New Year, New Calendar – School and Kid-Focused Activities Expected to Dominate 2009 Family Schedules : Families Search for Easier, More Efficient Organizing Solutions

The start of the New Year signals an annual ritual for the family’s “chief organizing officer” (aka mom) in most American households - sitting down with a blank calendar and rewriting in every daily and weekly family activity month after month. With an average of 20 to 40 activities per month1 per family, not including traditional holidays and birthdays, Cozi, a free organizational website, provides much-needed relief for busy families by simplifying how they manage their calendars.

SEATTLE (Business Wire EON) December 30, 2008 -- What will the family's COO be coordinating in the New Year? Cozi reports that school and after-school activities will likely dominate the 2009 family calendar followed by an assortment of errands, events and appointments. Based on 2008 trends, the company expects school related entries such as tracking the first and last day of school, days off and early release days, sports activities including games and practices, music activities such as lessons and recitals, and club activities to fill more than a third of the busy family schedule.

Plenty of scheduling time will also be dedicated to keeping track of doctor's appointments, haircuts, weekly grocery shopping trips and reoccurring events including birthdays and anniversaries for family and friends. The new family calendar will not be all business; carving out quality time for family will remain an important trend with regularly scheduled family dinners and other activities such as family movie nights and game nights also getting attention.

With the hustle and bustle of daily life including school schedules, sports and music activities, doctor's appointments and work-related activities – it is hard to believe that approximately 40% of households report using sticky notes to organize the family and 64% of American families still use a wall calendar to keep track of their active schedules. Times appear to be changing however with 83% of families now saying they have a high level of interest in using an online solution to manage their busy family calendar.

"Organizing online is so simple and convenient – in 30 minutes or less you can have your whole year done and, more importantly, anyone in your family can access their schedule from anywhere. Plus, it is so much quicker to transition from year to year when your reoccurring appointments and events are already on the calendar," explains Carl Weinstein, Cozi's chief marketing officer. "Using a web solution such as Cozi to manage the family is still new to many families, but every day more and more families are realizing there is a better way to save time, stay coordinated and prevent misunderstandings and missed appointments."

By going online to www.cozi.com, families can coordinate schedules, manage shopping and to-do lists, organize household chores, and stay in communication with each other—all in one solution. Cozi's shared calendar is color-coded by family member and accessible from any computer with internet access or on-the-go with any mobile phone.

Cozi launched its free organizational web service for families in fall of 2006. Today more than one million family members in the US have registered to use Cozi to simplify their busy family lives.

About Cozi Group, Inc.

Cozi is a free web service that helps busy families manage schedules, track shopping and to-do lists, organize household chores, share information and stay in communication — all in one solution. Families can access Cozi from any computer at home or at work, and can get shopping lists, schedules and messages on any mobile phone. With Cozi, families are always connected to the information they need to make life easier. Located in Seattle, WA, Cozi was founded by veterans of Microsoft, Expedia and Amazon with a vision for creating technology tuned to the family and launched its service in fall 2006. Cozi now has more than 1,000,000 family members. Cozi is a free service available at www.cozi.com.

1 Survey commissioned by Cozi with sample size of 4,169 households