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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: April 06 2010 at 7:42am | IP Logged
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I desperately need to get a handle on my housekeeping routine (again), and the "notebook" thing does not work for me. For one thing, it is very out of sight out of mind.
I remember Jen did a post on moving her "notebook" to a box system. Is that still working for you Jen? I liked that it was flexible (easy to add things without seeming to just cram paper in a notebook quickly), but it is still a bit too out of sight for me, I think.
I have found that having things hung on clipboards helps, but don't have a good open space to do this. I'm considering our refrigerator.
I keep looking at this clipboard display thinking that ideally, all my notebook "sections" would have a clipboard like this, but I don't have an area to put them all in one place so neatly. Sigh. Still brainstorming, but though you others might like to help me brainstorm this one as well!
I'm so giddy to start a new real topic in this forum!!!!
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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Pamin OZ
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Hi, I once made a "brain on a page" which was sort of like a notebook all on one page. (Notebooks just don't work for me.) I did cheat a bit by covering two pages with sections and then printing them on reduced size so that they only took up one page when printed out.
I just thought of all the sections I needed to remember things for- meals, cleaning systems, etc and tried to limit them somewhat.
I don't use it at the moment but if I felt I needed a notebook system I would try this again as much more likely to work for me.
Pam
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Mackfam
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| Posted: April 06 2010 at 8:21am | IP Logged
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CrunchyMom wrote:
| I remember Jen did a post on moving her "notebook" to a box system. Is that still working for you Jen? I liked that it was flexible (easy to add things without seeming to just cram paper in a notebook quickly), but it is still a bit too out of sight for me, I think. |
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It is to a degree. It's a good place for phone lists, chore organizer checklists, master menu lists, inspiring magazine clippings, ideas I want to brainstorm, etc. to live...it functions well as a home management resource center for me...but, I need something more visible and available for **working** lists and plans.
Right now, I'm using a clipboard and a planner calendar for working lists. I bring those to my home management box. I pull ideas from it, and master lists, etc. It works for me to have one day of the week set aside as my kitchen day - I do menus, plan market lists, grab any coupons I might have and tuck those on my clipboard, look ahead to the weekly calendar making notes, move anything frozen into the fridge to thaw. I also look to my bake center and add to my glass containers there - flour, brown sugar, oatmeal, etc., and I wipe down appliances. When I can be faithful to my kitchen days, life here seems to roll a lot more smoothly!!! I have had a really hard time being and staying motivated on that score lately though. I'm not sure why...but I'm starting to get back in a groove and it feels so nice to return to a routine that is so helpful to me and to the family.
So anyway...I guess my answer is that I like having one *place* - whether that's a notebook, a box, a drawer, or a file basket - for the resources I turn to in managing my home. But, I'm pretty sure that just having a box, or file, or notebook isn't enough for me - it's a good and necessary resource center, but I need something smaller and very accessible for working with - like a clipboard and a planning calendar. Right now, I'm using an EXTREMELY USEFUL and very versatile large plastic magazine file to hold my working lists on a small section of counterspace. (LOVE those magazine files - they are everywhere in my house and are so useful!!!)
In my ideal dream world...the one where I have lots and lots of great countertop space and a little working desk area in my kitchen - this file basket is my dream solution - drop and file works best for me and the basket is pretty enough to be out all the time. And then, a pretty clipboard and great planner calendar!!
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Jen Mackintosh
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SusanJ
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I worked with Simple Mom's Daily Docket for awhile. Somewhere she has it as a free PDF download on her site. I used her exact one for several weeks so that I could start something with no fuss. After a month or so I found there were categories I didn't need, categories I wanted, or boxes I using just a bit differently than what she was doing. I am totally unskilled in the graphic design department but I spent a LONG time making a one-page docket for myself that visually appealed to me. I can e-mail mine to you, Lindsay, if you want another take on hers. It includes boxes for my dinner plan, my school plan, my general schedule, new habits I am working on, good habits I have established but still want the security of checking off, my to-do list, a blank spot for notes, and a square where I can check off water consumption, vitamins, exercise, etc..
I use this page in combination with google calender/task list. Stuff can get dumped out of my brain into those two areas: projects not on an urgent deadline, appointments, meal/chore rotations, etc. and then each evening before bed I sit down and fill out my sheet and hang it on my fridge. It's working really well. I don't know how to get a picture of mine on the forum but I'm happy to talk more about how I use each square if anyone wants.
Susan
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Becky Parker
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Lindsay,
Could I ask what things you would put on these clipboards or lists, etc.? Are they things like grocery lists, menus, cleaning schedules, and calendars?
I have some ideas, but I think it would help to know exactly what types of information you need a system for.
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: April 06 2010 at 9:39am | IP Logged
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Becky Parker wrote:
Lindsay,
Could I ask what things you would put on these clipboards or lists, etc.? Are they things like grocery lists, menus, cleaning schedules, and calendars?
I have some ideas, but I think it would help to know exactly what types of information you need a system for. |
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Ideally, I would have magic clipboards to come to life and do all the things you listed.
But, yeah, that is basically it. I use motivated moms (well, when i do use it, it is great), and I have found I use it better when it is out on the wall in a frame (no glass), so that I see it. I also made a master list of lists clipboard, but the place I found to hang it is "hidden" and so I stopped remembering it was there. It works well when I remember it, too.
I'm afraid I'm just incompetent, forgetful, and lazy. I don't intend to be as lazy as I am, but that tendency coupled with my forgetfulness means that when a lot doesn't get done as I'd intended. I figure if I can find a way to organize that fights the forgetfulness, I can help myself succeed and part of the battle is fought so I can focus on building virtue, lol.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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RyaneM
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SusanJ wrote:
I worked with Simple Mom's Daily Docket for awhile. Somewhere she has it as a free PDF download on her site. I used her exact one for several weeks so that I could start something with no fuss. After a month or so I found there were categories I didn't need, categories I wanted, or boxes I using just a bit differently than what she was doing. I am totally unskilled in the graphic design department but I spent a LONG time making a one-page docket for myself that visually appealed to me. I can e-mail mine to you, Lindsay, if you want another take on hers. It includes boxes for my dinner plan, my school plan, my general schedule, new habits I am working on, good habits I have established but still want the security of checking off, my to-do list, a blank spot for notes, and a square where I can check off water consumption, vitamins, exercise, etc..
Susan |
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Susan,
This is exactly what I have been trying to do. I have been using hers as well but, like you, have found that there are other things that I would like included and things that she has that I don't need.
I'd love to see yours if you wouldn't mind. Maybe it would give me the jumpstart I need.
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Mama to ds (3/05), ds(1/09) and dd (4/10)
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LeeAnn
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When I need to post something I want to see everyday, I usually tape it to the inside of a kitchen cabinet. By far the BEST method for keeping my house clean has been decluttering...AND delegating some chores to older children. :) Lindsay, I see your oldest is nearly six. It gets easier!
My 12yo cleans all the bathrooms once a week. The 10yo has taken over all the laundry--I just put it away. The 6yo feeds the cat and tidies the entry. And we all pitch in as needed for bigger jobs or like during Holy Week, we did the whole dusting, cleaning chandeliers, deep cleaning stuff, etc. My main daily jobs are keeping everyone on task, washing dishes and cooking the meals and running the vacuum (although the 4yo likes to help with the vacuum and he can wash most of the windows too).
And if you need detailed cleaning advice, I highly recommend the blog "Like Mothers, Like Daughters" by Catholic mom Leila Lawler.
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Sarah
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I am in the process of redoing my planning too. 
I went to Office Depot and bought a clipboard that opens and holds papers, pens, and small post-it notes.
I keep my calendar clipped to the clipboard and any sheet I need at the moment.
All blank paper and other items I will need for the week are stored in the clipboard base.
Then I have created some file folders for holding stuff that I don't need in the clipboard all the time.
I am going to make some master forms for planning that I will pull out of my files weekly and use in my clipboard. The thing I like about a clipboard is that you can nurse a baby with it, you can hold a kid in your lap and use it, and its just one sheet. Plus paper that comes at you that you cannot deal with right away can get clipped into it right then. For example, lets say some child hands you a math test to grade but you have hungry little ones, I just clip it right in and its not lost. Soccer schedules or forms waiting for me to deal with are also clipped right in. Its quick and easy and simple.
On the contrary, it might not be quite as organized or lovely as the planners out there, but it is working for me. You could get out of control with what you clip in. . .so like any method it needs to be maintained.
That's my 2 cents. God bless.
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Paula in MN
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I've been tossing around an idea of using a stand-up, desk size, perpetual daily calendar. On each day I'd have the chores or tasks listed, along with the Feast Day or Saints Day. The problem is those calendars are by date, versus by day, and I can't come up with a solution. I just like the idea of something small, that can sit out and be seen, and can be "flipped" out of the way when finished.
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JuliaT
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I used a crate and put 52 file folders to represent the weeks of the year. I put lots in those folders: bills to be paid, weekly menus, grocery list, reminders of library books due, etc. It worked great for one month. Now it is stuffed under our kitchen desk.
My problem is not with planning and organizing (I am great at doing that) but rather my problem is with implementing my plans. This problem carries over in household, as well as homeschool. It's just an overall character flaw. So I need help in how to implement all the great plans that I have. 
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JodieLyn
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For those out of sight out of mind.. I found a "white board" frame with magnets to attach it to the fridge.. you can put a list or such under it.. write on top of the list and erase.. something like that might work for Lindsay's list of lists.
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My "brain" lives on the dining room table in a plastic cover. When the table gets cleaned off it goes back on, so I see it ALL the time.
We use our dining room for all meals and schooling.
My brain is a one sheet, sometimes back and front, reminder of things that sometimes don't appear to need to be done, but if I don't it is bad :)
I have an Excel spreadsheet I tweak every few months and print out and put in this plastic cover. They are my "must do's" to keep us afloat. Laundry, meals and planning, bills (my nemesis), bed changes, pet care, etc. Each of us has a row and in the columns are our,about 2-5 things depending on age and motivation level, we need to get done each day.
This changes depending on sport and activity seasons and other seasonal changes. For example, it is now spring and our mud/laundry room gets yucky dirty so fast. It now hits the list for a weekly cleaning.
I also use the inside of a cabinet door for my menu and grocery list. It works. I ended up buying some corkboard at Staples and put that on the inside of the door and that has been so helpful.
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Becky Parker
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I tried using a large binder for everything but it just didn't work for me. I am one of those out of site out of mind people so it was difficult for me to use the binder, plus it was too big to lug around.
My "system" has several components:
~I have a file crate, inspired by Dawn.
~I use a clipboard, like Sarah mentions. I "fill" it each week with the items I will need. (Sarah, I'm going to Staples today to see if I can find one like you mentioned above. That sounds great.)
~I have a bulletin board in my kitchen, covered with fabric so it looks a little nicer, on which I hang items that only change monthly or not at all like menus, our hooks with the chore packs hanging from them, and the calendar.
~I also have four, 2" binders that are on my shelf. One for each season. I store long term items in these.
This is how I plan:
Most of what's in my file crate is school, or Liturgical Year related. I pull out the week's file when I do my planning and check it for saint's coloring pages or project ideas, holy cards that I hang on the calendar, saint stickers that go on the kid's calendars... anything that has a definite date. I tried putting lesson plans in the files but if we got behind everything got out of order so I don't do that anymore. So, those date specific things go on my clipboard. I also attach a grocery list and my lesson planning sheets which I print off from my computer. Finally, I attach a pretty sheet of paper on which I jot down the things I have to do for that week. I sometimes have a couple of lists like that attached, and I find it works best to keep them on top. Obviously, things on the clipboard get "buried" but it's not hard for me to remember they are there since I need to use them regularly. (I have to use the grocery list to go shopping and the lesson plans get used every day.)
Each season, I create a month of new menus that we rotate through for that season. These are stored in the seasonal binders until I need them, then they are placed on the bulletin board in full site. The binders also contain things like vacation plans (in the Spring binder since that's when we do our vacation planning), Christmas gift lists (in the winter binder), Special menus for special occasions (like Thanksgiving in the fall binder), School planning stuff goes in the summer binder, etc. I might need to pull out the summer binder in the spring or something like that, but for the most part, it works well. I also use pretty paper in these binders to record special things that I want to remember, like a prayer or poem that I have come across or something special one of the kids said. I could just add four more files to my file crate, one for each season, but I think they would have to be pretty thick. Currently, the Spring binder is on my shelf by my desk and the rest are stored in the bookshelves at the bottom since I wont need them much.
So far, even though it probably sounds confusing because of all the components, it's working well. What I need help with is the discipline to actually do the stuff on my list of things to do!
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Becky
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vmalott
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Hmmm...interesting topic. I think much of it depends on what type of organizer you are. Some folks are just naturally good at files, others find that binders work for them. They don't have that "out of sight, out of mind" issue. Other people need to see stuff, thus they might stack or use clipboards, etc. I tend to be a "stacker", but the visual clutter of that type of organizing sets me off kilter. 
My solution, ultimately, was to do as much planning electronically as I possibly could. At first I used my husband's PDA hand-me-down, but after switching from a desktop to a laptop and revamping my den, I now have my lists and such on the laptop.
I used to use Motivated Moms, but finally took a cue from Elizabeth and made those task lists my own, according to how frequently *I* thought things needed to be done in *my* house. That list is kept on MS Outlook. Since I check e-mail several times per day, this works out smoothly for me. Outlook also has a calendar, so I'm able to color-coordinate my family's activities. The real beauty of this, though, is that if I don't get to something on one day, that task is just moved to the following day. No guilt over not finishing something and I still get to check off boxes! 
Going paperless in this way has been great. It has decreased the amount of paper and ink I go through. I don't have the problem of visual clutter...at least, not from my planning!
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Valerie
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MicheleQ
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Paula in MN wrote:
| I've been tossing around an idea of using a stand-up, desk size, perpetual daily calendar. On each day I'd have the chores or tasks listed, along with the Feast Day or Saints Day. The problem is those calendars are by date, versus by day, and I can't come up with a solution. I just like the idea of something small, that can sit out and be seen, and can be "flipped" out of the way when finished. |
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I do this with my planner. I use the small size (7 -hole) in a small binder and propped on my desk in a book stand. Sticky notes can be moved for the daily stuff and I can see each days saint and feast. The binder has pockets so I can keep other things I need handy.
I too am an out of sight out of mind person so my desk area has everything I need to remember right in front of me. I have a bulletin board on the wall in front of me and a large pocket file folder holder that I can clip things to. If I can see it I remember it --if not, forget it!
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TxTrish
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If you like using clip boards, or want to start be sure to check your local thrift store or garage sales - I have about a dozen that I have never paid more than a quarter for. Each of my children painted one, I have decoupaged a couple, and so on. Cover with polyeurothane, spray or brush on - whatever you happen to have - and voila! Longterm durability. (and waterproof, too ) An easy and smallish prjoect that brings me constant joy!
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Paula in MN
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MicheleQ wrote:
| I do this with my planner. I use the small size (7 -hole) in a small binder and propped on my desk in a book stand. Sticky notes can be moved for the daily stuff and I can see each days saint and feast. The binder has pockets so I can keep other things I need handy. |
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I knew if I shared my thoughts someone would be doing something similar that would make complete sense to me. Thank you Michele!
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dakotamidnight
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CrunchyMom wrote:
But, yeah, that is basically it. I use motivated moms (well, when i do use it, it is great), and I have found I use it better when it is out on the wall in a frame (no glass), so that I see it. I also made a master list of lists clipboard, but the place I found to hang it is "hidden" and so I stopped remembering it was there. It works well when I remember it, too. |
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How well do you like motivated moms? I'm debating buying it but can't decide if we'll actually use it enough.
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jennthmg
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I bought a dayplanner that's a 3-ring binder for a half-sheet of paper. I modified my teacher planner to have everything I needed on one page. - chores for each child each day / recurring appt. / my daily routines / what meals were planned for that day / the kids' school assignments, etc.
There have been times (during pregnancies and other life-happenings) when I could NOT think through using a binder. Then, I transfer everything from my binder to a poster. I hang the poster on a door (like my pantry door) and use sticky notes like revolving doors (Monday's chores for each child & myself goes on the 3"x3" sticky note and gets moved to the bottom of the sticky notes pad when Tuesday comes along, revealing Tuesday's work). I do this for chores, school, meal plans, etc. I have a monthly tickler attached to the poster, too. Things that don't conform to sticky notes well (like grocery lists) get attached with a paper clip.
Then things that need to occur on a certain date, go on our calendar which hangs across from the poster. (When I'm too brain fogged to use a binder, I also don't do well with my Outlook calendar.)
Just an idea.
Jenn
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: Homekeeping Notebook Alternatives
