2015-2016 Planner Tour

The end of the year can be hard, in a planner. We have the old, but want the new. Here is how I am coping during these last days of 2015 and still forward planning and preparing my planner for 2016. How are you managing the transition? Please comment below.



Annie



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Perfecting the Page in Your Planner

This video describes how I use my page space to its full potential. There is a little bit of a science to it, and here I describe my methods.



Happy Planning!



Annie @awifenmother



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Planner: personal sized, purple, Filofax malden

Monthly and Weekly pages: Color Crush inserts

On the Go Folio: light pink Color Crush folio

Pens: Frixion (off Amazon) and Staedtlers (from Target)

Assorted washi tapes from Target, Walmart, and Meijer

Masking stickers: Amazon

Stamps: V's Sweet Ideas and Studio L2E

Ink: Versa Mark chalk ink

Highlighters: Yoobi mini highlighters from Target

Adjusting Planner Routines

I would be lost without routines. They are the framework of my life. No, they don't run my life, but they help me keep my life running while getting everything done efficiently. I hope you are inspired to create your own version of a routine after seeing how I build mine.



Happy Planning!



Annie @awifenmother

How to Pick The Best Inserts For You

I can't believe I haven't posted this theme earlier?! How often do we buy insert after insert, or try a new brand of planner in the search of a good fit for our life. In this video I describe how you can figure out which type of insert you will probably like best without spending ANY money upfront.



Happy Planning!



Annie @awifenmother

Tracking Misc. Items In your Planner

There are always "little things" to keep track of, and I have a few ideas how to track them consistently in your planner. Happy Planning!



Annie @awifenmother

Plan With Me- June 2015

I'm playing catch-up with posting my planner videos. Here is a Plan With Me video I posted back in June.



Happy Planning!



Annie @awifenmother

Get It all Done with Planner Routines

Routines are one of the keys to successful time management. I am not a slave to the clock in my routines, but having an idea of what needs to happen, in what order, adds a lot of peace to my life.







What routines do you swear by?



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2014 Planner Organization

My life has been full of anxiety these last four days. If you follow me on Instagram (and I hope you do because my life is just that exciting... I really need a sarcastic font) you'll know I have been stalking my front window waiting for the UPS man to arrive with my package containing my new planner pages. I'm a die-hard planner and it has been crippling me to be 7 days into a new year and not be able to plan it out. I think I drove my husband crazy whining about them. I would have driven my kids crazy too, but they are 3 years and 2 years old so they don't even care- spoil sports. When my pages arrived late yesterday -FINALLY!-  I asked hubby to hug them with me and call them "my precious". He ignored me. I spent several blissful hours last night organizing my 2014 planner. You can say it, it's a nerd life. 

I've actually have had some sort of Home Management Binder for about 3 years now. I've previously done a series describing my 3-ring binder sized HMB here, here and here. I had varying success with this binder, and used it and other planners off and on the last few years. It is so easy for me to plan- it's the execution of the plan that is so much harder. I felt that every-other-day I needed to tweak or change my system. When you have growing babies- and I do mean babies- life constantly changes. Carrying a large binder was not at all practical for me. I tried spiral bound planners, and apps on my phone and tablets. None of them stuck. And then... I discovered Filofax and the plannerds that love them! I do not (as yet, wink wink) have an actual Filofax, but what I discovered was the world of half-sized planners. 

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Isn't she pretty? I found this Day Runner at Meijer and bought it on a whim. I had no idea how much I would really use it and rely on it. The size allows me to throw it in my purse and leave it open on the counter at home. Here are the gems within:

Tab #1: Day on Two Pages

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My first tab is my most used and important- it's my Day on Two Pages. Filofaxes and Day Runners come with current year planner pages featuring one week spread over two pages- most spiral bound planners do so as well. I went with this for the last few months and it was useful. As a stay-at-home mom I don't have many outside appointments so I always had plenty of room. But I did not like having a separate To Do list and Chore List under different tabs in my planner. I would rather see absolutely everything that corresponds to my day all on one page. So I ordered these gorgeous planner pages! I chose pretty pages because I found out from experience that I am not decorative (another reason to follow me on Instagram is to see my lame attempts at "decorating" my pages). So much of the Filofax cult following includes washi tape, stickers, doodles, and scrapbooking each week to make your planner pretty and useful. After my failed attempts, I thought I'd let the manufacturer make my pages pretty and I'll just focus on actually putting them to use. 

Some things you'll see on this page:

• our hourly schedule, humble as it is.
• the tasks I want to accomplish
• my daily, weekly, and monthly chores for the day
• important notes or deadlines
• dinner notes
• half-marathon training schedule and recorded times*
• the memory verse reference I'm currently working on

The second page on my Day on Two Pages has two functions for me. The purple sticky note has my detailed Morning Routine and the blue sticky has my Evening Routine. These two routines helps me prepare for the next day, and start my days well. I carry these sticky's over each day instead of handwriting these on my schedule.

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I also use that second page as a sort of journal (you can see my entry under the sticky notes. Also, note my manicure. I rarely get one so it's nice to have it documented). A goal I have this year is to keep track of little moments throughout the day. Neither of my kids have a baby book or photo album. Apart from photos on my phone, I have no records of their years. I don't mind this, but I do want to start jotting down cute things they do or say, milestones, and even my own personal thoughts and feelings from each day. I look forward to making notes on these pages.

By the way, having two pages for every day is a lot of paper (one of the reasons I opted to purchase rather than print off my own pages). Currently I can fit 2 months at a time in my planner. I have one tab divided separating January and February. I'm storing the rest until I need them.

*One short month ago I made an easy Exercise Tracker printable to use this year. All I wanted was a place to cross off the days I made it to the gym so I could see at a glance how often I was working out. This was before my sister-in-law invited me to run a half-marathon with her... and I accepted. So for the next 4 months I have to follow a specific training schedule to prepare for this. Thus, my own printable is useless for me right now, haha. I still offer if FREE to all of you who wish to use it. Enjoy!

Tab #2 Month on Two Pages

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Seeing the entire month in one glance helps a lot with planning. You can see which weeks have a lot of activity, or where a vacation is upcoming. I make notes in the margin for tasks that are more open-ended or have less of a deadline. This is where I track:

• reoccurring appointments or events
• birthdays and anniversaries
• sports and extracurriculars
• important events
• pay day 
• vacations
• small groups or Bible studies

I'm the Children's Ministry Director at church so I need to keep track of which week we have children's church (since we only do it twice a month). I mark those weeks with a dark blue "CC" in the corner of the correct Sunday. I also have an entire section for Children's Ministry which I'll get to in a moment. 

Tip: Use a color coding system. I have colored pens for different categories. Some people use washi tape and then write over it, some use small colored dot stickers, and others use highlighters to mark there categories. I say pick a method that works for you and enjoy it!

Tab #3 Menu

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Last month I posted how I organize my meal plans- the easy way! I shared several FREE printables, which are still free and available to you. I continue to use this tab the same way and I have really found this to be the easiest way to plan, shop, and prep all of my family's meals.

Tab #4 Children's Ministry

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I mentioned that I'm the Children's Ministry Director at our church. This tab keeps me on top of my teacher and helper rotation. I'll also note if we need more snacks, play dough, or if someone needs to switch their week. I need to add here, a curriculum log to track which books the teachers are using- but that's for another day.

Tab #5 Blog

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This tab has very little organization at the moment, but as I hope to continue blogging this year I keep this place for notes. I'm sure this section will evolve as I get my bearings. Until then I have room for...notes...and that's what I use it for. Genius, I know (by the way, I misspelled "genius" and had to look it up. Then I misspelled, "misspelled". I need more coffee).

Tip: After my blog tab you can just see the notepad tucked in the back of my planner. This is handy because in order for a planner to work you need to write down everything the moment you think/hear/plan it! I keep a mechanical pencil in the pen loop now so I can jot everything down. If I suddenly think of a household chore, or appointment, or To Do that needs to be done, I jot it on the notepad (to be transferred to the correct tab in the proper color later). I carry my planner with me everywhere and make a note about a possible play date the minute the other mom and I even suggest it. I make a note immediately when someone at church tells me they will be on vacation the day they are scheduled in the nursery- because I won't remember this by the time I get home. Consult your planner for everything! It's like, a brain.

And that is how I utilize my personal planner! I adore peeking into other people's planners, so please, if you have one share a link or picture so I can drool over your personal style.

Finding Colors

I've spent the last couple weeks describing my attempts to organize my life a little better. And I've added two wonderful (vital) habits to my life: morning Bible study and daily exercise. You can read about all of these things...

Morning Bible Study
Exercise
Home Management Binder Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Obviously, I need to dig in and use my HMB because yesterday I forgot my youngest had a Dr. appointment. Home Management Binder fail! Oops.

While I haven't yet settled on an official theme or direction I would like to go in "homeschooling" my son, I do try to play at least one intentional game during the day. Here's an example

(Sorry for the blurry images, when photographing kids it's inevitable)

You can see my daughter holding little balloon cut-outs in picture #1. I went through them like flashcards and had my 2 year old name the colors; then I helped my very-verbal 1 year old to repeat the color back to me. After a few rounds of that, I took the yellow, red, and blue balloons and laid them on the ground. I instructed my toddler to find toys that matched the colors and put them by the correct balloon, picture #2. I gave my daughter the rest of the balloons to hold.

(These colored balloons, by the way, were saved by my mom from when I was homeschooled in kindergarten! Let's just say they are nearly three decades old!)

This is why I call what I am doing with my son "loose homeschooling". At this age, play is a better educator than books/paper/forced memorization in the typical sense. Please don't misunderstand, there is certainly a place for reading, writing, and memorizing! I just mean that I can easily teach my 2 year old without him even knowing he is "learning" at this young age.

If you have begun homeschooling your child(ren) I am desperate for curriculum ideas! My son will be 3 years old by September, so either a 2's & 3's or 3's & 4's would work. Please help a mom out :)

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!

Home Management Binder- House Tab, Kids Tab

Home Management Binders come with a purpose. If we are wives and/or mothers we are in charge, the managers, of our homes. This is our delightful, God given privilege as women. A Home Management Binder (HMB) is our "brain" in a sense. With multiple people, rooms, items, and jobs to care for, we can be forgetful or (as is more often my weakness) overwhelmed. When I don't know where to start, I often don't start anything at all. Apart from organizing our lives, a HMB should give direction to our days so we have a plan to get work done in a timely fashion. Then, when our work is done, we have time in the day to pursue relationships and hobbies!

Yesterday I talked about the supplies needed to get started, as well as sections to consider for your own binder, and my most used tab: Menu Planning. So let me dive into more sections of my personal HMB.

House Tab

This tab contains 4 pages so far. The first you can see above "House Needs". I've started a list of all the maintenance-type work we need to attend too. Examples from my list are: new vent covers (kids love to drop things down there), moving a shelf from the kids' closet to our mudroom, and exchanging my old stove for a new-to-me one (we have it stored in our basement for now). This is a great place to make notes about paint touch-ups, burnt out light bulbs, and anything that needs to be fixed or mended in the home. Here are some free printables that you could use in this section:

Organizing Homelife- Household Projects
The Nest Effect- Honey Do List, Blank Check List, and Work To Do List (all links are at the bottom of the page)
Home Sweet Home- Master To Do List
The Uncluttered Lifestyle- Home Inventory List (scroll down to mid-page for the link to the free printable)

The next page under this tab lists Declutter Projects. There is a wonderful 40 day challenge over at Keeper of the Home that I will probably print soon and use to replace my simple, lined paper list. I tell ya, every time I feel like I've purged my entire house, it needs another round of decluttering!

Next, is a list of decorating ideas. I have a board(s) on Pinterest with plenty of ideas for the home, but this page in my HMB is where I list the ones I would like to start soon (I am awful at decorating and my house has had bare walls for going on 5 years now, help!). As I mentioned earlier, if I plan my day well and accomplish the things I need to do, then I have more time for the things I want to do, like crafts for my home. So I always have a page with a few ideas ready for those "spare moments" (however few and far between they may be).

To go along with the decorating page, I started a list of items I need for those projects and would like to gather at thrift stores or garage sales (I may have a little spring fever if I'm already planning on going to garage sales). I've listed things I want- like a wooden barrel for my front porch- and researched a general price for the item (they sell at home improvement stores for about $20). This way I know whether or not I am getting a deal at a thrift store or garage sale.

Kids or Educational Tab (it's in development and doesn't know which title it wants).

I actually began this blog to share how I was doing "light homeschooling" with my 2 years old son. So this section in my HMB is a place for me to record ideas and themes I wish to teach him in the upcoming days. I hope that very soon I will get back into daily activities with him! Until then, I keep listing ideas. The first page lists Lesson Plans; things I wish for him to know, like how to spell his name. The next page is for activities I would like to do with both of my kids. Because it is winter, many of these activities involve burning energy inside the house (this boy momma is worn out!). I only have three listed right now: 1) jump over objects, like a rolled up towel, 2) dust the house (hey, kids love helping and doing "big people" activities), and 3) play bubbles in the tub. I definitely need to develop this section more; now that I have fine-tuned my HMB (again) I will soon be able to focus on getting back into homeschooling. I would love to hear of any activities your kids have loved to do while being stuck indoors this winter- educational or non?

Whew, I'm almost finished detailing the sections of my personal HMB; tomorrow I'll end with Church Tab, Misc. Tab, and Pockets.

Do you have a HMB already? How do you use yours? What section(s) are your favorite(s)? I'd love to see a link to your blog or picture/description of your HMB.

Home Management Binder- Getting Started & Menu Tab

Up until two years ago I had not even heard of a Home Management Binder. Then I was given a recommendation for the book Large Family Logistics (see where I talk about this book here). At the time I was pregnant with my second child and ready desperate for a little more organization in my life. So I began to put together my own Home Management Binder.

In case you have no idea what I am talking about let me answer this: What is a Home Management Binder? Briefly, it is a book, often a 3 ring binder, that includes any paperwork that helps your life/family/house run smoothly (many are designed to keep your household running and to be "you" if you are gone, sick, or ill with pregnancy; your husband and children should be able to navigate the book in your absence). A HMB may have calendars, schedules, menus, grocery lists, budget worksheets, To Do lists, goal charts, and so much more!

Let's get started...

Supplies Needed: 3 ring binder, dividers/tabs, paper, 3 hole punch
Optional: Markers/Pens/Colored Pencils, zipper pouch, clear pocket protectors, ruler, index cards, post its, anything from the office supplies isle that you couldn't resist buying because it was cute

Step 1: Gather your supplies
Step 2: Decide which sections you need: Remember to tailor this to your lifestyle. For instance, nearly every HMB I have explored has a section for Finances. In our house I don't do any bill paying or financial things. So that tab is useless to me. Another example are school/sport schedules; my kids are too young to be in either so I do not need those. Here is a loooooong list of sections to consider for your HMB (the ones in bold are in my current binder and will be featured in upcoming posts):

• Calendar(s) (daily, weekly, monthly, year-at-a-glance)
• Schedules (family birthdays, church activities, breastfeeding/newborn schedules, school, holidays, sports/extra curricular activities, maintenance logs, medical check ups/pet check ups, gardening, etc)
• Cleaning Schedules (daily list, weekly/monthly list, kids chores, seasonal projects/spring & fall cleaning, etc)
• Menu Planning (weekly & monthly menus, lists of recipes or family favorites, pantry/freezer inventory, ideas for hosting/special events, editable grocery lists, household items refill lists, etc)
• Finances (budgets tracking, bill payment schedule, kids' allowance tracker, anticipated expenses, holiday budgets, etc)
• Kids (current clothing sizes, allergies/special needs, medication tracker, gift ideas, vaccination records, etc)
• Contact info (address book, list of numbers for: doctor, vet, dentist, babysitter, emergency contacts, close neighbors)
• Personal or Family Health (exercise goals, nutrition guidelines, gym hours/upcoming activities, etc)
• Bible Study (reading plan, verse memory sheet, church notes, Thankfulness Journal)
• Personal Lists (books to read, Things on Loan, gift ideas, goals accomplished, movies to see, etc)
• House (work needed on the house, project ideas, decoration ideas, supplies needed, seasonal work, de-cluttering schedule, etc)
• Usernames & Passwords list 
• Homeschool Lesson plans/ideas
• Seasonal Bucket Lists
• Blogging (schedule, ideas, tips)

As you can see, there are many things to consider when making your own HMB. I made my first one in the summer of 2011; since then there have been about 6 revisions. As my life changes and the lives of my kids change, I am constantly adapting my binder to work for me. This is key- a HMB should work for you, not the other way around. 

My first tab is my most used tab: Menu.

Making a menu is key to staying within my grocery budget and making sure I prepare healthy meals for my family. There are dozens of great menu planning printables out there (of which I have probably tried 6-10), with none of them exactly the style that I wanted. So I draw my own on notebook paper. I number the amount of dinners I need to plan for, and have a section on the back for lunches and things I make at home (like salsa, granola, bread, etc). I don't adhere to a daily lunch or breakfast schedule, I just make what sounds good to me at that time. That is why more detailed lists were not my preference. Here are just a few links  to free menu planning printables (seriously, try searching "Menu Planning Printables" on Pinterest and see how many options there are):

Organizing Home Life

The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking

Blooming Homestead

Some suggest using a page protector with your menu planner so you can dry erase each week instead of printing out 52 pages (do whichever works for you).

Several menu planners have built in grocery lists or have color coordinating grocery lists that come with them. I have smaller pieces of paper for grocery lists that I store in a page protector in the back of my binder.

 Other things I include are: a Master List of favorite meals, and Seasonal Lists (favorites for winter, things to cook on the grill in the heat of summer, and so on), Breakfast & Lunch Ideas, and Homemade foods. So far I make homemade bread, salsa, granola, biscuits, and taco seasoning. I hope to add ketchup, yogurt, tortillas and pancakes to this list soon. (I have all of these recipes on my Pinterest boards: The Alternative, and Sides, Sips, and Snacks).

That sums up my first section in my Home Management Binder. Visit me tomorrow for the next part: Front Pocket and House Section.