In these Pandemic times, I have found that I still love using my planner.  It looks a little bit different from a month ago, but not all that much. I have very few appointments, and the ones I do have don't involve leaving the house, but I still have things in life to plan, you know... all the essential things to keep my household moving along. I am spending more time on Meal Planning, Housekeeping, Cooking, and Gardening. These are the things I do to keep our lives running smoothly.  Let me walk you through how my planner looks for April. I am using the Standard size dori insert here. First up is my monthly view. This is one that I always have to have, no matter what is going on in life. I use it for pre-planning all those appointments and reminders, however this month I have had to cancel and cross off quite a few things. This is ok with me because I do keep my inserts as a memory keeper and it will be a true reflection of life right now. I do love getting creative with this page and decorating it to reflect the theme of the monthly kit, This months kit is Up And Away. My weekly pages are looking a bit more empty right now as I am not working, but I still need to log in and approve my timecard and do a few things to ensure I still get paid. I am taking advantage of the extra space by adding in lots of decorative stickers. I still have enough room to add some daily tasks related to housekeeping, cooking, and gardening. For my meal planning, it looks a little different these days. I am using the tip-in on the right side to plan the week's meals. Since some food items are harder to come by, I have been getting a bit more creative and planning backward. First, I start by assessing what I have in the freezer and pantry that I can use and then choosing meals around them. When I make my grocery list, it is more of a wish list for items that we frequently use and then I just have to see what is available. This is working out well and is a fun way to stretch your skills in the kitchen. The center section of my booklet is being used as my creative memory keeper. There are usually four or five spreads in the middle of the dori book that make a great place to add photos, stickers, and die cuts to create a memory. I find that this is just enough space for me and my family since there isn't too much going on to document right now. I added some of the FREE COVID-19 printables from the shop to help document this month. The last section of my insert is being used for daily gratitude. I honestly have so much to be grateful for and it's become even more clear to me how much I take for granted. I try to write down at least one thing each day and include a little bit about why I am grateful, or what happened that day to make me grateful. It really helps me to get into a positive mindset. I love to add cute dashboards to my planner as well. Cocoa Daisy does an amazing job of giving us encouraging sayings in the form of pocket cards, stickers, and die cuts in every single kit. They work so well in my planner to help create those little reminders to be positive and grateful, not to mention that the act of getting crafty is great for my mood and a distraction from everything else for a while. Click here for a YouTube walkthrough of this set-up I hope you are using your planner and loving it in different ways right now. We will get through this together! Keep on crafting and find the joy in each day. You can find me on Instagram. Until next time... Callie :)