We all wish we were more organized. Even the most organized among us, right? Or is that just my OCD self that thinks that? I am the person that wants a bin for a bin. 🙂 Well, ever since we moved to Dallas from San Antonio nearly 4 years ago, our schedules have gotten busier and planning and organizing events with our immediate and extended family (as well as friends), has only gotten more challenging. I try to stay on top of things with my iPhone calendar (iCal) and extend invites to my other iPhone carrying friends but it never fails that we have a miscommunication every so often.
Until I found the CURAGO app. This app is more than a calendar. It’s a an organizational platform. It differs from ICal, which is what I had been using in that it’s not just a calendar. A calendar is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to family organization, and CURAGO offers so much more. It’s not designed to replace ICal, but offers a more robust organizational system with flexible privacy options, shared lists and attachable photo features.
First things first: Add your immediate family (those that live in your household only, including children) to “my family” and then input daily schedule with invitations to those involved whether they be immediate family, extended family or friends. The visibility is in your control and the ability to share lists, details about events or last minute changes and to dos with them is all within this one app!
Real example: My husband Dustin and I have two children that are involved in several activities. Before CURAGO, all of our family’s events lived in ICal, so although we could view the calendar and see the list of events and basic details of time and location, we noticed that every afternoon involved a string of texts back and forth regarding the specific details of our events not typically included in a calendar such as transportation plans (and sometimes last minute changes), pick up and drop off details, sports equipment needed, snacks, carpool info, tuition payment, etc. Often that was multiple texts/phone calls and could interrupt our work days.
CURAGO’s commenting feature and attached list feature allows you to manage and communicate all of the details tied to your families activities in one location.
The biggest selling point for me was that CURAGO allows you to create separate accounts for your family members, including Jr. accounts for younger children. In iCal, your children’s events and activities exist on your calendar only and are only sharable with those that are included in your iCloud. CURAGO allows you to filter the view of the calendar to see what you want to see. You can see the entire family’s calendar as a whole or specific family members’. The flexible privacy settings are nice so that personal items you put on your own calendar are only viewable by you should you want that. And you can create events and share them in CURAGO with anyone, even those who do not have the app! (Though you do have to create an account to be able to view the event on your calendar and receive update notifications).
CURAGO app with filtered view on my husband’s calendar
Example:
Your child is in a play and you want to invite their grandparents and Aunts and Uncles. Click “add” and then click “event” and create a title for it and put the details in and set a reminder. After you click “done,” click “invite people.” First invite your family. This is your tribe, this will be you, your spouse, and all children in the household. This will add the event to all devices in the immediate family with the CURAGO app. Then in the grey box up top where you see the magnifying glass and email address, add any extended family or friends’ email address that you want to invite to the play. Once you have them all entered, click “send” and you’ll see your event created and your extended family will receive an invitation to the event in their email asking them to accept.
I can’t tell you how many times my husband and I have planned vacations assuming our in-laws or my parents will babysit. We have asked them over text and gotten the okay to book and then when we do, we find out they have a conflict. CURAGO has seriously come to my rescue for this.
And let’s be real. What do I really want to do more of? Run and spend time with my family. Not have my head buried in my phone planning the logistics of all of our events. So the more organized (with ease) I can have my family, the more time I can have to do what I want!
The one thing about your success with CURAGO (and mine) is that it best benefits you the more you share and utilize it. This app works best when all those that interact with your family use it. That’s the beauty of CURAGO!
It’s customizable, too! You can change the wallpaper on your home screen and make it fun and personable (see mine below)!
I’d love to hear what you think if you try it out! The best news is, it’s FREE in the App store! Download it today and check out their website for more info www.curagoapp.com
XOXO,
Jess
