Home Management Binder- Finished!

There's a phrase floating around social media that goes "Stop the glorification of busy". How true this saying is! Between my husband, kids, church, friends, meals, chores, family, and life I could spend most of my time running around like a crazy person. Instead of saying "yes" to things, I've been trying to say "no" or "I have to think about it" as often as possible. Then I consider the time and energy commitment I would need for this new "thing" and compare it to my Home Management Book. After all, my HMB is my brain- it gives me a realistic view of my life and my schedule/commitments so I don't overbook myself (either physically, or emotionally- which may be more harmful). I want a well ordered day, a day with lots of room for the unexpected with my family. How sad I would be to miss a playful moment with my kids because I have to hurry them out the door to my next appointment? I hate those times when I am rushed to go somewhere with two kids who can't put on their own shoes, coats, or hats. Suddenly, Unkind Mom shows up and I leave in a frenzy, with crying kids, and a sweaty brow from the exertion. If I had used my HMB in a more intentional way I could have planned better to leave on time, without the sweat and tears. I'm not saying that there aren't unexpected stresses that come up despite careful planning. However, if I plan well, I should be planning extra time for those last minute problems. This all boils down to being organized and having a plan- which is the point of a Home Management Binder.

I've already talked about the tools needed to get started, here.
Two of my personal sections have been detailed, here.
This leaves the remaining sections of my HMB...

Church Tab

This purple tab (with purple title- have you noticed my color coordination so far?) is for my church related things. I am the Children's Ministry Director at our church, so I have a couple schedules for the nursery and kids classes. Usually I have copies of the Word document schedules to put in here, but when your printer is out of ink, you have to go old school. Thus the hand written version. I keep track of the books we have used for curriculum in this section, phone numbers for my teachers, copies of notes I've used in orientation meetings, and so on.

Misc. Tab

I did not include a picture of this tab because it has private information, like a list of all of my family's birthdays and anniversaries, usernames and passwords, and other miscellaneous information that is too small for seperate tabs. Here are some great printables for items that may make it into this sections of your HMB.

Life Love & Geekery: Info Page, Usernames & Passwords, and Important Dates
The Uncluttered Lifestyle: Our Medical Yellow Pages, Medication Tracker
DIY Home Sweet Home: Dates to Remember, Password Log, Emergency Information, Medical Expenses, Doctor Visits, and Bank Account Information
The Nest Effect: Medication Tracker
Organizing Homelife: Contact Lists for Doctors & Insurance Policies, Birthday Trackers, and Usernames & Passwords List (scroll a ways down to see thumbnail pictures of the links)
Delightful Distractions: Dates to Celebrate,

Front Pocket

These two pieces of paper go in the front pocket of my binder because I refer to them often. They are a Cleaning Checklist and a Daily page.

First, the Chore Checklist. I still have not found one that I really, really like, but this one comes close. Usually the problem I run into is there are chores for rooms/things I don't have, like a master bathroom (yes, you read that right; we are "blessed" with one, small, teeny-tiny, itty-bitty bathroom), so that box never gets checked and then it looks like I have things left over to do, when I don't and that stresses me out (get it? got it? good). The above printable is from Simple Mom and although I searched and searched, I cannot find it on her site anymore. This is one of the easiest printables to find off Pinterest though, simply do a search for Cleaning Checklist and you can find dozens of pictures of available types. The pictures are nice because you can see right away the color scheme (because we all know that women like things to look pretty and match, am I right?)

Daily Docket, which is in the second picture up these, is very easy to find as well. Most variations include spots for to-do's, phone calls to make, errands to run, kids activities to jot down, shopping lists, prayer requests, check off places for drinking water, taking vitamins, or exercising, and so on. Again, Pinterest may be your best friend here, just type in some variation of Daily Planning Page and you'll have plenty of selections. I searched for the original source of this printable and I cannot find it (seems to be a theme for me, sorry). I'm certain the blog it's from is Delightful Distractions; if you find a direct link to my pictured Daily Docket then please let me know so I can link it up here.

Both of the above mentioned pages I keep in a plastic page protector so I can use a dry erase marker with them. I also keep extra copies (just in case) in a pocket in the very back of my HMB.

And that is my completed Home Management Book! These books often take weeks to finish putting together, and need to be tweaked often as life changes. Here are some last tips as you put yours together (I've gleaned these from my personal experience and from the testimony of other bloggers- whom I have linked in these last three posts if you want to check them out)

1. Make it pretty to YOUR taste: We don't use ugly things, make it appealing so that you will be inclined to use it :-)
2. Keep it in an open spot: My HMB does me no good if I keep it stashed in a drawer. Rather, I need to keep it near my phone or in the kitchen (guaranteed to be seen 3x a day) so that I refer to it often.
3. Don't be afraid to throw out entire sections: Remember, if some section does not suite you, don't feel you need to keep a it just because other people find it helpful. Tailor this book to be your brain, not someone else's.
4. Use it: "If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time", says a popular quote. A HMB is designed to help us take one step at a time through our days. Do one chore, then one meal, then one activity, and so on. This binder is to help us when we're tired or stressed, to prioritize the most important things and get those finished in a timely manner. HMB keep us focused on our valuable role as the managers of our home and guide us through the hard or un-fun things so that we have more time for our families.
5. Have Fun!

And lest you think I have it all together, here is a picture of my kids' closet- the next To-Do on my HMB list:

If you don't here from me soon, you'll know I got buried in all this clutter.

Happy Wednesday!