Confessions of a Homeschooler Free Blog Planner Review

Ever feel like you would like to blog but just don't have it 'all together'? Have you ever came up with fantastic ideas then forgot them an hour later? For many of us, that is called 'mommy brain syndrome'. With so much to do in a given amount of time, certain things fall by the wayside. Maybe you would like to blog consistently or want to remember blog posts past. 

Enter My Blog Planner 2013 from Erica at Confessions of a Homeschooler. This fantastic item is offered for FREE!! I enjoy many of the items at her site, and have utilized some of her free printables in my own homeschool. In addition to the free printables, she offers paid (not expensive!) curriculum such as: the Letter of the Week Preschool Curriculum, K4 Pre-Kindergarten Curriculum, Road Trip USA Geography and History, and Expedition Earth: A Journey Through God's World. This review, however, is limited to the Free Blog Planner.

This is a streamlined, no-nonsense blog planner with gorgeous colors and designs! My kind of planner. Too many bells and whistles and I tend to organize what I have organized if you know what I mean. This was just perfect for me- I am one who tends to get bogged down by clutter. However, that said, I am a tweaker by nature and I did tweak a few things to fit my needs and what I used the planner for.

Two options are offered for download: a Calendar Style Post Layout (the 'planner' page is in calendar form) or the Lined Format Post Planner. The Calendar Style offers: a Year at a Glance page, a calendar planning page and a blog notes page. The last two are for every month of the year (or two pages per month). The Lined Format, (which is the one I reviewed), also offers the Year at a Glance page and blog notes page, however the difference is in the planning page. It is lined with each individual date going down the page, versus a calendar look. Once again, the last two are offered for each month of the year for a total of two pages per month.

This is the 'finished' product. The planner is available for immediate download and printed on your own printer. She offers suggestions and tips for printing, binding and organizing. I did print the cover and last page on cardstock for durability. Then, used my comb binder to put it all together. On the first page, you are greeted with a Year at a Glance Calendar. Depending upon which option you choose, the Calendar or Lined Layout, determines what you see next.

The next page will be the blog planning page for January (I used this more in the month of February, hence the picture not showing January). Again, this is the Lined Format. At the top, she has sections titled: Post Date, Title, Scheduled, Review/Giveaway/Winner (labeled R,G,W with boxes to check off), and Social Media. For this last section, the media listed are: fb, t, P, g+. Already, you can see where I 'tweaked'. I changed the P to a B for Blogger. This reminds me that I need to publish something ON my blog. I also wrote Group 33 above the g+. This reminds me that I need to post something for a small group on Facebook that I lead for Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Studies with Melissa Taylor.

In the section titled Scheduled, I wrote HS for something I want to publish, or have already scheduled to be published, on HootSuite. I also list the time, above the title, that I have it scheduled to post. I place a check beside it when I schedule it. 

Out to the side, I wrote in Views. This allows me to track views on each blog post. At the very bottom, I will write the total blog views for the month.

The final page for the month is the page to write down what Reviews/Giveaways you have scheduled for the month. It has a place to write the date due, the vendor, product and price. The second section is your 'brainstorming' area. Topics that you would like to write about.

Overall, I absolutely love this item and plan to use it for a long time to come. It has really helped me to get organized and keep everything in one place where I can see it. The colors are different each month. The designs are beautiful. I know Confessions of a Homeschooler has many wonderful items and this one is here to stay! 

The only thing I would consider a 'con' is the small areas to write in, but this is only a con for those who write bigger. In keeping it streamlined, I don't see any way to make this area bigger. That said, it works perfectly for me! 

*Disclaimer--I received this item at no cost in exchange for an honest review.