My favorite calendar

I love the new year. What could be better? A clean slate. A fresh start. A new beginning.

I suppose there's no reason why we couldn't have a fresh start on, say, June 23rd. Really it's just sort of a mental game, the whole clean slate thing. I like it, though. I also love the visual representation of this fresh start that comes with a new calendar.

Each year I look forward to opening my new planning calendar, with its crisp, clean pages and 365 upcoming days just waiting to be filled with plans, activities, and surprises.

It took me a while to find the perfect planning calendar to serve my purposes. I found it in the Polestar Family Calendar. I bought my first one in 2005, and I've gotten one every year since.



No, in case you are wondering, my last name is not Porter and I did not design this calendar. I truly do love it. The only thing I really don't love about it is the cover design. But once I get into the year, I rarely see the cover because I usually just leave it open to the current week.

Here's what's great in the Polestar calendar:

• Year-at-a-glance for the current year and the upcoming year. (So if it's September and you have a date to remember the following February, you can jot it down, then when you get your new calendar, transfer the information.)
• Month-at-a-glance, with space on the opposite page for "to do this month," "new projects/ideas," and "notes."
• Week-at-a-glance with plenty of space to write reminders and appointments each day. It has separate columns for "family appointments," "meals/kitchen" and "home," although I usually ignore these and just use the space however I need.
• Off to the side of each weekly calendar is a "to do" list and a "to buy" list. In addition, there is extra space for "messages." All this extra writing space means I can jot down all sorts of notes and information that I can check back on later. If there is something I really need to remember or might need at a later date, I just make sure to write it somewhere in my calendar.
• Throughout the calendar are great quotes. For example, this week's is: "Don't be yourself. Be someone a little nicer." -Mignon McLaughlin, journalist.
• In the back are some very useful organizational resources, most of which I've never used, but probably should. These include "family profiles," "dates to remember," "items loaned," "items borrowed," "storage record," five blank pages for "notes," a phone and address list, and a bunch of blank tear-out shopping lists.

I'm excited about my brand new 2009 Polestar calendar. The pages are smooth, the cover pristine, and so far, my kids haven't gotten a hold of it and scribbled all over November the way they did last year. It won't last long, but such is the nature of fresh starts and clean slates.