Planning for Fall (and quiet)

I want summer to last as long as the next person. Western Washington summers are close to perfection. Hardly any rain (can I get an Amen?!), few bugs, no humidity and bearable temperatures. There are definitely things I miss about the Midwest summers; lightning bugs and warm nights. We literally live for summers here. We endure the endless amount of rain and everything being wet for nine months of the year. The gray clouds that hang overhead, which seem to never clear, finally give way to blue skies and each July we have to remind ourselves that the bright yellow round thing in the sky is the sun. Then we all jump on our boats, or friends boats, or kayaks. We hit the beaches and stay out for more than our pale skin can handle. We fish, crab, and dig for clams and oysters. We "live like the mountain is out."


So, all that say, I do not want summer to end. Except for maybe one thing: my kids being home all day, every day. That can end. They can go back to school now. I will miss taking them to the beach and grandpas pool. I will miss getting ice cream, just because its summer. I will miss sleeping in and not feeling guilty about the hours of tv my kids have watched by the time I finally roll out of bed.  I will miss grilling out on the back deck and letting the kids run wild, while the adults ask every so often "Have you seen my kid? Are you ok that your kid is going down a zip line made by a nine year old? Where are your shoes?"


But I do miss my days of quiet. I am an introvert with strong "J" tendencies. I thrive off of alone time and structure. All of which goes out the window June through August. I can only handle so much of my daughter sitting on top of me six hours of the day, fits of frustration and squeals of screaming because "he wouldn't stop so I hit him."

With working out of the home again, it has given me some semblance of structure. I have been more attached to my planner than I have been in years. So when my planners last page was the month of July, I was giddy with excitement knowing it was time to purchase a new planner. Any other planner geeks out there?  I have had many brands of planners from Vera Bradley to Erin Condren to good ole' Target. I didn't really start geeking out over planners until we had a cancer scare with my son. That's the best way to say it, I guess. To keep it brief, three and half years ago our sons blood work was wacky and we went through months of elimination diets and blood work. We were sent to a pediatric hematologist only to find out the doctor ordered adult blood work, not child appropriate blood work, and he was just fine. But had he been adult, it would have been a different story. Between all of the paper work, testing dates, diet rules and doctors appointments I needed a way to keep track of it all. That's when I found Kikki.K planners.


A Swedish design company based out of Australia, it was everything I needed at that point in my life. It was an assortment of options that I could choose from to work just right for me. Monthly calendars, daily pages, to-do sheets, meeting notes, personal and project options. The six rings allowed me to add other elements, like a ruler and sticky notes, from other places (thank you Michael's) and then take out months and daily pages when was I done with them. Why did I still need to carry around March in September? And of course a pen holder. Don't get me started on pens. That's another topic I am passionate about but won't bore you with.


As fall approaches, a new business blooming, and everyone healthy, I find I am needing something simpler.  I don't need pockets for X-ray cds or appointment cards. My meeting notes with my business partner don't coincide with a schedule like they did with doctors when I was trying to remember what time of night and how many times on what day our son was getting sick. Simple is a word that has been resonating with me a lot these last few months. When I saw the Simplified Planner by Emily Ley i knew I had to look into it further.


I was not ready to let go of my beautiful Kikki.K planner but knowing I would need a change I kept my eye on the Simplified Planner. I finally pulled the trigger when I was really needing to begin scheduling out the fall with work schedules, tutoring times and gymnastics practice. I have been so happy with it. It really is as it sounds, simple. But not so simple that I am left wanting more. All I need at this point is monthly pages, daily pages and a to-do list. Emily has a great story and I admire the way she built the company. I'll let you read or listen to it from her perspective.

I will definitely keep my Kikki.K planner and use it more for meeting notes, project ideas and brainstorming. It is something I can continue to use, but I will most likely just keep it in my office or take to work. With four weeks to go before school starts I am going to savor these last days of summer, while leaving plenty of blank space in my planner for quiet.

What about you? Do you love planners (and pens?). Which brand have you found to work best for you? I really would love to know.

*Please note that this post may contain affiliate links, and I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through them. This is at no cost to you and will not effect your shopping experience. I only recommend products that I love and use myself.*