I don’t know what I would do without my laptop! It’s filled with photos and files that I use all the time. So, when my screen on my trusty laptop was going out and it was more frustrating to turn it on than it was to use, it was time to get another! I am so thankful that my husband is good at researching and understanding all that techy stuff! My new laptop is filled with fancy features – a touchscreen and Windows 8! But, my laptop would not be complete without Microsoft Office programs. I can’t live without them! This was the perfect time to test out the new Office 365 Home Premium Edition.
I have been using Microsoft Office programs for a very long time! Oh my goodness, since college!!! Um…because I can actually say I used a typewriter in high school! EEK! Now as a stay at home mom and wife Home Executive, I use Office programs more than ever! Can I tell you that I am really loving Office 365 Home Premium?!
Home Office Premium has features that have made my life so much easier! If you have an iPad, iPhone, Windows, or an Android phone you can download Microsoft’s FREE app called OneNote. OneNote is the perfect tool for this on the go Momma! I am always writing reminder notes or getting inspired with ideas, especially around the holidays! I’ve got to keep my holiday shopping list close! With OneNote, I can snap images, do audio clips, and handwritten notes to myself all on my phone! I don’t have to scrounge around for a napkin, receipt or scrap paper any longer.
I think one of my favorite features is SkyDrive. We were able to get my new laptop days before our summer vacation, but I still needed to access a file. I just uploaded it to SkyDrive and was able to see it from any computer and work on it! It made my life so much easier to be able to access files through the Internet. Another way that I use SkyDrive is to upload files that I work on through our desktop computer and then access them from my laptop. The old way was to email the file to myself and download it to my laptop. SkyDrive keeps everything in one spot and I don’t have to worry about emailing, downloading, and saving. What a timesaver!
In fact, you can use any of the Office programs through the web app and share it with any family member through SkyDrive. If you want to go mobile with your office programs, then download the FREE Office Mobile app. You can access your office programs on your mobile device and it will upload to SkyDrive! Another one of my favorite features are the templates that Office.com offers to help you stay organized this holiday season –party invites, meal plans, gift lists, calendars, and more. You can add your own personal style to the templates to make them fun or use them as is. The possibilities are endless!
This Christmas we are having a quite a few family members visiting us in England. It will be a little crazy and a lot of fun! This holiday will take coordination and planning to keep me sane us on track with day trips and meals! With the PowerPoint Web App I created a festive calendar to schedule out our days and share it with the family.
With so much family coming into town, I will definitely need a two week meal plan in place! Microsoft Excel has a simple weekly meal planner template. When feeding a large crowd, it makes it so much easier to know what we are eating ahead of time! It’s still a work in progress, but it is getting there!
A subscription to Office 365 Home Premium comes with 60 minutes of Skype calls. Skype has been a great communication tool for us as a military family. When my husband is deployed, it is a way for us to stay connected as a family. It makes deployments a little more tolerable. We also use it to stay connected with our extended families, especially during the holiday season!
With so much planning around the holidays, Office 365 Home Premium and their awesome mobile tools make my life easier and more organized!
How do you stay organized during the holiday season?
* Sharon received a year access to Office 365 Home Premium free of charge to facilitate this review.This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service. The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinions may differ.
