Getting Organized in 2010 - Control Journals

Last evening, my house was blessed with the sounds of the members of XI ETA CHI as we sat down and discussed how it is we each keep our households organized over a buffet of my spinach dip appetizer, salsa & chips, and fresh fruit.

As we each went around and shared some of the things we do to get organized, many of us found we use many of the same concepts in a different way.

One of the ladies uses a file card system, another keeps notes on her refridgerator, and I use my control journal - inspired by Flylady and customized over the past few years to coordinate with the needs with my household.

The greatest thing about a control journal is that it helps you take control of your day.  Inside my control journal I keep my calendar, addressbook, sections for each of my children, shopping lists, to-do-list, emergency information, household information, and my latest writing project.

My calender is broken up into one week per page.  Each day is broken into sections: schedule, to-do, household mission, and meal.  On the back of my weekly calander, I have a grocery list, errand list, people to call list, and bills to pay.

I have a specific section for each of my children.  Here I put papers that need to be signed and returned to school, newsletters, lunch menus, policys, and classroom lists.  I keep the most recent paper due to return to school or needing attention to the front where I will see it.  Once I month I go through and switch out old menus and newsletters and make sure I didn't forget any papers that needed sent back to school.

I keep another section full of contact and emergency information.  I leave my control journal open to a particular page designed specifically for our babysitter when she comes over.  This page tells here, where she is (one may forget under the stress of an emergency), introduces our children, their ages, likes, dislikes, bed time,and any allergies or health issues to be aware of, and tells the sitter where we are going and how to reach us while we are out.

My address book is full of friends, family, and I have two special seperate lists.  One list is for our favorite restraunts, and the other is for listing telephone numbers of the local police, fire station, family doctor, dentist, insurance agency, car repair, and other most often used establishments to keep our home and vehicles maintained.

Thanks to Flylady, I keep a list of household chores just behind my calander, and as I go through the zones of my home I can check off what household chores have been done.  I found Flylady's philosphy of "You can do anything in 15 minutes" to be percisely true.  Everything I try to do something around the house I only have 15 minutes.  As a stay at home mother, I'm sure others will agree with me, that kids take up the other 45 minutes of every hour of the day. 

Then my control journal also serves another purpose.  It's become the center of my household.  If my husband decides to help out one evening and make dinner, he knows what to make - it's in my control journal.  Should there be an emergency, my control journal acts on my behalf in the household by letting others know what tasks were left unfinished, and who to contact for support.

I keep my control journal in my crown bindery binder.  After a few years of using a three ring binder, I found they either fall apart or they take up alot of space when trying to opened them up at meetings, the grocery store, or in the car.  My crown bindery binder flips around to the back so I don't have the cover taking up excess room and is stiff enough to write in.

How do you organize your days, and what does your control journal look like?

Trip Around the Kitchen

One of the best things I love about family gatherings is the ability to take anything from the kitchen and prepare a feast for any number of people who have come in one house to be together and socialize .

The day after Thanksgiving is filled with long hours of traffic, crowds, shopping malls, and discount outlet stores. Yet, when the day is all over, everyone gets back together for a trip around the kitchen.

The evening is spent with women talking about bargains from stores, the men playing Euchre, and the children playing. The hours fly by, and before everyone knows it - it's time to leave and go back home.

I'm told this tradition, of my husband's family, began one evening when people were spread out into different groups, playing cards, socializing, and teenagers where hanging out in the kitchen wanting some snacks.

So my husband pulled left overs from the refrigerator, cheeses, meats, snacks from the cupboard like Frito's, pretzels, and crackers, and fruits from the counter. This was put together on plates, bowls, and platters on the kitchen counter. It has ever since become known as "Trip Around the Kitchen".

What do you have in your kitchen who is coming over?

What traditions will your family uphold this holiday season?

Free Holiday Planner

Every year I tell myself that I'm not going to let the holiday's stress me out and I'm not going to get carried away in the spending spree that Christmas often invokes upon us.

Yet, each year, I get more and more stressed. I have less dollars to spend, kids who as they grow, so does the price of their gifts, and less time it seems to accomplish all the preparations of our home for the holidays.

Over the years, I've compiled lists of guiding me through the holidays. To help me keep track of my spending, the people i need to buy gifts for, sending out Christmas cards, planning my Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinners, and even planning out my New Year's day.

I've got list for online and catalog shopping, handmade gifts, mailing gifts, and grocery lists.

A few weeks ago, I sat in my MOPS group listening to the women praise how lists have helped build their self-esteem and give them that feeling of accomplishment. Even if it means writing down something they've already done and crossing it off for the day.

This holiday season, I'd like to share with all of you my Holiday Planner. It's FREE!

You can go to www.mrschadt.com/freebies.aspx and print it out.

I've also added a link to it on this blog.

Let me know what you think, and how your holiday's went.

Wishing you a joyful, family filled, holiday.

MRsCHADT

Meal Planning 101

One of the main compliants of most families is they get tired of eating the same thing over an over again. It's like getting your tires stuck in a rut and needing a little shove to get out. That's why most of the time I try to plan my meals ahead, at least by a week.

Once a week, usually on a wednesday, I sit down and figure out what's for supper for the next week. I pull out my cookbooks, take a look at what's going on that evening, and begin my meal planning.

Yesterday, an old friend of mine sent me a link, this month I may try it. This website promises to not only to cut my grocery bill each month in half, but to help organize and plan my meals according to where I shop, number of people I'm feeding, and type of diet.



I'll keep you posted next month on how it actually works out. As a mother, freelance writer, and not to forget - wife. I'm willing try anything new that might give me more time to spend with my family and cut my grocery bills, especially in today's economy.