The Mom Project

   Okay, so the Mom Project that I talked about on Facebook a couple of months ago has finally come to fruition.  It’s one of those projects that is always evolving and changing in some manner, and you will soon see why.  The idea for this project came from a combination of a Home Management Binder I saw on Pinterest (courtesy of abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com) and the coupon binder from thekrazycouponlady.com.  I have finally reached a place where I feel that it’s complete enough for me to share, and so I shall!

Let’s start first with a list of the supplies I used to put this little baby together:

*1 ½ in Binder (I like the ones with the clear pocket on the front for personalization)

*2 sets of erasable tab dividers (I picked the white ones because I like the idea of being able to doodle on them.)

*Pencil pouch (I have 2 in my book)

*Pens

*Sharpies

*White Out

*Post Its

*Sport card holders

*Clear page protectors

*Stick on tabs

*Lined paper

*Print offs that apply (you’ll understand this part better by the end)

First, I start at www.wordle.net and make myself a cover page to slide into the front of my binder.  I call mine “Mama’s Big Book” but you could call it anything that makes you happy.  I use words to describe all the things inside my book, such as “coupons” and “busy”.  It takes a few times to get things just right, but once you do, it’s so great!

Open the book, and inside the pocket on the left I store papers and things that I need access to in the near future.  Notes I’ve taken about internet providers or cable companies that I have called to check prices with.

On the right hand side, the first thing you come to is my pencil pouch.  I have pens in several colors, white out, post it notes, sharpies, scissors, and any other office supply I may need to keep handy in this pencil pouch.

Now starts the dividers.  Each category is something I feel I need in my life, and many of them came from the Home Management Binder on abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com. The sections I have are Calendar, Schedules, Cleaning, Menu Planning, Finances, To Do, School, Medical, Contacts, Projects, Check Out These Websites, Wish List and Party.  You could add all kinds of tabs, like a music tab for music you want to download, or sheet music you are interested in playing.  The possibilities are endless.

I’m going to break down what’s in each section to give you an idea of how I organized my binder.  All of the sheets I use I found on Pinterest and printed for free.  There are hundreds of options out there, including some you can download and personalize for a small fee.

Calendar:

In this section I have two different sheets.  First you come to my weekly planner.  This is one of my very favorite templates and is made by mommytracked.com.  I use the space on Friday to keep track of what bills need to be paid that week since that’s the day that my hubby gets paid.  The second part of this tab is my calendar, which I write all over on.  This I print via creativemama.com because I think they the most beautiful and functional printable monthly calendar I have found.

Schedules:

This section is to keep things such as kids’ sports schedules in, or if you or you husband work a rotating schedule you could keep that here as well.  My kids aren’t currently in sports, and my husband schedule is constant so this tab is empty for the moment.

Cleaning:

I love cleaning check lists, and this is the perfect place to keep them.  I have seen several of them that are by week or by day.  The important part of this tab is finding the one that works best for you.

Meal Planning:

This is basically a money saving tab.  I have read blog after blog that swear by meal planning to help save on grocery costs, and it’s really an ingenius idea.  The sheet I use in from www.theprojectgirl.com and I absolutely adore it!

Finances:

This tab contains my monthly budget sheet, and account tracker sheets (yourway.net).

To Do:

Have fun with this tab.  Find some to do sheets that make you smile.  I have some with owls on them (www.theOrganizedClassroomBlog.com) I also have long term goal sheets in this tab (www.getbuttonedup.com) that makes me feel like I have really accomplished something when it’s done.

School:

This is the place to keep letters from teachers, PTO meeting notes, field trip schedules, etc.

Medical:

Again from yourway.net, the little packet I use gives you a place for insurance information, allergy information and doctors information.

Contacts:

This is my address book. It’s so much nicer than one of those tiny purse address books, and I love it. These sheets are also from yourway.net. I also have a sheet from getbuttonedup.com to keep track of websites and passwords, and a birthday organizer from yourway.net.

Projects:

Under this tab is where I keep all the projects I have in the works along with supply lists, etc. for said projects.

Check Out These Websites:

This is where I keep a list of websites I come across while I’m reading a magazine or someone tells me about that I want to check out when I get some time.

Wish List:

This is where I keep a list of things that I’d like to get, but don’t have to have.  Things for the house is the biggest component of this list.

Party!:

This is where I keep things for the latest birthday party or family party we are having.  Supply lists, guests lists, and all those sorts of things.

The second part of my binder is my coupon binder.  I’m a novice at the couponing thing, and so I went with the printable organizer from thekrazycouponlady.com. I put the sheets in clear page protectors and added my own tabs with stick on tabs.  I use collector card sheets to keep my coupons in, though I have seen actual coupon organizer sheets.  I have a price book sheet (organizedhome.com) and another pencil pouch at the beginning of the coupon section.  I use the pencil pouch to put coupons I know I will be using on a shopping trip and my shopping list in for easy access.

In the very back of my binder I keep two clear page protectors, one that I put coupons that need to be clipped/organized and one that I keep original copies of the sheets I use in just in case.

I plan on adding other tabs as the time comes, like a tab for canning.  I love my book, and it works well for me.  I hope that some of you can take something from it to make your own life easier and more organized. J

Worlds Worst Blogger

I'm not so good with keeping up on this lately, for many reasons really.  Most of them are actually significant even.  The biggest one being that we moved to Elko recently, and getting internet there has proved to be a pain in the a**. For real.  We're really working to get this figured out, but until then, I have been using the internet when I'm at my grandparent's house in Fallon, which is where I happen to be now.  Anyway, in order to catch up and try to get all this back on track, here's a recap:

*April- Moved into the 5th wheel in Battle Mountain while we were waiting for something to come open in Battle Mountain or Elko that was big enough for our family.

*July- Finally got into an apartment in Elko. Yes, we lived in our 5th wheel for 3 months.  I hope I never have to do that again.  In fact, I hope none of you ever have to do that either.  Ever.

Since then, we have managed to relocate the majority of our belongings to Elko, potty train Drake, and try to make life as normal and functional as possible.  For now.  Bahahaha!