Disclaimer: This takes time. It is work and almost a CRAFT project. Certainly not for everybody. It is not less expensive than buying a calendar.

The pro is that you can CUSTOMIZE it for your family and situation.

Mine was a 2 page a week desk calendar.
I have 5 family memebers.
Read these or look at visual aid below:
Holding a standard piece of paper horizontally I divided it into 7 horizontal columns. First for month/date, second for day, third thru seventh for each family member. The second column across the top is for MONDAY, TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY on the first page. THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY/SUNDAY on the second page.
Each page also had four vertical columns. One for names and then 3 for Mon, Tues, Wed on page one. On page two, names, and then Thurs, Fri, Sat/Sun.
When laying open you'll see everyones name running down the page and the days spread over two pages.

This format allows you to have an individual space every day for each person in your family. It is a little like the calendars used in a doctor's office.

You can make your columns as wide or narrow as you need them. If one person is very active their space can be larger. If one day for you family is especially hectic you can make it larger. Each person can then enter their own information into their spot on the calendar. A simple glance down Wednesday will tell you where and what everyone is doing in your family. I think this format is great for larger or very active families. Its a great tool to use for keeping track of work hours and babysitting jobs, medical appointmnts, school outings, etc, etc.
I made a MASTER of each page. On you master copy you can enter the names and the days. Dates must be entered by hand. I then took it to the local copy shop. It took me a few attempts to figure out how to set up the twosided copying. Once I got that figured out, I copied it. You can color code by month if that helps.
It takes about 30 minutes to add the month and date to all 365 spaces. I had it 2 hole punched, bought card stock for the front and back, and used binder rings to hold it
together.
I used this calendar for three years. Would have used it longer if I'd come up with the idea earlier. We now have only one child at home and I no longer need huge expanses to keep track of everything going on.
If you think this might help you--go for it. For all those who might be rolling their eyes--I know, crazy.

March1 March 2 March 3
---------l--------l---------- l-----------l
l Mon l Tues l Wed l
---------l--------l---------- l-----------l
MOM l l l l
l l l l
------- l--------l---------- l-----------l
DAD 1 l l l
---------l--------l------------l-----------l
DD1 l l l l
---------l--------l------------l-----------l

l l l l
DD2 l l l l
---------l--------l------------l-----------l
DS1 l l l l
---------l--------l------------l-----------l

Excuse my attempt to give you a visual aid of page one! I obviously just used a ruler. More computer savvy people could probably format this on the computer.

Gloria

1) I am in charge of the "Master" calendar which is on a Palm program. Family members can add information on the computer, or, if we are out and about and one of my kids or DH tells me of an upcoming event, I just hand them the Palm Pilot. (If your kids are young then you would add this info.) A nice feature is that I can create and view individual categories (created by me i.e. each family member, occasions, church events, etc) but typically I view "ALL" so that I can see if there are conflicts. So, as an example, at the beginning of each month I can choose the "Occasions" category to see what cards and gifts I need to buy, and view it without the visual clutter of other schedules. The Palm information is continually updated as needed -- and having it with me allows for any family member to call at any given moment to ask about upcoming events, etc.

2) Each Sunday I post a Weekly "Word" document on the refrigerator, a single 9 x 11 page. It is interactive in that all family members can add to it. It is in table format with 4 columns: Day, Schedule, Notes/Updates, Daily Chore. "Day" is narrowest. No additional info here, just lists the days of the week, Monday through Sunday (for 7 rows). "Schedule" is for the kids' activities and is color coded for each child. Typically, the items listed here are those that require transportation (usually provided by me). "Notes/Updates" is for family members to add info that might be useful. I ask the kids to post upcoming tests, etc. to remind them to study or to remind me to ask about it afterwards. This column might also note extended family members' birthdays (so we remember to call) or to add a note "Call about AC maintenance" or "Need $$ for track t-shirt" or "Hot lunch not served today" or "Don't forget to tape American Idol" -- things that might come up during that week and pertain to that week. The third column reminds the kids of their "Daily Chore" with a space to check it off. There is space underneath the table for additional notes, or a phone #. This Word document is saved on my computer and takes all of 5 minutes to update and print off for the upcoming week. (Quite often the schedule stays the same, piano on Wed, dance on Thurs -- just adding an orthodontist appt or another once-in-a-while event). This document is posted along side a narrow dry-erase board to add additional notes or reminders for that day only. (It gets erased every night.)

The Weekly Calendar format could be used by anyone and is not dependent upon using an electronic calendar.

3) I do have a large day-runner calendar on the side of the fridge. This is filled in at the beginning of each month (from info on the Palm), but is rarely updated throughout the month. This calendar is entirely unnecessary to our system of maintaining a family calendar, and should not be used as a reference for what is going on during any given day or weekend. The family knows this, and knows that the Palm is the most updated schedule. I keep the wall calendar because it is what I used for years BEFORE going electronic. I like filling it in at the beginning of each month (have always preferred pen and paper, but the Palm is so much more useful). Things like "Reference" info, that I do not need to have with me on a Palm program because it does not affect anyone's schedule, is posted here.... It has the recycling stickers for the Recycling Schedule. I might put a phone # here of someone I might need to call upon to carpool at the last minute because I'm stuck at home and misplaced my keys. The schools' A/B Day schedule is on this calendar... that sort of info. Knowing that it is superfluous, I took it down for few months and just printed off a Monthly view of the Palm calendar -- that worked OK, but I missed my bigger calendar. (If I were only using a paper calendar and requiring family members to keep it updated, this is the only one I would use. I like it because it has a lot of space and it is ruled.)

Hope this is helpful to someone. I'd be happy to share the Word version of our family calendar, just email me :-)