Motivated Mom: Review and Giveaway!

I'm so excited about this review and giveaway! Most of the things I am blessed to review and give away are more for the kids. THIS is for you, Mom! Just for you...and maybe a dad or two if they're interested!

If you had to pick one area in your life which your struggle with most what would it be? Lesson planning? Discipline? Keeping it all together? Ding ding ding! This would be me. Just keeping things running smoothly and the house mostly in order. I don't expect perfection, but neither am I okay with just "letting things go" as I've heard from some. No matter what anyone says, it is possible to keep your home in order and homeschool successfully. You can even throw in a part-time job if needed and keep the home nice. The hardest part for me has always been coming up with and sticking to a plan.

Until now...

Let me introduce you to Motivated Moms. I just love their motto: Make every day count! This wonderful system was developed by a mom who saw a need for an easy way to keep up with all of the responsibilities we moms carry. Often times the reason why I see things fall apart around me is because I feel so incredibly overwhelmed with the many responsibilities I have. I also find when life gets crazy getting back on track can sometimes feeling close to impossible. Motivated Moms has tools to help you whether you're feeling swamped or looking for help with maintaining the order.

There are two different formats you can go with from Motivated Moms. If you are into mobile devices there is an app available for both android and apple devices. If you tend to be more of a pencil and paper type you can purchase a printable e-book in a variety of formats. Both include the same helpful lists, just presented differently. I have enjoyed reviewing both and am going to give you an idea of the differences.

E-Book

The printable e-book is available in black and white or color. You can also choose from full-page or half-page, 1 day per page or a week per page, and whether or not it includes a daily Bible reading. Wow! I really appreciate how many choices are provided, no matter your preferences. They really thought of everything!

I prefer the week-at-a-glance view because my days rarely always go as planned. I like being able to look ahead if I have a few extra minutes to get ahead and to know what I've missed along the way. I also appreciate the several  extra lines available to add in anything you want.

Each task has a small check box ready to fill. Who doesn't love checking things off? I'll admit I'm one of those who will add items to a list just so I can check them off! Seeing all those little boxes filled in just make me happy.




App

I recently purchased an iPad and am loving how easy and fun it is to use apps to organize my life! Although I've been a pencil and paper kind of girl for the most part, the ease of apps for keeping up with things is a beautiful thing.
The interface of the newly updated app is quite lovely as well as functional. Simply click the chore you have finished and it moves to the bottom with a check mark. I like this because I can see what I've accomplished! The pre-loaded chores are a great place to start and adding or hiding individual chores is a breeze.

One really nice thing about the app is the ease in adding chores. When you add a chore you have the option of repeating it on specific days, weekly, or every day. You can also very easily assign chores to individual with a unique color coded system. Initially the setup takes a bit of time, but once it is finished you are all set! Another cool feature is that each year as the app is updated you can easily import the settings and changes you have already made.

So, how can you choose? It is really hard, but here is a breakdown of the differences and similarities.

What they both have...

1. Daily and weekly chores

2. Space to add new chores

3. Ways to check off chores

4. Every possible chore you could consider to keep your home in order!

The differences...

1. The app allows you to assign chores to individuals. 

2. Chores have to be added each week on the e-book pages, but can be done only once for the app. 

3. Only the e-book allows you to see a week at a time. 

4. Only the app allows you to push scheduled tasks to the following day. 

There are a couple of benefits to the app compared to the e-book. The first is with the e-book you have to write in weekly or daily tasks each time. This isn't a big deal I suppose, but I really like the one-time deal with the app. The only other benefit is keeping an e-book with you is not nearly as handy as a device you already have. There are times when I'm able to complete tasks on my list (usually related to homeschool) and I wouldn't have my printed e-book with me. The app, however is right there.

The one main benefit I really liked with the e-book was being able to see everything for one week in front of me. I work about 18 hours a week part-time and my days are not always predictable. Being able to see chores I have missed allows me to determine what absolutely needs to be done. The app does have the feature mentioned which allows you to forward tasks ahead though which helps make this easier.

Overall you can't go wrong with either one. It simply is a preference thing. The best part for me is when I'm following Motivated Moms closely our home is peaceful and attractive in less than an hour a day (honest!). When life does happen and things fall apart (like last week when we ALL got sick!) it doesn't take very long at all to get back on track.

So, which would you choose? The wonderful people at Motivated Moms is giving away 1 app and 1 copy of the e-book! There are several ways to enter so hurry to do so now!




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Disclaimer: I received the Motivated Moms app for iPad and the printable e-book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review.