How do moms stay organized?

Moms, I need your help. As evidenced by the pumpkin patch field trip fiasco when I not only forgot to bring the directions to the pumpkin patch but I also forgot to have the check ready to pay for Emily's school pictures, I clearly need help.

My question to you is: How do you stay organized when you've got school papers and kids's schedules to juggle?

I have been using a month-at-a-glance desk calendar for appointments/classes and I just put up a bulletin board for school papers. The calendar works okay (as long as I remember to put the event in the calendar), but the bulletin board failed me yesterday. Maybe I just need to make it a habit to LOOK on the bulletin board every day to see what's up?

Bulletin boards: A mom's best friend or a waste of wall space?

I also was thinking that I should make it a point to figure out all school-related paperwork the day I get it and not to put it off. I've noticed that stuff from school tends to have extremely short deadlines and doing it NOW is better than waiting until tomorrow.

What is your advice? Do you use an online system? A wall calendar? Different colored markers? Stickers? What wine goes best with school paperwork?

Thank you in advance.

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Technorati tags: organization, Parenting