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MommyD
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| Posted: May 18 2007 at 1:19pm | IP Logged
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Does anyone have a good system for remembering birthdays and other occasions that need a card sent  ? All our family is out-of-town and I really need to get better at sending cards and gifts.
Melissa
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JennGM
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| Posted: May 18 2007 at 1:36pm | IP Logged
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I was inspired by a list I saw compiled on Maryan's walls, so I made my own. I gathered all the wedding anniversaries, birthdays, anniversaries of deaths for our family, broke it down by months and made a one page Word document to hang up near my calendar. I don't always have time to write them in the calendar, but I can scan the list for the month and see what's coming up. Makes it SOO much easier.
I first made one of all my family dates to share with my siblings, then I added in dh's family dates.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Paula in MN
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| Posted: May 18 2007 at 1:51pm | IP Logged
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A few years ago, I got a card box to store cards in. Included in the box were tabbed index cards for sorting the types of cards, but also a divider card for each month. The month dividers have lines and spaces on them for birthday's, anniversaries, holiday's etc. At the beginning of each month I pull out the divider and I'm set!
I actually think the box was a promotion through Hallmark - buy 3 cards and get the storage box free. Maybe they still have them?
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 Paula
A Catholic Harvest
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Anne McD
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| Posted: May 18 2007 at 2:35pm | IP Logged
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What I've always INTENTED to do  was write out all the cards for each month at the beginning of the month. Then, seal and address, but don't stamp. Write the date that you need to send the card in the upper right hand corner of the envelope, and file it with your bills to be paid. When your "due date" comes up as you are paying your bills, slap a stamp over the date and throw it in the mail.
I've already purchased a bunch of cards in bulk from Current for this purpose, but here they sit . . . .
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Anne
Wife to Jon
Mommy to Alex 9
James 8
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William 3 1/2
Benedict Joseph 1
and baby on the way! 10/14
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Jordan
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| Posted: May 18 2007 at 3:03pm | IP Logged
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I have a calendar on the wall next to the desk just for birthdays, anniversaries, and such that lists six months at a time. Then when I need to shop for cards, I'll make my card shopping list from this calendar, usually buying 2-3 months worth at a time. If I'm going through an organized phase, I'll do what Anne mentioned and write the date it needs to be sent in the upper right corner. I don't send tons or cards so this works pretty well for me.
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Jordan
Cheerios & Fingerpaints
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Dawn
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| Posted: May 18 2007 at 3:56pm | IP Logged
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Melissa, I try to make card-sending part of my weekly system. It doesn't always work (if I don't follow my sytem  ) but is somewhat successful.
I have a spiral bound 14 month-@-a-glance calendar with big lined blocks for each day. When I buy a new one (my next one starts in July) I write as much in as I can, including birthdays, anniversaries, feast days, appointments, etc.
What I *try* to do each week is to sit down and look at the *next* week. I call this my desk day. I write any cards I need to buy on the Saturday errands list and note on the calendar when I need to mail the cards.
Another thing I'd like to do, but haven't yet, is to buy cards ahead. I have a file crate with a year's worth of weekly file folders. My idea is to buy all the cards I need (or at least a season's worth) at a time, and slip the cards into their folders. Then I don't have to be stopping in at the Hallmark store every other weekend. 
For holiday cards like Thanksgiving, Valentines or Easter, I schedule a trip to my favorite card store early in the season so as to have best selection, and stock up on cards for relatives and friends.
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Dawn, mum to 3 boys
By Sun and Candlelight
The Nature Corner
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nicole-amdg
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Do you get the CHC catalog? They've had an article in there about the things one mom wished she knew at the beginning of her homeschooling career--one of them was starting a 365-day file. One hanging file folder for each day, good for filing things like permanent reminders of feast day activities, legal deadlines,...and birthday cards to send in a timely fashion.
Sounds tempting. I just use a spiral-bound card organizer. It's been helpful, but I'm too far gone a case for that to have been the solution.
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Nicole
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Martha
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| Posted: May 18 2007 at 4:15pm | IP Logged
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buy a stack of blank cards of various types
keep the list with my bills folder
send them out just like I do the bills
that's what I do
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Martha
mama to 7 boys & 4 girls
Yes, they're all ours!
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mellyrose
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I use an Excel spreadsheet and check it at the beginning of each month.
I have the months across as columns, then the dates down the rows. I also add in the birth year if I know it, or the year they married for anniversaries. When more than one person shares a date, I just add another row for that date. It means that there may be three "19"'s in every month to take care of the three July 19 birthdays that happen.
It's worked well for me for more than 10 years now ;)
Melanie
Mom to Colin (6), Nate (5), and Lydia (4/29/07)
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chicken lady
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| Posted: May 18 2007 at 9:05pm | IP Logged
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I use a perpetual calendar, I have it hanging in my kitchen so I can see it and at least pray for the person of the day. I also buy blank cards that I can fill in the occasion, I don't always do it, more often than not I end up calling the person.
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lapazfarm
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My husband's extended family is huge. No way could I remember all the birthdays. So we made up a Yahoo group for the family, entered all the birthdays and anniversaries to the calendar, and it automatically sends an email reminder a few days in advance (so you can send a card), plus another on the day (so you can call), to everyone in the family. VERY CONVENIENT!
All you have to do for upkeep is add in when a baby is born or someone gets married.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: May 18 2007 at 11:51pm | IP Logged
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JennGM wrote:
| I gathered all the wedding anniversaries, birthdays, anniversaries of deaths for our family, broke it down by months and made a one page Word document to hang up near my calendar. |
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This is what I do. On the 25th of every month I write it on my planner to get cards prepped to send out for the following month. I have a Card Organizer.
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Suzanne in ID
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stefoodie
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I have 3 boxes of cards.
One is where I have all the cards organized with an initial on the top right hand corner (I should just get tabs but have never gotten around to it) -- S for Sympathy, V for Valentine's, TY for Thank You, B for Birthdays, T for Thanksgiving, E for Easter, etc. -- they're arranged alphabetically. Christmas cards are in separate box as there's too many of those to put in with the others.
The third box is where I do my "organizing" (it's still not perfect as I still fail often) -- but it's got 31 tabs -- I've been thinking of getting a 31-compartment file, because sometimes the tabs get lost in the cards -- but that's where (ideally) I put all the cards to be sent on the day they're to be sent.
My address book is on Palm software (that I used to use with my Palm, which I no longer use because I've gone back to paper ) -- so I just print out a new one every year, punch holes and put in my binder. The Palm software also allows me to print a month at a time with birthdays, etc. on it. These are both in my planner. When I send out a card I put the date beside that person's name in the address book so that I remember the last time I wrote, or if I forgot.
In the 3rd box, I put the birthday cards in first, and then I add a card a week -- for 52 friends/family whom I need to keep in touch with the most (those who need to get long letters -- which I used to try and handwrite, but now I just type). If it's within a season they will get a Valentine's or an Easter card or whatever. I came up with this system because we have tons of cards from the charities and had to find a way to use them. If there's a Mass offering envelope to go with the card, I stick the whole thing in with the greeting card so I remember to send it out at the same time. It saved us money not having to buy cards, and also gave us a way to remember to donate to causes, plus I didn't have to throw away all the cards.
It's simpler than it sounds, but yes, only works when I work it.
We also have the YahooGroups set up for family, and receive reminders two weeks before the birthday, and the day before -- 2 weeks so people have time to buy gifts/send cards, etc. and the day before so that at the very least they get an e-mail greeting .
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stef
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mom2mpr
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| Posted: May 19 2007 at 7:08am | IP Logged
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Martha wrote:
buy a stack of blank cards of various types
keep the list with my bills folder
send them out just like I do the bills
that's what I do |
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I do the same-except I "pegged" it to my mortgage. If your birthday is the first of the month your card may be a little late--the 30th--you get your card WAY early.
Anne
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Fuzzy
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| Posted: May 19 2007 at 9:03am | IP Logged
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I have a mother-in-law who has a memory like an elephant for EVERYONE'S birthdays! I sat down with her and had all the birthdays on my DH's side on a calendar......dead, alive, divorced, people I don't know and will never meet....
In other words, I don't have a system yet! These are great ideas!
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Fuzzy
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CAgirl4God
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| Posted: May 21 2007 at 3:12am | IP Logged
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we have a list, that goes monthly from Jan to Dec. who ever has an important day in that month gets written down.
then when preparing my wall calendar each month, I use the list to write them in. a week ahead of time I write 'send card, gift etc.'
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Topic: Remembering birthdays
