Mission control for mums

Claim token:- YU8Q4C8PQGS2

Here is a picture of my ‘desk’. I say ‘desk’ because it’s actually my kitchen table. I do have a genuine, bone fide office, tucked away at the top of the house. And aside from the fact that it’s as messy as my kitchen (alas, the corner of the table you see is repeated through the rest of the room), it’s not really somewhere I work in very often. I prefer to be in the hub of the house, ready to spring into action to wipe a nose, race on a school run or stir a sauce (it’s amazing what you can cook up while blitzing a series of emails). As you’ve probably already gathered, I’m not the world’s most tidy person. I pretty much know where everything is, but can’t claim not to have to move mountains of teetering paper to get to it. I’m learning to work through the chaos – I now always check my diary on Sunday night, to see if there’s a school play/work deadline that I need to know about. I’m rarely without a pint of milk in the freezer to prevent me having to rush out in the rain before breakfast. And I never agree to do anything without having my diary in front of me. So having to think of all these things, plus throw the three children and the husband into the mix, is a challenge. Which is why I love my Mum’s Diary. I’d prefer the teal colour (why does so much stuff for laydeez have to be pink?), but love the week-per-page feature, a facing page for ‘Everyone Else’s Week’, the Gift Record, Need to Know Numbers, and the countless other features that help me make it through the week. It costs £14 at Mum’s Office – not a bad price for a present that will help you, friends and family have an organised 2010. The range also includes a Mum’s Weekly Calendar, FAMILY Address Book and BIG Family Diary.

It's an open and shut case for organisation

No more 'dog ate homework' excuses

Lists of statistics are not usually up there on reading lists, but research on children’s reading habits, conducted on behalf of Booktime and Booked Up, is fascinating stuff. Answers given by 1,772 parents/carers of four- to 12-year-olds, and 1,318 children aged five- to 12-years-old, reach the overwhelming conclusion that children like books. 96% of the children surveyed say that they enjoy reading, peaking at 99% among seven-year-olds and falling to 89% of 12-year-olds. Mothers are still the primary ‘reader’ in 67% of households, but there’s been a 40% increase in fathers reading with their children since 2008 – and nearly half the children said they’d like to spend more time reading with dad. Interestingly, homes with girls have ten more children’s books than those with boys.  While in children’s bedrooms, bookshelves might have to be renamed because they’re increasingly used to house DVDs and toys, instead of anything made of printed paper.

The survey also uncovered children’s favourite fictional characters. Harry Potter, unsurprisingly, tops the charts, followed by Horrid Henry and Tracy Beaker. Action heroes Captain Underpants and Ben 10 have jostled Cinderella and Peter Pan out of the top 10, while Roald Dahl remains as popular as ever, with Matilda, Charlie and Fantastic Mr Fox all in the top 20. Hannah Montana is in at number five, but we’ll swiftly turn the page on that little nugget of information.

So children love reading, parents love them reading, and we all know how good reading is for a child’s development. Which is why it’s sad to learn that 56% of all parents and carers say their child spends more time facing a screen playing computer games and watching DVDs rather than reading.

To help encourage a lifetime in the libary, over two million free books will be given to schoolchildren across the UK through two free books programmes, Booktime and Booked Up, from independent charity Booktrust. Look out for the free book pack, including a copy of Ed Vere’s Mr Big, for every reception-aged pupil in England and Scotland this term, and Northern Ireland next term. Packs in England will also include The Booktime Book of Fantastic First Poems, an anthology edited by June Crebbin.

For children ages 11-12, Booktrust will give 670,000 Year 7 pupils in England a choice of one free book from a list of 12 selected titles. 

So that’s a total of nearly one-and-a-half million books, along with 750,000 book packs to children in over 20,000 schools across the UK. Nearly 24,000 resource packs will be given to schools and libraries in England to support the programme.

Visit Book Time and Booked Up for more information and a range of downloadable activities and games. The sites also feature activities and games as well as videos, competitions, blogs and book recommendations. It’s a great resource, and it’s free – and one of the few times when you won’t mind them being in front of a screen rather than with their nose in a book. 

Your grandchildren will love you for it...

Just in case you’ve a spare ten seconds on your hands (unlikely, we know, but read on anyway) here’s a book that will inspire you to create heartfelt and stunning family heirlooms. They’re the sort  of things that granny used to whip up, in between putting 43 sheets through the mangle and darning 11 socks. Homemade Gorgeous Things to Make With Love, by Ros Badger and Elspeth Thompson, is right on the money (or lack of it) with its make-do-and-mend philosophy. You’ll find 75 projects, some of them perfect for the wannabe good lifer who doesn’t really have a clue (wire ribbon heart, tin can tealight holder), others that require a little more proficiency (hand-painted Advent calendar, enormous crocheted blanket). The idea is all about giving precious time, rather than reverting to cash, to make someone feel special. Not that the ideas aren’t things you’d be thrilled to receive – homemade, in this instance, doesn’t mean homespun; everything in the book is instantly covetable, and would cost a fortune if you found it in a interiors shop in Holland Park. Bring out the bunting (you’ll find tips on making it in the book); we can see into the future, and it’s looking crafty.

Straight to the top of the class with Organiseher

Kate Moss and Fran Cutler are fans, and let’s face it, they have some schedule to contend with. Not that you need an insane lifestyle to benefit from a little extra help when it comes to coordinating the family’s play dates/ballet lessons/hair appointments/start of term (eek, we’re not there already, are we?). Clever little Organise-Us diaries run for 16 months from September 2009 to January 2011. Which means starting the new school year with a pristine set of pages, and hopefully continuing in grade A fashion from there. The Organiseher and The Organisehim are big on clever touches, including ‘year to view’ pages at beginning and end, a ‘month to view’ planner at the beginning of each month, and ‘week to view’ pages. The layouts can be customised according to work, social, family and children’s commitments, and there are useful pages for financial planning, contacts, and headed notes pages. We also like the storage pocket for business cards (coffee loyalty cards and the like fit in just fine too), receipts and photographs. Sorted.

Available in six colours.
Price: £34.95 at www.organise-us.com, or call 01252 781481 for stockists.