Notebook Love

It’s the end of the year and time for a new Notebook.

I’ve always been a Writer of Lists. It keeps me focused and theoretically organized. The problem was, my lists were never in one place. My homeschooling plans were usually folded into the current Sonlight catalog and my to-do lists were lost in a pile of stuff to do. Holiday plans were who-knows-where.

After Rebecca died, I struggled with my short term memory. I’ve since learned that is a common symptom of grief. I couldn’t remember the simplest of details. The task of planning a funeral while living in a different country overwhelmed me. I started writing everything down. And I do mean everything. Whatever I wanted to remember, I wrote down in one notebook. Later I couldn’t, or wouldn’t, focus on anything more than two weeks in the future. I kept writing things down and it helped tremendously.

The notebook I was using was a steno pad we had around the house. When I filled that one, I bought a medium size 5 subject notebook. Each section was for a different kind of notes – random things, homeschool plans, upcoming projects, our upcoming move. Now I was able to find the information I needed quickly. The dividers even had pockets to keep small papers in. At the beginning of 2007, I started a new notebook with a different color cover.

But early this Fall, I was sitting planning the Brownie year with my co-leader, one of my 7 Friends Named Jen. Jen just happens to be practically identical to me, right down to our husbands who sing. She and her husband, and me and Philip are all working our way through Star Trek Deep Space 9 from Netflix, completely unknown to each other. Which doesn’t really have anything to do with anything, but I thought I’d mention it. Which makes twice I’ve mentioned Deep Space Nine on my blog, so I’m afraid I’m starting to look like a Trekker/Trekkie/Big Geek. Which I’m not. Really.

What was I saying? Oh yes…Jen and her notebook.

Jen has a notebook, too, of course, being the Me that lives in New Housing. Except she doesn’t just have a notebook, she uses a Circa. The best was to describe a circa is that it’s the versatility of a three-ring binder with the slimness of a spiral notebook. But better. With a Circa, you can move pages around however you want. You can use any size paper. Did you write an address down on a scrap of paper? Just punch it with the special Circa punch and add it to your notebook. And with no heavy binder rings to bother with, your Circa notebook stays lightweight, slim and portable. Here, go watch the video. I’ll wait.

I’ve wanted a Circa system for years, but they are expensive to get started. But watching Jen moving her pages around her notebook sealed the deal.

When we went on our Disney Cruise, Boo and Pumpkin Girl wanted autograph books. My plan was to carefully remove the pages to include the autographs with the characters pictures in our scrapbook. Phil recommended making circa books, brilliant man. They worked wonderfully. I used scrabooking cardstock and each autograph will just pop right out of the book when I’m ready.

Ok, so I’ve gone on and on about the Circa notebook. I’ve got more to say, but I’ll save it for tomorrow. Let me just fill you in on how to get a Circa system. Right now the best place to get them is through Levenger. If you have a store near you, go in and have them make you a sample book, in your choice of sizes, for free. It’ll be small, but you’ll get the covers and rings that you’ll need to get started, plus a sampler of paper. Close your eyes and buy the punch, and you can punch whatever cheap paper you can find and be all set. Or, order online. They’ve got a $40 sampler that comes with a $40 gift card. You’ll be all set and you can use the gift card to buy that expensive punch or a really nifty leather cover.

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