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Monday, October 06, 2008

An Interview With Molly Gold... And A Giveaway!


Today I have a guest interview, which I love to do! Molly Gold is the developer of an exciting company called GoMom! She offers planners for busy moms like us that are as beautiful as they are practical. She is also giving away one of her products... read on to learn more!

Molly, I have to say I love your company and what you are doing to help moms get organized and stay organized. Can you tell us how GoMom got started?
I was rocking my first born one afternoon...he was about 8 months old...and the layout for the planner was clear in my mind. As a new stay at home mom, coming from a meeting planner background, I couldn't figure out what was missing in my productivity and was dumbfounded that there wasn't a planner out there focused just on Moms. I played around with the idea in my head, talked to moms at playgroup, and fiddled with how we could do it for the next 4 years and after a New Year's Resolutions challenge from good friends, came to market in March of 2000.

What is one of your favorite time management tips for busy moms?
My favorite tip is to first map out your family schedule and then work in yourself. Might seem backwards, but when you do this, you can see if your family is overcommitted, how you might be able to rearrange things for less stress, and it also keeps your commitment to your family foremost in your mind when you choose to commit your own time. You really see how you impact each other.

How do you balance a business and your family?
Just as hectic as the next girl! I find I'm most productive, and guilt free, during the school year because without my children home, I can hyper focus. I challenge myself to work really smart during those family free windows. And then I find that if I focus entirely on them from afterschool hours to bedtime, we get to bed on time and if I want to work a few more hours between 9 and 11, again its hyper focused and very efficient.

What is your favorite product you offer? (I know, it's like asking you to pick a favorite child!)

Probably our wirebound simply because its the core format that was introduced at Target in 2004 and it seems to work best for the broadest number of Moms. I do have a soft spot for the school organizer because it really has helped me to stay disciplined about not keeping more paper than I have to when it comes to that area of my life.

What is your vision/mission for GoMom?
GO MOM!'s mission is to make positive mothering a daily reality one Mom at a time. We believe passionately that intentional scheduling will lead both Moms and the families they love to a more balanced and joy filled life and we aim to offer them the educational and product resources they need to do just that. As moms are getting back into the swing of school, what advice do you have for them? Well, its straight from our overview, but its the core of our success. Apply the GO MOM! Schedule. Organize. Grow. formula and give yourself 4 to 6 weeks to settle in. First, work with a schedule that monitors all family members and provide structure and a sense of order. Second, use your new found time to better organize your home and the way your families lives within it. Finally, enjoy the success found in both committing and protecting time by making room in your life for the joy that comes from spending time together. Know in your heart that raising your family is truly the most important job any woman can ever have and rise to the challenge.

Thanks Molly for stopping by today!
Molly is giving away a copy of her School Organizer to one lucky winner! So, if you would like to win it, leave a comment sharing one organization tip that has worked for you. I will randomly choose a winner on Friday.
To see the School Organizer (and some of her other products), go to this link:
http://www.gomominc.com/aboutproducts.html
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17 comments:

DeniseLynn said...

Oh I would love to win her school organizer! I was just at hearts at Home in Grand Rapids - wow what a fabulous spririt lifting time. One things that has worked for my family is that I finally started keeping a diaper bag/tote bag packed and ready to go. I keep it on the bench at the back door so it's ready to go when we are. At the end of the day I got through it quickly taking out any pacifiers that need to be washed, trash that may have ended up there (thus keeping my van a little less cluttered too) and replacing any items that need be. It's a large tote with plenty of pockets; room for diapers for the baby and note pads and pencils for the 1st grader. Taking the time to pay attention to that little detail sue has helped me get out the door with less stress.

Glad I spent time at the Proverbs 31 table this weekend and glad I now have your blog to read and be inspired. Thanks!

Caribbean Cindy said...

I love this organizer, too!! One thing that has been a big help to me is keeping a pantry list right on the inside of my cabinet doors letting me know what I have and what I need. You can get these lists and other great forms here: http://www.organizedhome.com/ Thanks for your great blog.
cindyjenkins07@gmail.com

Ariel Allison Lawhon said...

Toss my name in the hat!

Since I'm not organized by nature, one of the things that helps me is tossing anything I haven't used in six months (except for kitchen items such as waffle makers or platters). And if an item of clothing hasn't been worn in that season it goes to GoodWill. This keep our closets and laundry hamper under control.

Stephanie said...

Oh how I need more organization in my life! One way I "organize" is having a box to keep papers my kids bring home from school each day. If it's something I think I may want to keep I toss it in the box. I go through the box every few months and toss what I don't feel "sentimentally" attached to anymore.

Anonymous said...

One way I organize homeschooling is to print off a list of the weekly assignments for each child and attach it to a clipboard. The kids check-off when complete and I know where they are in the day. They don't have to ask what is next, they can even work ahead(lol).

Fruitful Harvest said...

I'm not orgainized, so I really need to win this planner! There are probely things I do that look organized so I will share....or should I say confess...my children(I have6)get dressed for church the night before. Who needs PJ's?
I make and freeze peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches for that quick sack lunch to go.
My baby eats all her meals in just a diaper to save on the laundry,I just wipe her down in the kitchen sink.
I use my crock pot about 4 nights a week. Throw the frozen meat in in the morning, turn the dial to and high,dinner... check.

Thats how I operate~
Peace, Georgiann
littlepeasinmypodforgod@gmail.com
ourfruitfulharvest.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I made a simple calendar page that has a box for appts, my goals, my husband's goals, and any misc. stuff that comes up. I also plan our dinners for the week. This way I can see at a glance the little things that I've got going on. I can ask my husband to get the suitcases out Wed. so I can pack them Thurs. for our trip Fri, for example, and he can do the same, and that way we keep ourselves accountable to what's happening in our household.

Anonymous said...

we have our house spearated into daily cleaning sones to keep on top of the stay at home homeschooling family mess that can erupt if left unattended...this way at leastone room of the houseis clean at the end of the day!

K said...

I keep a running list of questions for the pediatricians in a small notebook in my purse. When I am at their office, I write down the date, child's or children's weights and the like, and ask all my questions. It keeps me from thinking, "I forgot to ask..." Thanks for the great information on your blog!

Dawn Sodini said...

Wow, what an amazing thing a planner for Mom's! I would love to win it. I am only somewhat organized. My organization only goes so far- my work planner is seperate from my bills, etc.

My bills though I file the paid bills in the top drawer of the 2 drawer file cabinet. I keep column pad listing the monthly bills, monthly amount due date as well as the debt at the bottom, in the bottom file cabinet drawer. The six columns are labeled Jan thru June and July thru Dec. At a glance I can see what has been paid and what the current amount of debt is. I keep current bills and a piece of notebook paper (with which bills get paid which week for the current month) inside the column pad.

This organizer would be so helpful as we have just begun homeschooling. I know that whomever wins is going to be so happy!!!

Ann Voskamp @Holy Experience said...

Yes, count me in too! I need all the help I can get!

Organizational Tip:
Color code all the things in the calendar-- kids stuff in red, Mom stuff in green, Dad stuff in black, Family stuff in blue...

Works for me! ~warm smile~

Much, MUCH love to you, Marybeth!

Melissa said...

I so desperately need the school planner to keep track of the hundreds of papers that my son brings home from school.

I'm the unorganized daughter of a very organized mother! I'm working right now on becoming more organized. Living in a two story house I'm forever picking up things downstairs that should be living upstairs. So I've started using a clothes basket to put those things in during the course of a day and then at night I bring them all up at once and put them away. It's a small thing but I'm amazed at how many steps it saves me.

Wrinkled Shirts said...

I wish I could leave an organizing tip but I need so much help in this area that I am clueless. Starting next week I go back to work full time. I haven't had a full time job (besides mommy) in 8 years. I'm very excited about it but a little frightened because of this organization thing. How in the world will I keep the house clean, laundry done, and healthy meals on the table? HELP!

Anonymous said...

I left a full-time public job about 5 years ago and seemed to rebel against the planner! Recently though I've gotten into the habit of writing everything down. At least this way I'm not stressed out about missing something anymore...my kids have even picked up on writing their stuff in too.

Liz said...

One thing I've done is get those little plastic pencil cases (like 20 of them) because they stack so nicely, and they're see-through-ish. And then I've labeled them for different school supplies and then stacked them on a shelf ("glue sticks", "colored pencils", "index cards", "paintbrushes", etc.). That has made our school room much easier to use and keep neat and organized.
elisarose at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

Organization has pretty much been evasive to me, but I believe I'm finally on the upswing. This could really help me pull it together. :)

Jennifer said...

Wow, what a great idea...a planner made especially for moms (hopefully I am not too late to enter the contest...it is Friday at 1:30 but even if I am this was fun and the organizational tips were awesome). I have to be honest when I say I am not organized at all but hope to be one day. The closest thing to organization I do is keep little ziploc baggies on the "shelf" above my stove to keep up with all of the box tops, soup labels, and water labels my son's school collects. The school asks that we turn them in in baggies with the child's name on it so as soon as I fill one up I get out another and prep it for when it is full. Another thing is the organization of my "home party business" where I keep an accordian file full of all the paperwork, catalogs, prize entries, etc. I need for my parties. When I first started I just had piles of things I carried in and boy did that make it difficult and probably made me look pretty unprofessional too. Now I have a nice embroidered bag with my name on it that I carry my product in and a pretty file/accordian folder that organizes all my stuff...I "look" like I am really with it...haha.