Getting Organized with Me in a Tree

I was so encouraged by my progress on my New Year’s goals for the month of January. It was an awesome start to the year. Then along came February and I was bombarded by one stressful situation after another. Much of it was stuff I could not control and feeling helpless is no fun at all. Some of it though was just reaping the consequences of being so disorganized. They say that once it rains, it pours and that is the way February went. It’s all about the Law of Attraction. Once the bad stuff started happening we attracted more of it to us and I felt like I was dodging landmines all month.

Well, I am bound and determined to start March off right. I woke up this morning with all sorts of plans, to clean and declutter, improve the situation February left for us, and get more organized. I must say that I was so very proud of my children for how they helped my husband and I through a tough time. It was no fun for them either (for various reasons) but they saw us floundering and really rallied to support us. My oldest boy in particular is such a champion when he needs to be. It has just shown me all the more that we are doing a great job with him (with all our kids really) and that it is time to step it up and let them do more in regards to responsibility. We also have to make sure we are setting a better example because we didn’t hide anything from them. When a problem arose that could have been prevented had we not been disorganized or just plain lazy, we were truthful with them about it! They need to see us grow and learn from or mistakes.

Anyway I am already putting my plan into action and part of that is going to be relying on tech more to stay organized. I am on the computer lots so it just makes sense to go more digital when it comes to getting organized. I recently discovered DropBox, which is a lifesaver and I have a few other programs and tech apps like that, that I need to explore more. One I have been using is called Me in a Tree. It is hard to classify really but in general it is a family life organization application. Yet it is not just about getting organized but also spending more time together and increasing the quality of that time. After joining I did a family assessment…okay actually first thing I did was set up everyone’s avatars. That was so fun. We all look so adorable (see above)!!

After that is when I did the family assessment with 35 questions and it helped identify areas that need some work and others that are good to go. According to the assessment we are pretty solid on behavior, communication, and health and wellness. Areas that need work… money matters, organization, and family union. Say what??? Yes, it is so true and that is why I made it a goal this year to have more fun as a family. We all do our own thing and this is because I made sure my kids knew early on that they had to get creative and entertain themselves, not rely on mom to be their funship cruise director. I am sure they can hear me saying this in their sleep “Only boring people get bored.” Well I am glad that they can self soothe and entertain themselves but we also need to bond more as a family now that they are getting older. But I digress…

The app also has a calendar which I need to use to keep track of PJ day at school, eye doctor appointments, and parent conferences. I tried a white board above my desk but often times it still has the info from three months ago. It also has a section with things to do. You can choose from activities in your area (just pick your city), things to do with your spouse only, where to find parenting programs and seminars, and also where to find family volunteering opportunities.

The app also centers around a concept called The Family Huddle. You schedule a time each week to sit down as a family and “huddle”. What that means is up to you but it is a time for everyone to talk, share, and touch base. Everyone has a role (chosen at random) and there is a challenge or question for everyone to get the ball rolling. The Pledge Stone is a place where everyone shares what makes their family special and what everyone needs to do to keep things run smoothly, efficiently, and peacefully.

The gratitude journal is available for each family member and I loved that it asks everyone to write down five things that were grateful for each day. How wonderful is that?! The “My Duties” section is the place where everyone can go each day to see what needs to be done. You can assign everyone their chores and they can login and mark them done and collect rewards like stars which can be used in Star City to create star constellations. So it is educational as well as fun. I also liked that you can add anything you want and assign it to any family member. This means you can completely customize it, adding small things like ‘take your vitamins’.

I think I have only scratched the surface with what this application has to offer and I look forward to digging in even further. The more I see, the more impressed I am. I think this is just what I need to get March off to a rocking start.