Jooners: Free Website for Busy Parents, Room Moms, Life

You know how Evite makes it so easy to plan a bbq, potluck or other informal party? Now there's a website that makes organizing our children's packed schedules and coordinating with other parents just as easy: Jooners.

Jooners is especially for parents that have to coordinate class parties, car pools, snack duty, preschool co-oping, meals for new parents, events, lists, sports schedules, etc. with other parents. I have found that managing all of the obligations and expectations of service in my kids' preschool, church, sports and clubs can be a full time job (like I need another one.) Jooners was developed specifically to make it all easier and the online planners are a godsend.

And it's TOTALLY FREE.

Rather than send a trillion confusing e-mails and reply-alls that no one understands, simply have your fellow parents log-on to the shared file. Now immediately everyone knows that Jane is doing snacks on Tuesday, that Saturday soccer is in the west field, that Mark has signed up to chaperone the pumpkin patch trip, that the Johnsons have already received 10 lasagnas since the new baby arrived.

You can also load your school or organization's calendar to Jooners and make it accessible to your list, saving you the annoyance of having to develop a website and online calendar for the club from scratch.

Just sign up, send the link to your fellow parents and relax. Here's a quick one pager on the software's function, a short video tour to help you learn the site and here are some links to get you started:

• Create email groups for your contacts, e.g. soccer team, classroom parents, neighborhood
• Get volunteers signed up for your sport or club snack schedule
• Set up a calendar for each of your family members
• Organize the class Halloween party
  

See? Being room mom doesn't have to be that bad!