Mom's Ultimate Family Organizer

Price: $24.95 plus S&H.

What it does: Organizes all of your family's schedules and information in one spot.

How it makes your life easier: Created by a working mom with two kids, this organizer serves as a one-stop spot for all of your organizing needs. The thick three-ring binder is divided into five areas: On the Calendar, Family 411, The Best-Laid Plans, She's Making a List and Resources and Recommendations. In between you'll find customizable calendars that offer monthly and weekly views complete with spaces for notes, dinner plans and kids' activities; a three-month summer calendar and a separate birthday tracker to record birthdays throughout the year. There are pages for recording emergency contact information, household contractors, favorite restaurants, recyclable dinner menus, party planning, vacation checklists and more. Throughout the binder you'll find wisdom from moms and tips such as how to organize a family emergency kit and how to plan the perfect children's party. One of the book's greatest assets is a series of perforated lists labeled To Do, To Remember, Weekly Menu, Grocery List, Out the Door, Short-term Checklist and more, as well as scripted, fill-in-the-blank notes to the teacher, baby-sitter forms and sticky notes.

Who would use it: Parents, caregivers or the family organizer.

Where to get it: www.mommytrackd.com (Enter the code OBSERVER10 at checkout for 10 percent off your entire order)

Joyce Clark hicks

joyce.hicks@newsobserver.com or (919) 829-8908

Zen master

Lifelong California gardener Wendy Johnson is bringing her hands-on knowledge to Durham. On Sept. 15 at 7 p.m., Johnson will discuss and sign copies of her new book, 'Gardening at the Dragon's Gate: At Work in the Wild and Cultivated World' at the Regulator Bookshop (720 Ninth St.). For more than 30 years, Johnson has been gardening at Northern California's famous Green Gulch Farm Zen Center. The book describes Johnson's seven guiding gardening principles and her obvious love of nature's bounty. The event is free. Call 286-2700 for details.

Lower your bills

With summer waning and cooler air on its way, you can use cool fall breezes to cut your bills. Raleigh reader and savvy saver Marvin Woll chimes in with these tips:

Late at night or early in the morning check the outside temperature. If it is 71 degrees or lower, put a box fan in your window and push or pull the cool air through your house for an hour or two. You will immediately notice your thermostat fall by five or six degrees. The next day your main air conditioning unit will come on at 4 or 5 p.m. instead of 10 or 11 a.m.

This technique can reduce a 1,900-square-foot home's monthly electric bill by $20 or $30. It can reduce an apartment's electric bill by $10 per month. Over a year, these reductions will amount to hundreds of dollars.

Daylily sale delayed

Because of weather-related concerns, the Raleigh Hemerocallis Club's annual daylily sale, originally planned for today, has been reset for Sept. 13 at Sertoma Arts Center, 1400 W. Millbrook Road in Raleigh. Plants range from $2 to $9, and the sale begins at 8:30 a.m. Learn more about the club and its activities at www.ahsregion15.org/Clubs/Raleigh/.

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