Stacy Klein: Hosting Spring Cookouts And Making It Look Easy With Planning [Guest Post]

It is Spring (Yeah!!), and the weather is perfect for cookouts and get-togethers. The warming weather gets us out of the house more often, making us go out more and meeting new friends. The kids are also growing, and so is their own list of friends. How do you keep tabs of everything when it is your turn to host spring parties?

Organization is the cornerstone of success. When you can put all your thoughts, ideas, wishes and needs all in one same place, what comes out of it is a perfect map that you can follow to achieve your plans.

Products (and my favorite planner, ever)

The START products come in 4 lines, which are Fancy Pants, Hustle, Legit, and Recently Hitched (which is a complete wedding planner).

I personally love the Fancy Pants solid color design, which comes with perfect organization templates that allow you to take full control of the size of the binder. Speaking of size, this planner has a perfect cut, which fits anywhere you take it. It is perfect for travelers, teachers, business people, and busy moms just like me.

Mom-friendly features

My absolutely favorite features include:

1. sticker packs- The "Social Butterfly" sticker pack features icons that go with the party planning theme, friends names, contact information, birthday icons, gift giving, dates, and much more.

The other sticker pack is the "Nitty Gritty" which is more for specific tasks, such as cleaning reminders, medicine taking, emails, contact information and more. I use both and my planner looks like a rainbow. It is so useful, though. Visual reminders are everything.

2. "Legit" Snap-In bookmarks- These awesome bookmarks have enough space to write impromptu lists of names, items, phone numbers, or anything you can think of.

3. The Bling Line- This is an add-on collection of notebooks, pens, and other writing products that come with full color and shiny paper. I love them because I can scribble away party ideas, shopping lists, and design plans. They are very attractive to look at and it is a joy to carry them around.

My secret weapon

Out of all the START products I own, the one that works best for me is the "Master Plan" paper pack. This is a list-making organizer for step-by-step planning. This is great for you to have your road to successful party planning right at your fingertips.

There is also a paper pack titled "Delegate" which is something we moms fail to do all the time, as we want to do everything ourselves. This is meant to be a list maker of human resources, also known as "people who may be able to help out", that I can keep to remind myself that I do have support around me, to whom I can turn for assistance.

Why get an organizer?

If you are as busy as I am with everyday issues, the idea of getting people together for sharing may seem daunting, even problematic for your schedule. However, without these times to share, life would turn into a very lonely and stressful daily event. You need to make the room and take the time for activities such as cookouts, parties, and get-togethers.

START products work as your "first-mate" support to keep all ideas and information together. All you need to do is follow the "roadmap" that a good organizer provides. START will do the thinking for you, all you need to do is fill in the blanks and let the organizer guide you.

About The Author:

Cari Samalik is a Co-Found of Livnfresh, a Michigan Clothing Company. Cari founded Livnfresh with her husband Dave and their two kids were along for the ride.

Cari Samalik Co Found Livnfresh