chemo brain

If you have been following our little blog for a while now, you already know that my sister-Niki (I'm Shannon) was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma on December 21, 2011. ((a little over a year ago!)) We then had the craziest year! Niki started {and finished} radiation and chemo therapy- yep, both in under a year. wow. She currently has good blood work and scans, but has not been given the "cancer free" all clear yet, but we are thankful for her current good health and keep our fingers crossed everyday.
 Anyway the moral of the post....one of the things that a lot of people talked about was "chemo brain". We are now serious believers. And I think I caught it too...maybe it rubbed off from her or the cancer center? Basically they say that you are just super forgetful and well for lack of a more intelligent word, spaztastic. okay, maybe that was a made up word. Either way, chemo brain is totally a real thing.

And so because of our collective chemo brain, we require a lot of to do lists and notes, and more lists, and checklists, and planners, and reminders....you get the idea. We're quite the situation. Presently I am carrying two planners around with me, and have been for a few weeks now. I know, real cool.

To demonstrate the severity of the situation, please enjoy these photos:

It is totally okay to obsessively plan your menu based on what is in the sale ads :) And then come home only to realize that you need an advanced degree to be crafty enough to fit everything into your tiny apartment freezer.

I have a weekly cleaning checklist- (like this one)

 And an overall cleaning checklist like this:

They are both stored in the home maintenance section of my home management binder but are referenced daily to keep me on track!

I also have a full page running to do list that I don't actually use that often now that I made these little cuties to keep with my planner.

It matches the theme of our new home management binder documents, but the bright theme works well with my bright yellow planner. I am in to lots of bright colors lately.

We have also been known to keep an arsenal of different sizes, shapes, and colors of post it notes.

Since Niki has little kidlets, she also gets to have special kid to do lists- I made these little cuties for her. They are just stuck to her fridge with magnets. easy peasy.

You may also notice that they match the new home management binder theme. That was not an accident. I planned that beauty. They will match the home management binder that Niki WILL be making. She is forced, but I know she will love it, so it's okay.

And since it also happens to be the beginning of the month, that means it's time to fill out all your calendars, planners, lists, etc. It makes me almost giddy. And because of the new year, it means a new wall calendar! woo-hoo! I made wall calendars for myself, my sister, and our mom this year. I think I did okay for my first time.

 A new calendar for my desk at school--

A brand new 2013 planner- I made a few changes from the one I made part way through last year, but it is essentially the same.  I have already found wonderful inspiration for next years- almost kicking myself for being so prompt and having mine done before I saw some of these other wonderful planners.

Jot down a few goals for the week--

Make plans and notes for the week---

In other completely unrelated news...this little cutie got added to my desk at school after Christmas (a gift from my mommy) I have never had a desk at work to display photos on, so why not go digital and have a ton of photos in one small space :)

And for you, in celebration of Niki's 1 year cancer anniversary: a bright shiny new to do list :)

  Just click the image to download your FREE copy from Dropbox. This download will be available for a limited time only, so grab yours today!

Have a great weekend everyone!