Everything I never thought to ask for.

I have to say, I was a little skeptical at first. I’m an Apple user and sync everything seamlessly between my computer and my many mobile devices, what could I possibly need another contact list for? Then I found out that AboutOne is more than just another place to store my contacts.

As I dug around through my personalized AboutOne site I started seeing the value of a program like this. Instead of having paper all over the place and trying to keep track of every aspect of our lives, I can have it all in one tidy place. From the kid’s medical records to maintenance records for the cars and house. Once I understood what AboutOne was all about it was really easy to get the data entered and in the right place.

Take a look at the screen shots below and have a look for yourself.

The idea of electronically saving my receipts and having them organized how and where I need them makes AboutOne invaluable to me. I spend HOURS sorting through our receipts every year at tax time, this will make my life so much easier.

It’s not just the stuff we need for tax purposes that I struggle to keep track of. Maintenance records for the cars is another biggie. Did I get the oil change done on the Outback? Does the Dodge need a tire rotation? When is the inspection due? Now I have all our auto records in one convenient place. Same with the household records. No more digging through folders overstuffed with paper to find out if it’s time to have the septic tank pumped (and that’s not something you want to drop the ball on).

I can keep an inventory of all our valuables including photographs of those items, so should the worst happen, I can access our inventory to make an insurance claim. Copies of purchase receipts, photos of the items and a description are all kept together in one safe place. Talk about piece of mind.

Even the cat has her own profile. Nittany is old and has special needs, so it’s good to keep track of when she sees the vet and when I need to purchase another bag of her prescription food.

The interface is nice and very user friendly. You don’t have to be a computer programer to figure out how to enter your data OR to try and find it later.

There’s even an app for that. The downside? It’s not for the iPhone (yet?). I’m hoping that they do come out with an iPhone app since that would make the program even more valuable to me and my family. If you have a Windows phone (do people really have them?), you’re in luck, you can have your AboutOne app now.

With great features already available and more to come, I see AboutOne as a great addition to my life. I need all the help I can get getting and keeping organized and AboutOne is just what I always needed but never thought to ask for.

What are you waiting for? Go check AboutOne out and sign up for your own account today.

Disclaimer: I was compensated for this post; however, all the opinions are my own. 
family organizer

There’s something I’ve struggled with my entire life and as much as I hoped it would improve as I aged, it has not. I am a messy person and I’ve always been this way. My room at my parent’s house was often so messy you couldn’t see the carpet. Clothes and magazines strewn about. Shoes threatening to break your neck with one wrong step.

As a stay at home mom, I feel like it’s part of the job description to keep a tidy house. I try, really I do, I just don’t always get there.

There is one place in my house that seems to be amune to any and all attempts to keep it clean…My desk.

I love my desk, it’s central location in my house makes it the perfect spot to get work done while keeping an eye on my little men. Having my desk in my kitchen allows me to get the most from my multitasking, thus getting more done.

The problem is that since it’s in the kitchen, my desk tends to collect everything that needs to be removed from the table or countertops. It seems that everything that enters this house ends up on my desk at some point. When there’s barely enough space for the keyboard and mouse, the multitasking I was referring to becomes difficult.

One of my New Year’s Goals, in fact it was the very first one, was to get my house in order. Since my desk is kind of like Command Central for the house, it should be the first place I get (and keep) in order, right?

I’m trying to make a change.

Today I got so sick of looking at this mess.

So I set out to clean up the clutter and put away the stuff that I was “filing” on my desktop. The little inbox on the right side of the desk was chuck fill of junk that was in no particular order. How am I ever going to find anything if it’s thrown all willy nilly about?

A little more than an hour later that mess you see above was turned into a workspace I can be proud of.

Look at that, I actually have a space to write if I need to! I can actually see Cameron’s T-Ball picture. My inbox is organized into three easy to find categories. All the clutter and mess was put where it belongs, or even better, thrown away.

It’s amazing how much more relaxed I feel sitting in this space to get some work done. I’m breathing deeper, I don’t feel as rushed as I did before I cleaned up.

So who wants to place bets on how long I can keep my desk looking this way? A week? A month? A day?

Where is the Command Central in your house? The place where you pay the bills, email friends and family, connect on Facebook, blog. Do you struggle to keep that space clean and clutter free? No? Then how about giving the rest of us some tips…PLEASE???