As a single parent with two kids in elementary school, my life is in constant disarray -- usually it's that way because I'd rather bury my head in the sand and pretend certain situations don't exist.  The truth is, it's totally self-inflicted -- and it's been going on for YEARS, even before I had children.

Since having Ethan and Mary, I've had plenty of keen ideas on how to start <a id="aptureLink_nrjIqESXgI" href="http://www.aboutone.com/">getting organized</a>; unfortunately, after a short period of time the excitement would wane and I'd be back at Square One again.  Very often, my disorganization came with a hefty price: for a number of years, I would consistently lose Ethan's birth certificate and I'd have to order a copy to present every time I'd enroll him in daycare or school.  At $15 per copy, it was money that could have been spent better elsewhere.  I've even lost papers pertaining to tax returns and court papers from my divorce hearing. I finally started forcing myself to put those important papers back in their "home" as soon as I had used them.  Now, if I need to find hard copies of immunization records or birth certificates, they're right where I left them.
<img class="alignright" style="border: 0px none; margin: 8px;" title="AboutOne.com" src="http://www.discoveringstartups.com/wp-content/plugins/cforms/attachments/884-AboutOne_logo_sq.jpg" alt="AboutOne.com logo" width="335" height="250" />
As my kids have gotten older, it's the lunch menus and school papers that tend to get misplaced now.  Plus, what the heck do I do with all of the artwork and school papers that I don't want to throw away??  Enter <a id="aptureLink_SOmtwY4IyD" href="http://www.aboutone.com">AboutOne.com</a>!  It's an online family information management system which emphasizes speed of entry and intelligent use of the data entered; ONE place, accessible anytime, anywhere, from any web-enabled device (I don't have to be at home, and I don't have to be on my own computer).  In just seconds, I can store, secure and manage a huge chunk of information -- this includes health records for my family, education records for my kids, my address and phone book and <a id="aptureLink_10cWVQkBjW" href="http://www.aboutone.com/">family memories</a> -- text AND pictures, woohoo!  At long last, <a id="aptureLink_IrW2Se139r" href="http://www.aboutone.com/">digital organization</a> made easy for those of us whose lives are hopelessly cluttered with hundreds of papers!

I have been using AboutOne for about two weeks now, and find it very easy to use.  The data entry takes mere seconds to enter and the information only needs to be recorded once -- the system automatically uses what I've documented and saves me time when I'm completing things like school forms and caregiver instructions by updating the fields where the information is needed. Worth noting as well, it was nearly effortless to create <a id="aptureLink_laQPwsFuwa" href="http://www.aboutone.com/">online health records</a> for me and my kids, a valuable resource for trips to the doctor's office or when I need to make an informed decision in an emergency!

Still not convinced?  What about these six reasons?
<ul>
	<li>Create a family newsletter and <a id="aptureLink_VItKQ6k1Er" href="http://www.aboutone.com/">digital scrapbook</a>.</li>
	<li>Create and mail holiday cards <em>(coming December 2010)</em>.</li>
	<li>Create a hardcover <a id="aptureLink_6yCXfNyoE9" href="http://www.aboutone.com/">photo book</a> from the memories and stories you've entered <em>(coming December 2010)</em>.</li>
	<li>High school students can prepare an education report for use when <a id="aptureLink_6b6NKZe3CU" href="http://www.aboutone.com/">applying to college</a>.</li>
	<li>Maintain "gift logs" for contacts using the Connections aspect.</li>
	<li>System-generated alerts and reminders for appointments, birthdays, and anniversaries -- including suggested gifts from the gift logs, and reminders of other details you want to follow-up on.</li>
</ul>
That being said, when I first looked over the site, one of my main concerns was: <strong>how safe is AboutOne.com</strong>?  AboutOne employs the same technologies that banks and other financial institutions use to protect client information.  If you have questions, the site's <span class="removed_link" title="http://aboutone.com/privacy">privacy</span> and <a id="aptureLink_p4lySgNpP3" href="http://www.aboutone.com/is-it-safe/">safety</a> practices are easily accessed.  There is also a "Live Help" button on the top right corner and if customer service isn't available immediately, they will respond to you as quickly as possible.

Who are the AboutOne users?
<ul>
	<li><a title="Busy Moms &amp; Dads" href="http://www.aboutone.com/who-uses-it/moms-use-it/">Busy Moms &amp; Dads</a></li>
	<li><a title="Military Families" href="http://www.aboutone.com/who-uses-it/military-families-use-it/">Military Families</a></li>
	<li><a title="Educators" href="http://www.aboutone.com/who-uses-it/educators/">Educators</a></li>
	<li><a title="Grandparents" href="http://www.aboutone.com/who-uses-it/grandparents/">Grandparents</a></li>
	<li><a title="Students" href="http://www.aboutone.com/who-uses-it/students/">Students</a></li>
	<li><span class="removed_link" title="http://www.aboutone.com/who-uses-it/corporations-use-it/">Corporations</span></li>
</ul>
<strong>What others are saying about this online </strong><a id="aptureLink_H5e1ra07Wb" href="http://www.aboutone.com/">family management</a><strong> system:</strong>

<span class="removed_link" title="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=aboutone.com"><img class="alignleft" style="border: 0px none;" title="What people are saying about &quot;aboutone.com&quot;" src="http://placeholder.apture.com/ph/370x341_TwitterArticle/" alt="Twitter stream for what people are saying about &quot;aboutone.com&quot;" width="170px" height="141px" /></span>

<em>Disclaimer: Thanks to <span class="removed_link" title="http://www.mavenhousenetwork.com/">Maven House Network</span> and <a id="aptureLink_vMntxZi2zz" href="http://www.aboutone.com/">AboutOne.com</a>, I was provided access to a one-year subscription.   All opinions are my own.  Give it a try and see how easy it is to be an <a id="aptureLink_wAD2RAwawy" href="http://www.aboutone.com/">organized family</a> too!</em> <strong>ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTIONS WILL BE GIVEN TO THE FIRST 5 PEOPLE TO COMMENT WITH WHY THEY NEED TO TRY ABOUTONE!  ACT NOW!</strong>

<em>Joanne Lang, AboutOne's founder and CEO (and mom to four boys under 6-years-old!), is a former software company executive.  Find AboutOne at all your favorite hangouts: </em><a id="aptureLink_q6hOmgV89q" href="http://www.youtube.com/aboutonevideos/">YouTube</a><em> | </em><a id="aptureLink_0vKwjTEsKz" href="http://www.facebook.com/aboutone">Facebook</a><em> | </em><a id="aptureLink_mbe2vUmhIq" href="http://twitter.com/aboutone">Twitter</a>

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