) that we wouldn’t otherwise get a chance to.

What do your little ones love to read? Are you a big reader? I’d love to hear what your favourite authors and titles are (any inspiration for new books to try are always welcome!).

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My Current Planner / Organiser Set Up

For The Love of Reading