We are in a very busy schedule right now, and it was important to me to capture the requests the kids throw at me at the oddest times.

Driving to gymnastics... "Mom, can you make french toast again some time?"

At the library... "Can we go to the aquarium again?"

At home at dinnertime... "Can we make the project in this magazine?"

One of my favorites.... "Can you buy me a balloon animal kit so I can learn to make balloon animals?"

Before, I would nod, change lanes at 70mph, drink some more caffeine, and try my best to remember what the kids had asked...but sure as the sun rises, five minutes later, I would forget.

I now have the "Striped Notebook." It could be any notebook, but this one is handy because it fits in my purse, and by calling it the Striped Notebook, the kids know which notebook to write in. All requests go in this notebook now...food requests, trip requests, gift ideas, all go in the notebook. They will ask something, and then I'll say, "That's a great idea! Put it in the notebook!" Project ideas from magazines have the magazine name, issue, and page number of the project put in the book.

Now, the time to get to the list is not guaranteed--but at least the kids feel like they have been heard, and I feel like I am giving them the seriousness of my attention--even if it is on paper, and looked at later.