The Homekeeping Notebook: What's in it!

I sort of debated sharing what's in my notebook, in my last post. I thought it would be fun to look back at someday but decided that wasn't really the point of the post. But apparently some of you really wanted to know.

So here it is. But I'm sharing on the condition that you realize this: what works for one family might not work for another. 

AND. I said it in the last post, I'll say it again. What makes all this happen is not the binder, it's the mom. I will humble myself enough to tell you that when I was a young(er) mom ;) I would make beautiful lists and charts and not understand why my life didn't fall into beautifully organized bliss. It was because I needed to get up off my rear, quit looking at my beautiful lists and charts, and get some real work done.

Say it with me: a homekeeping notebook is an extension of your brain, not an extension of your hands. It does not actually do the work for you. Creative-type people (like myself) that enjoy making these books would rather make them then go do what's in them. It's a Pinterest generation fail.

Some of these pictures have an envelope covering the page because I don't really want the whole world to know all of my business. ;)

Lastly: Children must not ever be allowed to touch the notebook. It's mommy's master plan and without it, she will not survive. The end.

Ok I'm going to try to keep this as simple as possible. My Notebook:

Minus Kate's finger this time. I took these while she was napping. But they're all super lame pics. Sorry about that.

First:

My Supplies

This is a must so I can always find a pen when I need it. And it's also my hidden place for things that disappear like scissors and good erasers. And it's a great place to hide the matches.

Pencils

The good pen in the house

Scissors

Highlighter

Sharpie

Erasers
Stick-it notes (I'm obsessed and use them for everything)

Matches

Washi tape (I use it to tape paper invitations inside my cabinets)

My Calendar

This is NOT for appointments. It's my homekeeping calendar. 

I have two calendars. This one and my Google calendar on my iPad. 

The Google calendar is all my appointments, recurring (like weekly Bible studies) or not (like doctor appointments). Jake also has a Google calendar and we each have access to the others calendar, so we can see them overlap and know at a glance what's coming up and if either of us have plans on any given day.

The paper calendar I use for my personal, homekeeping notes like, which days a school lunch is ordered and for which kid, days special bills are due by, deadlines to send out birthday party invites, library book due dates, etc. Stuff I need to see and be reminded of but that doesn't affect what appointments are on the calendar. Does that make sense?

School Pocket-Folders

I have one of these for each of my kids' schools. It holds school schedules, important papers from teachers, a class newsletter (only until the next one comes out), etc. I also keep a stick-it note with the "official" arrival and dismissal times, PE days (because tennis shoes must be worn), and the morning bus drivers' phone numbers.

Scripture

The first two tabbed pages are just for inspiration. One is scripture. And I'll probably change it out occasionally. These are verses that have always inspired me as a wife, mom, and homekeeper. And I'm working to memorize them. I want these to be the first thing I see in my notebook when I flip to my tabs.

Job Description

I covered this one up because I think it's so personal to every woman. It's very specific.

It's listed in categories:

Wife

Mother

Home Manager

Ministry

Myself

What are the bare bones things your husband needs/wants from you? We are going through the Dynamic Marriage course with our small group so I have a literal list of my husbands needs, and I've written it out here. (Another reason it's covered) :) I look at it as often as I can to be reminded how I can best serve him.

What are your primary goals as a mom? That could be as generic or personal as you want it to be. But whatever you want to look back 20 years from now and say... Write that down. Its easy for me to slip into survival mode. But I want to parent on purpose.

If keeping the house clean, organized, and functional was an actual paid 9-5 job, what would the job description be? Just because we live in our workplace doesn't give us a pass to live in a sloppy house. How would you want it to look when you got home from a long day? Make it that way for your family! And write out those goals here.

What does your ministry require of you, physically? Write it down. And do those things. Be the best 4th grade sunday school small group leader you can be!!

I highly recommend every woman read "Taking care of the 'me' in mommy". If you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of your family. Now, I'm the queen of dry shampoo and letting myself wait too long to be recharged. So I'm not saying make yourself priority one either, it's still the bottom of my list. I'm just saying - there's a balance. Take care of yourself.

Cleaning (Daily)

Every morning, no matter what day, I try to do this cleaning routine. Try. :)

Dishes/Unload the dishwasher

2 loads of laundry: washed, dried, put away

Clean the counters and tables

Sweep

Tidy the whole house (everything in its place)

Make all the beds

Vacuum the living room

Some of these used to night routines, but I'd rather spend time with Jake than obsess over the last 3 dishes in the sink or the mystery crumbs under the table.

Cleaning (Weekly)

I'm not sure how clear these pics are so I'm writing it again.

Dust

Vacuum all carpet/rugs/stairs

Mop

Bathrooms 

Microwave and fridge (ours get nasty fast)

Windows/mirrors/TVs

Clean out the suburban

Change any dead light bulbs

I'm gonna talk about this weekly cleaning more in a minute.

Cleaning (Monthly)

Vacuum the couches

Clean the fans

Clean the walls

Ceilings and cobwebs

Vacuum the suburban

More on this in a minute.

Order of Days

Kim Brenneman in Large Family Logistics taught me to order my days. I've shifted my days just a little to fit my life better, but I do love doing things this way.

Monday: Cleaning Day. This is when I do my weekly cleaning list. And on the 1st Monday of the month I do the monthly cleaning list instead.

Tuesday: Project Day. Most of my projects consist of cleaning out closets or decluttering somewhere. Maybe someday I can actually stay organized.

Wednesday: Town Day. I schedule my lunch appointments, Bible studies and errands all for Wednesdays.

Thursday: Kitchen Day. Buying groceries and then prepping them for the week. Cutting up veggies, dividing the chips and pretzels into baggies for lunches, pre-making casseroles and soups for dinner, or making any homemade sauces, broths, etc. This doesn't always happen, but when it does, we save a lot of money. Things like single serve applesauce are way more expensive than just pouring it into little tupperwares for the week. And when dinners are planned and ready, we're less likely to drive thru, which is a fortune for us!

Friday: Office Day. Bills, budgeting, filing paperwork, catching up on emails, yada yada yada.

Projects

My list of projects to be done. Basically a to do list for Tuesdays.

To Do

Random to do's and reminders. I just chip away at this when I can.

Meal Ideas

4 Lists: Breakfast, Lunch, Snacktime, Dinner. Because sometimes I get in a rut and need ideas. I forget that one time I made Chicken Cordon Bleu and it was super easy and yummy. This is my reminder.

Meal Plan

Just for dinner. Made before I buy weekly groceries. We may switch the night of the meal, but I least I know I've got something in the house for each night. I print tons of blank sheets and fill up the sleeve. I could write it on regular paper but this is prettier and makes me feel organized. ;)

Grocery Staples and List

I printed up the staples that we need in our house at all times. And then after this section is notebook paper so I can write down my grocery list. This way I can quickly look through our family staples and not forget to write down something that we like to have on hand.

Yearly Goals

This section is under construction. I got the list from a pinterest post and I printed it with the intention of revamping it. But I might ditch it altogether. I'm still deciding. :)

Notes

I'm a visual person and sometimes I need to write out my thoughts to make decisions. Or jot something down quickly and file it in the right place later (calendar, to do list, projects). This section is just my scratch paper.

Decor

Just a sleeve that holds magazine clips, paint swatches, etc. that I don't want to lose. I love decorating our house but cleaning it is usually the bigger priority. So when I finally get to redoing a space, I want to have my ideas together.

My Clipboard

This is my paperwork "to do" list. Any cards I need to mail, school papers that need to be filled out, documents I need to read before they're filed, etc. I like to sit in my recliner with a cup of coffee and quietly work my way through the pile at naptime.

~~~


Mine is a 1 1/2 inch binder but use whatever works for you. I find that any bigger than that is a pain to lug around. Most of these pages are printed and in clear sleeves. I used a little bit of washi tape folded over the side to make tabs. The To Do, Grocery, and Notes sections are the only ones that have notebook paper as well. Any changes that need to be made to the printed pages, I write on stick-it notes and update/print on Office Day. :)

So this is what my weekdays days look like in terms of using this notebook: First thing every morning, I look over my notebook with coffee. Coffee is essential. Write that down. I make sure to look ahead a few days in my Calendar and make notes in my To Do list accordingly. Then I get the kids all out the door for school (which is a 2 hour process), do my Daily Cleaning list (usually under an hour), then my "Order of Days" tasks (breaking for lunch), and by naptime, I'm usually done and then I work on my To Do list or to do Clipboard. Then I run around getting kids picked up from school, do homework (checking my Calendar for school project deadlines), dinner (checking my Meal Plan for what's next), baths and bedtime. Now does it make sense why I can't function without my notebook??

So there you have it. If you just read this entire post, I'm very impressed. And you're either really nosy or you need some help in this area yourself. If its the latter, please feel free to ask me any questions! ;) I highly recommend making one for yourself if you don't have one already! And let me know how its working for ya. I hope this helps get you started!!