Create Order Out Of Your Chaos

Disclosure: I got this product free of charge to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.

 

As someone that has managed to hold a full time job, go to school full time, take care of a family member during and after surgery, raise young children, and attend clinical all in the same day, I know what chaos is. If I did not remain organized, I would never have succeeded.

Do you ever feel like you cannot keep up with all of your commitments? Maybe you missed a homework assignment or forgot to remind your child to finish writing that paper that was due yesterday.

The academic planner from Order Out of Chaos is a great tool to help you stay organized. The large pages allow more room for writing in your assignments or appointments. Or if you are like me, I need the extra room for my large handwriting.

The academic planner is the same size as a spiral notebook. It will not take up anymore room in a backpack or on a coffee table than any other school item that your or your child may have. The pages are made from a nice durable paper that is easy to write on. 

As I used the academic planner over the last couple of weeks, I actually decided that this would be perfect or students and teachers. I think that teachers can always use help keeping track of when their assignments are due and when to set the next due date.

A few Special Features

An index page at the beginning enables students to record their class subjects once. The actual weekly planner pages then line up on a subject-by-subject basis. This system maintains continuity and creates an easy, natural method for students to look at each week and quickly see assignments and due dates they have for each of their classes.

The planner allocates space for after-school activities and weekend commitments. Coupled with the grid system for entering information, the recording of this information is essential for providing accurate visual cues of available time in order to complete assignments and prepare for tests. Each open page quickly reveals blocks of time when the student has scheduled activities and when they are free. This facilitates weekly time management and planning strategies.

Seeing open blocks of time helps students break down multi-step and long-term projects into manageable parts. It also enables students to plan their weekly workload and to feel more in control of their schedule and their time.

Ample, larger format pages to allow for more room to write assignments and appointments! The overall size of the planner is 8 1/2 x 11" and the interior pages are an ample 7 x 11".

Flexible plastic coil binding and more durably constructed covers

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Terracycle Re-purposed Products

Disclosure: In exchange for this review and giveaway, I was given the product for free. However, my opinions are my own and 100% honest. 


With the Holidays quickly approaching, the last thing on most peoples minds is the waste that we will create. I was given an opportunity to review a couple of products made by a company called Terracycle. With the way that most people think and not knowing how much my readers like to recycle or reuse, I was nervous about trying to think of a way to write up a post.

Then I noticed that a box of Entemann's Little Bites sitting on my fridge had a Terracyle logo on the side. Hmm. Here is a company that I know very little about, but yet they are sitting on the side of a package I see all of the time. Then I started to look at the products that Terracycle upcycles into new and creative items. I like the concept of keeping trash out of a landfill, but how good can they possibly be if they are made into new products?

The products arrived at my door and before I opened the box, I let out a big sigh. Once I opened the package, I was more than surprised. I am not quite sure what I was expecting from the Terracycle products, but I loved them.

I was sent a mail bag and a Lays large tote. First of all, let me say that I have seen, and purchased, several reusable bags over the last few years. None of the bags that I have seen or purchased have had as much personality as these bags.

The Shopping Tote:

Look at how cute my Lay's bag is. It is bright and cheery and I promise that it will not get mixed up with any other shoppers bags. The bag is thick and very durable. The actual size of this bag is a little larger than a traditional paper bag, so it will hold a decent amount of groceries or whatever else you may want to pack in it.

Look inside! It is just as cute!

I managed to pack an entire 20 pound bag of sweet potatoes inside of my Lay's bag and it held strong!  This bag is definitely high quality and fun from any angle. Knowing that it is made from upcycled products that people use everyday is just an added bonus to this bag.

The Mailbag:

The mailbag is just that. It looks just like the bag a bank or retail store would use for holding cash and checks needing to be deposited. There is one zipper pouch and a smaller pocket on the side that does not close.

I initially thought that I would not be able to find a use for the mail bag that I received. Then I started a new job. I do not have my own desk and I do not have a locker. So all personal items need to come in with me and leave with me.

Part of the problem with where I work and what I do, is personal belongings are expensive and walk away quite often. Pens are considered gold because they are always getting set down and walking off in someone's pocket. Unfortunately, it is never the correct pocket they walk away in.

The inside of the zipper pocket is nicely lined in a suede like material so it is soft and gentle on whatever you place inside. The zipper pocket is a lifesaver and keeps my personal belongings neat, tidy, and out of view of the pen eating pockets that walk by me on a regular basis. The exterior of the pouch is canvas and there are a few rivets on the edge of the exterior pocket to add a little decoration. The exterior pocket is lined in the same canvas that is found on the exterior of the pouch and works great to keep my granola bar for quick access.

It turns out that the mailbag was actually the item my husband kept taking an hiding. He was hoping that I would forget about it so he could start using it to carry his cell phone in for work since the new phones seem to be too big to fit in a pocket comfortably. I will absolutely be sneaking over to Terracycle to purchase a second one of these!

If you are looking for a great gift item or just a fun way to package a gift item that you are giving this holiday season, think about keeping a few pieces of trash from joining your local landfill and allow it to be re-purposed  by Terracycle. Take a look, some of the items they make would be a big hit with family and friends of all ages!