Cozi Central Will Turn Us all Into Calendar Girls (and Boys)

OK, first of all what's not to love about a program that has a toll free number that you can call and get your grocery list read to you over the phone?!? This is just one of the features of Cozi Central, a free, downloadable and web based program consisting of a calendar, shopping lists, message centre and amazingly effective cell phone interface that are meant to centralize the complex schedules of the modern family. In other words I believe it can actually help me remember the days my son has play rehersals, and also remind me to pick up toilet paper. Why, it's just like having a wife!

One of the main features of Cozi Central is the online calander. After logging on you can post your family's appointments and events to the calendar which is color-coded for each family member. Each registered user can then log on from any computer, see what is on the schedule and then add events of their own if they'd like. If your kids are smart-asses like mine, expect to see things added like, "Disneyland" no less than twelve times in the next month and the appearance of "Mall" on almost every weekday after school. Also beware of the husband who may try and make birthday parties and any visits from your mother mysteriously disappear.

The shopping list is hands down my favorite part of the program, and the one feature I think I'll be using the most. I pride myself on my mammoth grocery lists, writing down everything I can think of that my family will need for the week. It's the cavewoman in me, except instead of going out and hunting or gathering food I drive to the store in my gas-guzzling minivan and bring everything home in plastic bags. My lists are invaluable on these excursions, but the only problem is I frequently forget them on the kitchen counter. Or I can't read my messy handwriting and end up buying three cans of Raid instead of a head of lettuce. On Cozi you can type out everything you need, categorizing them into grocery, wholesale and 'other', and then either print it out or send it as a text message to your phone. Or, the most brilliant part, as I've already demonstrated - you can call the toll-free number and have your list read to you.

I highly recommend giving Cozi Central a try. It's free, and takes only a few minutes to set up. I'm thinking it may be the first step in getting my family organized, and I like the fact that it gets everyone involved in the scheduling process. And with Mother's Day coming up the whole family will be able to see my entry for May 13, "Mother's Day - mom sleeping until noon."