oh i can't wait to see what's out there - we're looking for exactly that!

I ended up buying a desk calendar and attaching it to the wall (well, the back of a door) with 3M picture hanging strips. It works well for me, and there is plenty of room to write!

Not exactly hip, but I know that there are tons of calendars out there for Mom's. My Mom had one that was illustrated by Sandra Boyton and there was plenty of room for writing there.

I have a wall calendar with plenty of room to write, but it's not cool at all. It's Sandra Boynton's Mom's Family Calendar (google it and you'll see what I mean; it's cute in a ridiculous sort of way, but nowhere near cool). It gets the job done. There are places to write appointments for up to five people; mine are labeled Mom, Dad, Liz (the kid), Other (events that we'll all go to, pay days, my aunt's schedule when it's pertinent, etc.), and Done (bills that I've paid, articles that I've submitted, etc.). So. If you don't mind a few chickens wearing sunglasses or hippos in bathtubs, I recommend that one.

I found one that its the best I've seen so far. It is being funded on Kickstarter. Pledged for 3 already.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chrisnorstrom/the-calendar-reinvented-a-giant-21-month-wall-cale

I'm not sure how much space you need, if you want all of the months displayed at once vs a monthly flip calendar, etc., but Paper Source has a couple of cute monthly ones (http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/office/calendars/all.html). There's also the fall-back dry erase calendars (http://www.etsy.com/listing/82198911/dry-erase-wall-calendar-with-memo-dry?ref=sr_gallery_7&sref=&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=wall+calendar&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_ship_to=US&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade)

If you print small, this one is pretty neat: http://www.etsy.com/listing/81381565/2012-large-wall-calendar-poster-squares?ref=sr_gallery_2&sref=&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=wall+calendar+large&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_ship_to=US&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade

Last but not least, you can write on ceramic tiles (the kind you can buy super cheap at Home Depot) with dry erase markers. If you buy 35 tiles for a 5x7 calendar and find a frame to fit them (maybe a cork board that they'll settle into?), you can create your own.

I searched long and hard on etsy until I found this one http://www.etsy.com/transaction/67893231 by seller AmyMarcella. Its perfect! just enough room to write everythign down and the illustrations are beautiful!

Of all places, I found one I thoroughly like at Target. It's a flip wall calendar but the dates are listed down a column with three lined columns (multiple rows per date) you can write in. I use one column for all my soccer game times etc, another for work related things, and the other for misc. like bills or friend appts. It's by Russel+Hazel

I always use the Pentagram designed one in the large size at my office, but they also have it in a smaller size:
http://www.kenknightdesign.com/365tyca20la21.html
There's lots of white space for writing around the numbers and the typography and clean design is great.

I bought a large calendar (22" x 17") at Office Depot, a "month-at-a-glance" one with no dates printed on it. It probably had 24 pages. There's absolutely nothing cute about it, but I love it. It was very inexpensive, and I haven't minded filling in the pages with dates. It's become my "comand center."

I had that same issue - I liked the Sandra Boynton calendar for its functionality, but wanted something a bit more grown-up. So I made my own - with 4 columns for family members or different categories of appointments. Check it out on Etsy - just search for "mom calendar" - its the "2012 Naturals Planning Calendar." I also did a version with bike illustrations if that's more your thing.

I picked out and ordered mine through DeviantArt.com.

I finally painted a big one on my wall with chalkboard paint. I have three months, and we rotate through, erasing and re-drawing as we go. The only serious limitation is that you cannot write small with chalk!

Liz - I felt the same way!! I scoured Etsy high and low and just didn't get it. Here's the one I had last year: http://www.etsy.com/listing/80947273/2012-wall-calendar-patterns

And here's the one I went with this year (just to switch it up, though the jury is still out): http://www.etsy.com/listing/89030176/2012-birdies-wall-calendar

Good luck and Happy 2012!

I finally have a big 3 month calendar that works. Chalkboard paint. I know a lot of people dislike it or think it's 'so over' but for information, it works wonderfully. My family actually picks up the chalk and writes on it. No more missed messages, lost post-it notes, checking through a lot of e mails to try and find that elusive piece of info. I need.

@Launie Parry, that is a beautiful calendar (and no, I'm not her mom)!

I too got a cheapo blank calendar grid from Target and write in the months and days. A friend has Pottery Barn's whiteboard calendar that's part of a larger system (tho i think she only has that) that she loves.

Stendig wall calendar is super cool!
http://www.modlivin.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=2621&currency=USD

There's an awesome one by Eyvind Earle that I'm drooling over. He was the art director for Disney's Sleeping Beauty, and his landscapes are pretty magical.

This one's great, and it's free: http://timdenee.com/kingcountry/

You just print it out on some good paper (they recommend ivory matte 250gsm card stock), punch some holes and hang it up. It's totally gorgeous.

I had the same problem this year so I downloaded a basic month-per-page calendar, and me and my boyfriend picked 6 pics each to fill it. Ours is a mixture of random photos and stuff from the internet but if you want something a bit more designer I think you could do something very cool with out-of-copyright images from the public domain vintage image sites

I've done a number of blog posts collecting just this kind of calendar. Here's the last one, with related links to more calendars at the end. (You can also search my blog for calendars.) I generally avoid self-links, but in this case it's really my best way to answer the question!

I would recommend the FlyLady calendar (without the sticker kit if you don't follow FlyLady's organizational methods)-
http://shop.flylady.net/pages/FlyShop_calendar.asp#calsk

I've used it for the past 3 years and there's nothing better. It's very plain, but printed on nice strong paper that you can write with a pencil or a pen or colored pencils or markers or whatever, and it doesn't bleed through easily. The spaces for each day are large, so if you have large handwriting (like I do!) you will be happy to have plenty of room to write. The best part is that it spans the entire school year, not just Jan-Dec, so you can plan waaay ahead if you really want to for appointments. If you were crafty, you could make each day a visual diary of the day by doodling in the entire block at the end of the day... I'm sure it would start to be decorative then. ;)

My calendar is digital; for analog, I would choose this: http://makecollab.com/vertical/

I have one from FlyLady. It is just a simple calendar but there is plenty of room to write in the boxes. They also have a set of stickers to help with reminders.

@FWD: Thanks so much for the http://timdenee.com/kingcountry/ hint. I will get it right away. And it's still January...

I found an amazing Crispin Finn calendar in 2010 and immediately ordered it even though we were half way through the year. I ordered the 2011 version as soon as it was available so that I could take full advantage of the year. They have plenty of space to write in and look great on the wall.

http://www.crispinfinn.com/#2159877/2012-Year-Planner

I got this one and it's working out well. It has both landscape and portrait options bc it's printed on both sides.
http://www.neuyear.net/products/seize-the-year-2012-calendar-ships-on-friday-dec-9th

I've been using the same calendar for years. It has tons of room for writing, great graphics, and a bright clean look. It's got such good visual punch and so much room that I bought it every year for my elderly parents, as their sight and handwriting was failing. To find it, go to calendars.com and search for mega grid or monster grid or mammoth grid (depending on the size you want). Here are the links:

http://www.calendars.com/Big-Grid/The-Monster-Grid-2012-Deluxe-Wall-Calendar/prod201200003717/?categoryId=cat00148&seoCatId=cat00148

http://www.calendars.com/Big-Grid/The-Mega-Grid-2012-Wall-Calendar/prod201200003718/?categoryId=cat00148&seoCatId=cat00148

http://www.calendars.com/Mammoth-Grid-2012-Deluxe-Wall-Calendar/prod201200003719/?categoryId=cat00148&cm_vc=PDPZ1&navCount=1&related=PDPZ1

I ordered one from Sweet Musings Paperie on etsy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/80438831/2012-calendar-featuring-coco-and-louie. Michelle even lets you choose which prints to include! Love it.

My husband got me this WONDERFUL wall calendar for Christmas! It is large, attractive, with room for writing. Each month is a different color. http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/item/2012-Paper-Source-Great-Big-Wall-Calendar/3205.001/436910.html

I have gotten this one for the past three years and love it since the entire year is on one page and I can look ahead to birthdays, etc.
http://www.miriambereson.com/collections/featured-products/products/yearly_planner_2012_with_magnets

How about a chalk board calendar with room to write. It looks cool and you can re-use it over and over. We're in Australia but we ship all around the world. $89.95 AUD, check it out here; https://www.thewallstickercompany.com.au/products/chalk-talk-calendar.html

Walter Drake Company has a book they send out in the mail. They sell everything u can't get elsewhere. They have Giant Wall Calendars in a one or two year version. I have been getting them for 20 years. A two year is only $6.99.