home organization Archives - Growing In Grace

Organizing Home and School

October 9, 2013Tracy

Last year, I used these really cool wall-adhesive charts to organize my life. But unfortunately, my WallPops did not survive the move. (They adhered to the wax paper and would not come off.) So I was left scrambling at the last minute before the beginning of school wondering how I was going to organize myself.

Thank the Lord for Target! I actually made the trip to look for toy bins for Middlest’s room and happened upon these terrific magnet dry-erase boards.

Of course, with my aversion for putting holes in walls, I hung them with command hooks and adhesives rather than the actual mounting kit. But so far, they seem to be holding well. And I do love to feel organized.

I actually use the calendar to record our school schedule, placing the subjects in the Sunday box and filling in the rest of the days with assignments for that day. This system works really well for me because it’s up on a wall where I can quickly glance to know what to do next with each child, rather than hunting down yet another notebook or loose piece of paper.

The larger week-in-view allows me to highlight specific events or appointments that we have during the week. I update it each week from our Google calendar so that I don’t overlook those important items. It might seem overkill for some people, but it has been a life-saver for me. While we were moving, I really felt lost without this item.

{sigh} So nice to see my life again, neatly arranged in little boxes with brightly colored markers. It helps me feel that everything is in its rightful place.

Taking Command: A Command Center for the New Year

January 10, 2013Tracy

I recently blogged about a book that I read to help identify how I best organize, and in attempt to put my reading to good use, I’m converting from a household notebook system to a Command Center.

Let me first say that I haven’t trashed my notebook entirely. I’ve found it very helpful for quick reference: important phone numbers, doctor information, babysitter information, etc. But I’m moving my planner out of my notebook and onto my fridge.

I chose my fridge because it tends to be the largest open surface that is in my main flow of traffic. Also, everyone knows that when you stand around trying to figure out what it is you are supposed to be doing, you always end up at the fridge.

organization

My purpose for this Center is to keep my day organized: cleaning schedule, routine, to-dos, events to remember for the week, etc. Anything that I need to attend to for the week and for the day, kept in plain view.

What’s Missing—

We use Google Calendar so that my husband and I can share events. It has worked really well most of the time, except that it is often out of sight when I need it. So, to solve that, I’m going to start printing off our calendar at the first of each month and attaching it to a smaller center I have set up by our phone.

My menu is also missing. I’ve been using ziplist.com for my menu planning and have really enjoyed it’s many features, including the ability to import recipes from all over the web (yes, pinterest, too!) and drag/drop them into a calendar. I love it! (and it’s free) Of course, it is out of sight. But honestly, I’m not positive how I want to solve this. I will either print it out and post it on the fridge, or I will write the menu onto my dry erase week plan. I’ll have to see which works best.

What’s There–

I have two dry erase boards. Actually they are not boards at all, but adhesive dry-erase paper from WallPops.com. The first one is a weekly planner. The major events from the week I will write in. This way, I will have another spot for those events to be seen, and by writing it in I’ll have that extra reminder. The other dry-erase board is for me to keep track of projects I want to tackle and special tasks that my husband would like me to get to. Having it on the fridge allows him to have easy access to add anything or to see that, though something might be undone right now, it is on my list of things to tend to.

Each day, I choose a few projects from my big list to add to my smaller to-do cards. These cards are laminated for dry-erasing. I have six cards in the pocket so that I can plan ahead for different projects, breaking that project into smaller steps if necessary. These and my cleaning cards are stored in Martha Stewart adhesive pockets. (I love these!) I’ve made mine a little fancier with some decorative duct tape.

Last of all is my daily routine. This tells me when I need to be cleaning or working on those projects.

And for right now, that’s it! I may keep tweaking it as I start to use it more, but for right now it has been perfect. Beautiful and always in sight.

Organizing with a Weekend Planner

September 5, 2012Tracy1 Comment

After creating my printable week planner, I started working on a printable weekend planner. My husband is a pastor, so our weekends look much different from the rest of the week. Often, preparations for Sunday really get in the way of Sunday worship; they are a logistical nightmare. So, in an effort to reclaim worship, I’m organizing my weekends with this planner page.

Projects & Errands

This is the section to record those special Saturday projects, the bigger to-dos that usually wait for a weekend—weeding the garden, grocery shopping, deep-cleaning, etc.

Weekend Preparation

This section is the heart of this planner page. It gives me a spot to plan both physically and spiritually for our day of worship. “Prepare Physically” gives me a place to list and check-off those tasks that get me ready for the day—defrosting the chicken or roast, prepping vegetables, laying out clothes, gathering Bibles, packing the diaper bag, etc. “Prepare Spiritually” gives me a list of prayers to prepare my heart and spirit for the day.

Events to Plan

Our weekends often have us attending or planning a variety of events. Whether we are having someone to our house or participating in a church function, this gives me a spot to write a reminder.

People to See

There are often specific people I need to see and talk with when we get to church, to ask about upcoming events, to check-up on prayer updates, to visit with someone who may have been absent for awhile, etc. But at this stage in my life, relying on my memory is a dangerous thing. It’s not that I don’t care enough to remember; it’s that I care enough to write it down so that I won’t forget.

Items to Bring

It literally may take me 3 or more weeks to remember to bring something extra to church with me. Returning someone’s dish, bringing a book or resource to someone, giving a shower gift or card—I usually remember until the rush to get out the door. Writing it down will help me to prepare for it, to have it waiting with our Bibles and ready to go.

The last thing on the planner is the “Notes” section. Nothing special, just an extra place to jot down things that might not fit into the other categories.

I’m really excited about this planner. I’m really excited about getting my Sundays back under control. And though I know my situation is rather unique (not everyone is married to a pastor), I also know that Sundays are difficult for most moms: there’s a lot to coordinate! So, I’m sharing my weekend planner as a free printable, hoping that it will help someone else reclaim Sunday as a day for worship. If there is a way that I can customize it to better fit your needs, please let me know in the comments section and I’ll see what I can do.

Weekend_Planner

Weekly Home Planner Download

September 3, 2012Tracy

I’ve been working on trying to organize my home as the new school year swings into gear, and part of that overall has been my household/homeschool planner. Because I just can’t seem to find a planner that has all I want, I’ve been working on creating my own.

When I first started using a household notebook four or five years ago, a daily planner worked really well for me. Now, I really need something that covers me for the week and doesn’t add a lot of extra work to my day. I need structure and organization not more work.

A weekly to-do list, a place for a few routine tasks that need to be checked off (I’ve coordinated my planner with the alarms I set), a place for specific weekly tasks (cards to be mailed, calls to be made, or appointments to be kept), and then a simple cleaning schedule were a few of the items I really wanted in my planner. Also, I wanted a little inspiration at the top—some Scripture paraphrases to help me focus my week. I have four different inspirations for each week of the average month.

Diligence: She eateth not the bread of idleness. (Prov. 31:27)

Faithfulness: Serve the Lord with gladness for the abundance of all things. (Deut. 28:46)

Purpose: Do all for the glory of God. (1 Cor. 10:31)

Perseverance: God finished the work which he had done. (Gen. 2:2)

Because my weekends look much different from the rest of my week, this planner is really for Monday through Friday. I intend to make a separate planner for the weekends and print that to the back of these sheets. But for now, I’m really liking the new approach. I hope you do, too! Enjoy!