Thursday, January 9, 2014

Giveaway - Erin Condren Planner!

(THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED - I will announce the winner shortly, after I clean up the entries and run them through Random.org)


People who read my facebook page know that I got some good news regarding my latest scan.  I will elaborate in another post, but essentially, all of my organs look normal and there don't appear to be any new metastases, and the ones I have currently are unchanged. There is some to-be-expected swelling in the area of treatment but essentially, I'm stable.

This, naturally, is incredibly good news.  2014 is THE year - it was the goal I set for myself when I found out I had mets.  You all know I wanted to see my son graduate high school, which he will do this May -  3 years after my metastatic diagnosis.  And, life continues to give us surprises.  This year my stepdaughter is having a baby so my first grandchild will be born in March.  I will have my 20th wedding anniversary in September. Of course, I want to be around for all of these special moments that mark our passage through life - and with this latest scan, it looks like that is a distinct possibility probability.

All of it.

I'm well aware I'm on the roller-coaster ride of my life, and when there is an up, there will be a down.  This is an incurable illness and it is inevitable that the ride will change course.  However, I have great hope that the down will not be for a while. Perjeta, Herceptin, and SBRT have been miraculous for me.  And, they are new and nobody knows how long they could work.  Maybe a decade, maybe 3 more months.  But whatever it is, there is another therapy when this one stops working, and so 2014 - I can imagine my life all through this year

So, how to celebrate?  A movie?  Hard to get my boys to Frozen.  A meal out?  Still struggling with appetite.  Champagne?  I don't drink. Hmmm.....

To celebrate my news, to let me know she believes I have time, a wonderful friend of mine named Koryn sent me a darling 16 month calendar, which I promptly put up.  Our family uses a calendar religiously - we all write what we have going on so that when we make plans we can take everybody's schedule into consideration.  I was tempted to keep hers just for myself but as January came around and we were putting things on sticky notes, I shared.

I love office supplies, I love writing things down to be organized.  Chemo has completely destroyed my short term memory so it HAS to go down on paper or it's gone.  I have some old planners from my work days that I enjoy looking through - it's fun to see what I did when.  It also helps when you scrapbook.  And, I suddenly realized what I needed in addition to the family calendar - a day planner.

What says "I've got stuff to do and am going to live to do it" more than a personal planner?

So, which one to get?  I wanted a nice one - if it falls apart than I'll start reading bad stuff into it, like I might have a bad scan or something (yeah, even the most practical person in the world can have superstitions), so it has to be strong.  It has to have a ring binder so I can lay it flat in my scrapbooking desk (which is clear glass and I can see what's underneath).  I wanted stickers and tabs.  I started looking at them on YouTube and saw the Filofax, and the Daytimer, but they seemed a bit clunky.  I don't want leather, or anything bulky.

Then I came across one by Erin Condren.  And, my breath was taken away.  They are insanely beautiful and something you can be proud to carry around or leave out in your house.  More importantly, these life planners are customized.  And, when I say customized, I mean it.
Check that out - not only are their covers laminated and strong, in this design you can choose your own words and phrases.  As a cancer patient living with end-stage disease, I might choose words like "Now, Moment, Live, Thrive, Love, Intention" to remind me to live in the day. Somebody who had cancer treatment, completed it, and whose goal it to move past it emotionally may choose words that remind them to do that:  "Health, Lifetime, Forward, Fearless, Survive, Courage" or whatever words remind you of what you want to achieve.  You can never forget having had cancer, but you don't have to live in fear of relapse, so you can choose whatever words bring you strength and resolve.

It works for anything: if you are trying to lose weight, get in shape, eat healthy, use those words, "Clean, Exercise, Walk, Sunlight, Strength, Energy, Slim."  If you are trying to quit smoking, "Fresh Air, Stop, Breathe, Unnecessary, Pure......" Those are just a few ideas but experts often suggest to write goals on sticky notes and put them where you can see them daily, such as on your bathroom mirror.   You visualize it, think about it, distill it, break it down into achievable bits.  Having a cover of a planner with words you see every single day that spur you to get what you want can only be helpful.  Or, you can just put things you love there, as the person who designed the one above did.  Family names, favorite places - anything.

But that is not the only cover.  You can get patriotic ones, you can get a gerbera daisy (like my logo), there are chevrons, and flowers and many lovely designs, there is even a pink ribbon if you swing that way. You can add your own photo, or a collage of photos, you can pick your own colorway. You can select your first name, your monogram, your initials, whatever you like.  For a bit more money, there is even a stunningly beautiful one with expensive gold letterpress that comes in four colors (this is turquoise):



But.....there's more.   There are the life planners, which is what I want, but there are wedding planners, and teacher planners and college planners.

The stickers I wanted are there, 240 of them, everything from birthdays to mani/pedi.   Even that is customizable - you can add on and select words to match regular events in your own life.  For example,  I will chose "chemo" "scan" "MUGA"  "prescription refill" etc.  (How exciting, eh?)

You can get photo stickers - lots of them.  Put your mom/best friend/husband/dogs face on a sticker and put it on their birth date or any important even involving them. 

There are also matching notepads you can add that attach to the back, and there is a plastic sleeve to keep items in.  Keep a notepad in your purse and scribble notes on it and you can transfer it at home if you like. Also you can add on a pen holder or band to hold your planner together.  And, of course, there are inspirational quotes inside.

The actual planner part is perfect for me.  There is a month at a glance and then you have the week by week, but instead of every hour, it's divided into morning, afternoon, and evening, which is much handier for me who is not tied to the exact time, and whose handwriting is too big, I can never fit it on those little lines.  There are plenty of places for notes and reminders and scribbles - it's 200 plus pages.  There is a zip bag in the back for your pen and washi tape, and pockets for receipts.  The planner is 7.25 x 9.25, which is a good size for purses and/or a desk.

A paper planner may seem strange to some, and even to those who know me, because I'm completely tied to my iPhone.  But our family relies on that shared, posted calendar - we have never used the shared phone calendars because my husband is very non-techny and my teen wants privacy.   So we keep a calendar in a central area of the house and use it. Other "old-fashioned" things I like include scrapbooking, writing things down, keeping track of goals and thoughts, and I adore office supplies, which I know is a strange thing to like, but as a former secretary, it is ingrained in me to believe that those sticky notes and special things will help you become organized.  I cannot think of a more beautiful way to do this than with this Erin Condren planner.

I know this post sounds like a commercial but you all know I only do this when I truly love a product. (And I have a couple more exciting things to tell you about this year).

 I know that all of my readers are going to love this as much as I do.  I know a lot of you have had cancer or know people who have had cancer.  I know that a lot of you are dealing with chemo-brain and struggling with the same things I am - how fleeting our thoughts have become, managing our many appointments, struggling with staying optimistic while trying to do as much as we can to live a normal life.  If you are new to cancer, trust me, you are gong to have more appointments than you ever thought possible, and if you have metastatic cancer, you still have appointment after appointment and you, of all people, deserve beautiful things as well as the belief in time.  You also need a place to keep notes to your family for when you are gone. (I have a book of my passwords but sometimes I think, "Oh, I need to tell them this...and it is gone by the time I see somebody, so writing it in a planner and letting them know that's where to look for things is a good idea).

Why not wrangle all this stuff with a gorgeous planner?   Why not customize it to match your life?

For those who have asked me what to get their friends who have been newly diagnosed - I think it would also be a great gift.  Trust me, they will use it, they have so much coming at them so quick....a personalized planner with messages of inspiration can only be helpful and loved.

Because I thought it was so lovely, and would be so helpful no matter our stage of cancer (or stage of life)  I contacted the folks at Erin Condren and asked if they would run a contest on my blog. I have only done that a couple times in the history of this blog, (the last time was with SugarWish,) and I was very thankful when the Erin Condren people said yes!

So, one of my lucky winners is going to get $50.00 gift card to buy anything on Erin Condren's site!  And, once you get one, I will get one for my planner!  You don't have to stick to a planner, she has other lovely things, such as candles, cremes, stationary, other personalized items.  But the planner is THE thing that I think says "You are going to live this year" and like a calender, is a good gift for a cancer patient.  It shows that you trust they have things to plan.

All you have to do is like Erin Condren on facebook.  Or, instagram, or twitter, or preferably all three.  But definitely facebook.

Here is a funny story:  After researching planners,  I saw their product.  I saw the possibilities for all of us cancer patients, and then contacted them, asking for the contest and telling them I thought I could bring them some new facebook likes.

I did that before I looked at their facebook page - and saw that they already had 76,634k fans.

Oops.

To their credit, they didn't laugh at me, they took me seriously and offered the contest.  So, show them that we in the cancer community can bring them some likes.  Then come back here and post a comment about something you might personalize about this planner.  I will use random.org to draw a winner next Thursday. Comments close on January 16th at 10:00 pm PST so that gives a full week to win this wonderful prize.



~~~~
Some Housekeeping.......

One of the winners of the Medication Management System has never contacted me, so reader Melinda Payne, please contact me at butdoctorihatepink AT gmail DOT com with your address and I'll have one sent out to you.

Also, please don't forget to vote for me in Healthline's Best Blog's Contest.  There is a badge in the upper right corner of my blog, just leave this page open and click daily.  There are only 11 days left until the winner is announced.  Please vote daily, get your family and friends and neighbors and be that annoying person who bugs strangers to vote for other strangers.   The money will go to my son's college fund, which we will tap this year.  (He still has straight As, for all of his semesters of high school; I'm so proud!)  We just finished his college applications.....and....OMG.  That was a shock.  I had no idea that colleges charged that much just to apply.  I suspect we'll have more sticker shock coming and every bit helps. So please vote!

48 comments:

  1. Sounds like a fabulous planner. I still write stuff down, too.

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  2. As a fellow stage IV sister (5 years 5 months) and a new photographer I would love one of the life planners which I would personalize with one of my favorite photographs!

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  3. I would love the planner! I have nothing to plan with.

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  4. I had one of Erin's planners years ago...and LOVED it! Thanks for the chance to win one!

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  5. I would love a planner. My life has now become a series of doctor appointments.

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  6. Beautiful and functional planners by Erin Condren!

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  7. Paper products? Planners? I'm there! <3

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  8. Another fab-u-lous idea Ann! I love the symbolism of your friend getting you a 16 month calendar. I use my Outlook calendar but no iPhone yet so things get mucked up. I could use a planner for many things, including blog ideas (I always carry paper and a pen b/c I don't remember anything either). Thanks for running the contest!

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  9. Hi Ann! I would love to win a planner with the word courage on the front! So happy for you and your good news.

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  10. So happy about your good news. That planner sounds great. After my breast cancer diagnosis in 2008 (stage 2 ILC) I promised myself to never let another year go by without taking a week for a vacation adventure. I've kept that promise and have made such lovely memories and always look forward to where we are going next. Perfect job for a planner! Elaine Fazio-Mercado

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  11. CONGRATULATIONS on your great news Ann! I would love one of the Ann Condren Planners - they are beautiful and although I use online planning tools, I have always loved a paper planner so that I can see what I enter at a glance.

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  12. Thanks for the chance to enter. I have been following your blog since my diagnosis of stage 3 IDC in June 2012. Read all the way from your beginning! I want to thank you for your humor and your candidness (is that a word?). You have helped me in my journey. My planner would include inspirational quotes. Kendra

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  13. Ann so happy for you and your family regarding your latest news and labs. Here's to 2014! Oh, and I liked the FB page. I am a disorganized dyslexic so I would use it to start a new year organized. For however many minutes that lasts!

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  14. Great news, Ann!!! Love your blog and would love a planner. My words would be: Be present, show up, live for today, plan for tomorrow...

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  15. happy new year ann !! you made my day with the fantastic news of STABLE......you go girl !! i would love a planner.....i would love to have something that gives me a focus outside cancer....such as art and all the beautiful things in nature around us. nicola

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  16. This is great! I liked their page! If I won I would probably use it to get the planner. I went white water kayaking a few years ago and we had an activity where we had 2 rocks, on 1 we wrote things we struggle with or wanted to get rid of in our lives and on the other we wrote our strenghts. So in that fashion I would put powerful beyond measure on the front of the planner.

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  17. I would love to use a planner like this to stay positive since diagnosis

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  18. Such wonderful news about your scan and about the brightness of your year ahead. So many exciting milestones! YAY you! ;-)

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  19. New fan here and I am so happy about your good news! And I voted and will do it every day! Thanks for this giveaway. I live in a 24/7 Lupus Brain Fog so I would love a planner to write things down. zuzu.wilson(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  20. Great news about your scan, and wonderful to have goals!
    I would love to win a planner and personalize it with a special verse!

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  21. I would love to give it to my sister who husband has just recieved some bad news. He is just starting his path in this world and she will be the one to take care of everything.

    Judi in Reno

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  22. Thank you so much for the chance! If I were to win, I think I'd personalize it with a favorite Bible verse :)

    email- celeste@mail4me.com

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  23. Congrats on the great news - I have been voting! The planners are beautiful as well!

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  24. I would use the planner to keep track of where my family of 4 needs to be on a daily basis...sometimes 4 different places at one time!!

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  25. I think everyone woman needs a planner for her purse! I use my calendar on the iPhone too but some habits I just can't break. I have to be able to jot things down in my planner. Appointments, notes, special dates.. I'd personalize one with all of the POSITIVE quotes I keep.

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  26. I'd love to win a planner!!! I need to keep track of my kids activities as well as my various appointments.

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  27. I love paper planners because I never fully trust my electronic ones! I would use the planner to keep track of all of my own boring appointments, and all of my kids' fun activities! Have a great day!

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  28. SO mean to send me over to that site! Now I want EVERYTHING!!!!

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  29. I have been voting, thanks for the reminders! I would love to win a gift card to this website, what beautiful planners, I would use them to manage my 5 kids activities and schedules!

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  30. I would love this planner to keep track of all my personal and professional commitments. I take care of my 91 year old mom so have to keep track of her dr's appts as well as my own and my Dove Chocolate party bookings and activities. It would really help to keep it all in one place.

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  31. Hey, Anne! Love the planner but love your blog more! I know you're gonna win the blog contest! Fingers crossed!

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  32. This is Nancy K White and not good at this but love your site I vote everyday if I can and love the planners..is a great idea..you inspire me my friend ...love your writing.

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  33. So glad I found your blog. Recurrence found in December and gearing up for Round 2! I'm glad I'm not the only office supply geek! If I win, I will put in BOLD letters my daughter's wedding in October! Can't wait! Voting for you and so hope you win :)

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  34. I'm not sure how I would personalize one, but I'd love to win!

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  35. First, I'd personalize it with my kids!

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  36. I would personalize it for my best friend of more than 30 years. She absolutely loves this kind of stuff, and I get teary just thinking how happy it would make her.

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  37. I'd personalize it with my grandkids designs.

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  38. I have followed your blog since I was diagnosed with stage IIIA IDC in May 2012. Would love this planner to keep track of my daughters' various activities and my doc's appointments - the turquoise is beautiful!

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  39. I would personalize it with calming words and bible verses to keep my anxiety from school (or what I see is coming up in my planner ;-P) at bay!

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  40. Congrats on your great news! You have so much to look forward to in 2014! I've never seen those planners before but they are beautiful.
    Robbi

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  41. I tried posting a comment to this twice yesterday from my phone and it would. Name is Amanda B.

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  42. Entry for Jennifer Meconi Hughes, who is unable to post.

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  43. I liked their page. Ann, congrats on the wonderful news from the latests scans.

    I'd love to win a planner to help keep this family of 5 from forgetting important things like tests, doctor visits, labs, and concerts.

    Susan

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  44. The planner is absolutely perfect! I would gift the planner, if I win, to my sister, who was diagnosed stage 3 this summer. She just completed 6 months of chemo and is now entering radiation stage. I will be taking her every day. She's been trying to work as much as she can while at home but it's been difficult with concentrating due to "chemo brain" and stress. I know this beautiful planner, with it's ease of use and "funness" will be just the ticket to help her. Bless you, Ann, for offering this contest and to Erin Condren! Congratulations also for your normal reports! Keep looking forward!

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  45. Entry for Natalie Cervantes who also is unable to comment.

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  46. Love these! Thanks for finding them! Exactly what I need yo get my life in order

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  47. I love paper planners! They're my favorite. I would love to personalize mine with photos of my husband, son, and dog!

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  48. This is Jules and I#m writing from Germany. I would give this gift card for a personalized life planner to a dear friend who has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer one year ago. She's a mother of three and I love her positive attitude. As her doctor told her she probably had only 12 months to live she said that she has other plans and appreciates his honesty, but would like to hear all that is supportive and encouraging rather than the dark things she is aware of herself but does not want them to rule her life. I would let herself personalize her own planner as she knows what she wants :)

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