Stay Organized – Keep Phone Numbers and Birthdays Accessible

Are you always forgetting birthdays, or digging through papers to find important phone numbers?

We all know about mommy brain. It happens to the best of us, and is usually pretty harmless… but sometimes it gets you into trouble. With all of the things that we moms are responsible for remembering, it’s very easy to let things slip through the cracks some days. You’re busy planning the Halloween party for your son’s preschool class, have tons of errands to run, and the in-laws coming over for dinner tonight. Suddenly you realize you’ve forgotten your niece’s birthday, your sister’s wedding anniversary, and you can’t find the phone number for your husband’s new number at work. Sound familiar?

I’m always brainstorming ways to make my life easier, and one thing I’ve found is to keep lists in plain view. Above our computer desk in the kitchen is a medium sized bulletin board with push-pins. On this, we like to keep a print-out of important phone numbers, and important dates. Keeping these things handy is especially helpful because it saves time, effort, and helps you remember things that you may forget otherwise.

When posting a list of important phone numbers, remember to include the following:

• Household phone number (this is helpful if you have a babysitter over, and she needs to know the home line)
• Cell phone numbers
• Work phone numbers
• Emergency contacts (also helpful for a babysitter, in case she is unable to reach you in an emergency)
• Poison Control
• Local police – non emergency line
• Pediatrician
• Your primary care physician
• (If you’re pregnant) OB and hospital

I’ve found this list very helpful, and I’ve had friends comment on ours and make one of their own. It certainly saves us time when we’re looking up numbers we don’t call very often (like the doctor) and is helpful when we leave the kids with a sitter. I know that if there is some emergency and we are out of reach for some odd reason, the sitter has the number for our parents down the road, poison control, the police, etc. It’s a relief to know that it’s all in one place, and easy to find.

Having a list of important dates is also helpful, especially if you have a large extended family. Personally, we have a long list of fall birthdays, and I can get them mixed up. It’s very helpful to have them written down by month on the list, and makes life much easier when we’re making plans or buying birthday cards. It means a lot to people when you remember a birthday or anniversary, and we’ve found this to be a helpful way to remember those important dates.

Save yourself some brain power, time, and energy – and make these lists. It’s a little thing, but it just may make your life a bit easier.

- Grace

Related posts:

1. Daily Structure for Stay-at-Home Moms
2. Simple Ways to Be More Organized
3. Get Organized by Breaking it Down
4. Free iPhone Apps for Parents – 20 of the Best
5. Should You Go Back to Work or Stay at Home?