Mum's Office BIG Family School Year Diary - A Review

As Bud starts nursery in September and will be attending for five mornings a week I know that I'm going to have a whole new list of dates and times to remember. I'm a firm believer in 'if it's not in the book, it isn't happening' and my diary is the family bible for all of our events and appointments. When Mum's Office offered to send me their BIG Family School Year Diary to review I knew it would be the perfect way to help to get my family organised for our first academic year together.


The BIG Family School Year Diary is designed to offer busy families an easy way to keep on track of your family's appointments. It measures 24cm by 19cm and has 196 pages. The diaries are available in three colours - Peppermint (the colour I received), Raspberry and Blackberry and have a leather effect which looks really stylish and attractive. It's the sort of diary you would feel very pleased to get out on the school run. It is a large diary (slightly bigger than A5) but most mums have big handbags or changing bags and it would fit perfectly in one of those.

So, looking great as it does, the proof of a diary is in how good the pages are. You need to make sure that it has the necessary tools to keep everything together. I think this diary does a very good job of this. Sections include:
Need to Know - including a brilliant section to write those important numbers down in case you lose your mobile phone.
Important - somewhere to record personal information for the family and dates you need to remember.
Our Plans - this section has calendars and planners for longer term plans including travel plans.
Our Week - a place to record all of those 'set in stone' events, like after school classes and clubs that happen every week.
This Week - A page across two pages, one of which offers space for each day, and one which has a grid format so you can record events for each family member.


When you combine the sections with two grosgrain ribbon page markers, the large pocket on the rear inside cover for storing important pieces of paper, a handy loop for your pen (no point in having a diary with nothing to write with) and the elastic closure you end up with a diary that really does work well for a busy family. The BIG Family School Year Diary covers thirteen months, from August 2013 to August 2014 so you won't need any other diary until the next school year starts.

I love stationery and I have very high standards for diaries and planners. The BIG Family School Year Diary meets them well. I have space for everything I will need to record for me, my partner and our little people and the diary is attractive, a colour that I love and great quality that feels pleasant to use. I'd definitely recommend them to other busy mums.

The BIG Family School Year Diary is available to buy from Mum's Office, priced at £16:95 which I think represents value for money. It is excellent quality and provides the tools you need to help parents to organise their busy families.

Disclaimer: I received this diary free of charge for the purpose of an open and honest review.