day 308: home management binder

my new command centre ... in a binder :)

day 308 and the peeps start back their schooling after a two week holiday on monday.  after some time out of the home management loop due to injury (thanks steve!) there are A LOT of things to catch up on and start controlling again for me and the the house including:

• the need to start exercising, losing weight ... after such a sedentary month on my back the weight has packed on and the fitness is non-existent  :( 
• winter sports starting for both peeps so that means trainings, games, and all the things that go along with that
• rehab for the almost as good as new back
• managing and organising the daily routine and learning of the peeps
• healthy menu planning for the family
• the finances ... that's just scary after a month that had way to many medical bills :)
• the household cleaning, which is REALLY important given our house is on the market!
• pinterest projects, i would so love to be more organised for this ;o) ... yeah, after 300 days of creating one might have thought i could have got to this earlier!
• all those other things that keep the household sane if they don't get done ... you know the ones i mean, they appear out of nowhere, can't be categorised but only get done if they are on a list

it's no wonder i feel a tad overwhelmed going into this new schooling term.  it definitely came to a head today as i started making lists and then making lists of the lists ... i needed a solution and luckily pinterest had lots of options and plans available :)  my absolute favourite starting point was this one from kelly at the complete guide to imperfect homemaking.  she has 5 children so she has to be organised and i loved the folder she created to keep herself on top of everything, including home schooling her children, so it was a really good fit for my needs as well.  not only that but kelly also provides a number of free printables to help get you on your way with your own home management folder ... thanks so much kelly!

i used kelly's idea of adhering a cork tile to the front of the binder so you can pin things in the folder ... love that idea as often i have things written on bits of paper that i want to keep for a little while but don't no where to put them so i don't lose them!  kelly also has lots of other ideas for what you can use this space for pinning :)

she then uses dividers to compartmentalise all the areas of her life so they are organised and not overwhelming.  i am going to use 10 dividers as i have so many things on my plate at the moment, it's going to take a few extra compartments ... its no wonder i was making lists for lists today!  my groups for this folder are:

• menu planning (using kelly's printable available here and this lunch menu plan from anything but perfect)
• home school plans (using donna young's printables available here ... there are all types of home school plans available on her site and they are all free too!)
• bills (a place for current bills to be paid)
• household cleaning (using this printable here, i have been using this printable since day 21!)
• daily to do's  (using kelly's printable available here)
• projects (using kelly's idea here of sticky notes and only having two on the immediate to do list only)
• pinterest creations (using kelly's blog organisation printable available here in free printables)
• extracurricular activities for the peeps, including my hockey manager things
• reference section (for all those bits of paper you know you need to keep but generally end up in a pile on the bench before being condemned to a drawer never to be found again despite hours of searching ... you are all nodding aren't you ;)
• misc (this is where i am going to put birthday ideas, holiday bits and pieces, and things i need but i just don't know why)

the free printables i used :)

the most important parts, the binder and the cork tile :)

outcome: and when you put it all together it's going to end up looking something like this :)  

the finished binder, i've got the weekly checklist at the front because it has a bit of everything on it :)

the additional printable duplicates i put in a clear file at the back of each section

i am loving the fact it is all in one place because that means the chances of me losing something are diminishing!  i love that i will no longer have to hide all my organised lists piles of STUFF off the table, computer desk, and classroom before our open homes!  i just love that my mind is now clutter free and i can get on with the "doing" rather than trying to organise the chaos that was unfolding with so many things on my plate!

and for making me a far less stressed mama i need to sincerely thank kelly at the the complete guide to imperfect homemaking .. she has a wonderful blog full of awesome home decor, crafting, party making, baking, sewing, and clearly organising ideas and tutorials that have had me following her for some time now.  i would also like to donna young, life as mom, and anything but perfect websites for also providing free printables that helped me finish my own home management binder.  and if any of these links aren't working, these ladies printables and ideas are all pinned to my ideas for organisation board on pinterest where you can link to them from there also :)