Exclusive Interview with Beth Blecherman

When you are a parent you need to have a game plan to run your home. I am a single mom so, being able to do some of the things I want my family to do, can take some serious planning. Noah wants to do all kinds of things this summer. Some of the things are as simple as going to the pool or the beach. Some of the things will cost a considerable amount of money. I am trying to be a planner, but my plan isn't quite cutting it. I am getting lost in a sea of sticky notes.  If I lose one of them, I am in big trouble.

I had the opportunity to interview Beth Blecherman. Beth is the author of the book My Parent Plan. Beth is also  a family technology expert, author and founder of the website www.techmamas.com. Beth's book is really interesting and she shares many great ideas on how to make a personalized parent plan. It is a great guide since every family is unique. Some of her tips are to plan for things in advance, sign up for things like summer camps for discounted rates. I know when I was looking for camps for Noah there was a discounted rate if you signed up in advance. Plane tickets are usually cheaper when bought in advance. She also uses Microsoft Office 365 to organize everything from her family's budget with Excel to using Word to write her book. Her publisher could write notes right on the document without having to email her. She told me about cool features that I didn't know about. You can color code your family calendar so you know at a glance who has which practice or what appointment. After talking to her, I am ready to use her guidance and write my own parenting plan using Microsoft Office 365.

Be sure to check out My Parent Plan by Beth Blecherman

For more information please visit Microsoft Office 365 

This post is collaboration with Beth Blecherman and Microsoft Office 365. All thoughts and opinions are my own.  

Plan Your Trip with Microsoft Office 365

My family loves to travel. We have family all over the world, so it is really fun when we can visit them when we are on a trip.  My aunt and uncle live in Northern California. We have been out there a few times in the past. We are planning a trip to see them this summer.  I love visiting my aunt and uncle because it is so relaxed and we don’t really have a schedule to keep.  I think that is a good thing because of the time difference. Packing and planning has become more difficult now that I am a mom. Before I was a mom, I would go do things on a whim. I would take off and go on trips at a moment’s notice sometimes. I also have all kinds of extra things to pack. Not only Noah’s clothes, but his toys after making sure a few times that no Legos have made it in his suitcase. He also needs to bring lots of books to read and activities to do. I used to pack light before I was a mom.  I also have to make sure he brings his turtle pillow.  I really need packing lists, because I always forget something. In an effort to become more organized and a better planner I was able to try out Office 365 Office with OneNote. I was able to download the OneNote Travel Notebook from Travel + Leisure. It is full of travel tips and ideas for you to use.  I really like sticky notes but I can’t take them all with me.  I like with One Note I can take them anywhere I want without worrying about them getting lost. I can even make a digital notebook with all my information.

I am one of those people that go to a self-check in at the airport and has to look through my emails for my confirmation code when I don’t use curbside. I always get to the airport extra early, but not everyone does. It would be great not to have to worry about it because you can add all of your confirmation numbers in. You can also put hotel names, addresses and directions in there too.  It provides you with everything you need, you don’t have to write things down and worry about it falling out of your purse at some point.

  

One of the things I have to keep in mind when I go on a trip with my family, is the finances. I need to keep track of every cent I spend or need to spend. I have to make sure I can afford it. Traveling can be expensive when you add in airfare, food and related expenses. Thankfully, we are staying at their house, so there will not be any hotel charges. I always end up spending a lot at the airports. I have tried to bring snacks, but even then there is drinks, meals and somehow I am always talked in to getting something at a gift shop.  I need to add in a little bit of money for gambling, because we are going to be in both Vegas and Reno.  I will have to mark down a few bucks for that. I don’t really gamble but this is my tradition when seeing my aunt and uncle. Here’s a good tip, don’t bring a bunch of change with you and put it in a zip top bag, you will be stopped at security. I know this, but I still have done this a few times.  You can’t use change in the machines anyways. 

There really isn’t a lot of expense with this particular trip when it comes to the actual trip. My aunt is an amazing cook and since we are secluded in the mountains we don’t do a lot of shopping. However to fly from Florida to Reno is expensive. So, that takes planning and budgeting.  Every trip varies in price so it is always a great idea to have a budget. Microsoft Excel is great for keeping track of your budgets. You could use it not only for a travel budget, home budget and even for work.

I also like that I will be able to write notes while I am in California. It is great for memories. I won’t have to try and remember or email myself a bunch only for my emails to get lost in my inbox. I also love to blog about vacations I take, so it will be awesome for blog ideas. My aunt and uncle have dogs and I am sure I will have puppy and dog pictures to share.  My Grandma Rose used to keep travel journals when they went places. They are so much fun to read through. It would say what they did, where they ate and even how much they spent on gas.  I would love to be able to look through the travel notebook in a few years just to show Noah who may not remember everything. 

You can purchase Microsoft 365 for $99

For More information on OneNote

 

You can download the OneNote Travel Notebook template.

This is a sponsored post from One2One Network and Microsoft Office 365. All opinions stated are my own.