Clips and Files for the New Year

Still working on some reorganizing here.  Trying some new things that I've put together from bits and pieces I see on pinterest (my new fun place to hang out. :) ) 

First, I'm always looking for ways to keep visuals on the ready for myself and my peeps. (cute lil' peeps they are, too.)  While visual charts and tools are useful for most people, I have some that are lost without them. (pretty sure I know who they get that from)  Thing is, making all these super cool charts ends up leaving some of us confused or at least burdened with the extra work of keeping track of where they all end up.  Enter: The Clip Board.

I've always liked clip boards. My children have always liked clip boards. If you have a work to do, try doing it with a clip board. I promise, you will feel extra special toting one of those slim, shiny, self-reliant all purpose mini-desks around with you. Go ahead, stick a pencil behind your ear, too. It completes the vibe.

I took the idea of a clip board for each person and gave it a whirl for a couple of weeks. I wanted to see if it would actually be useful before I committed to finding them permanent homes. I piled them in a wood tray on a handy shelf in the kitchen to see what we would see. Turns out, it's a hit!  Since they were already in use in some capacity (our chore charts and daily schedule) it was an easy transition. Today, they found a permanent home in the kitchen.

They are now in a high traffic area, making it easy for me and David to see, at a glance, where someone is at with school work and chores. We've also got a handy place to leave notes or items we want the children to keep track of or read from us. The children have one special place where all their paperwork belongs and having it up and in front of them at all times is a great reminder of what needs doing. (Not that my Forever Job of Reminding is at risk or anything. These won't look new for very long, you know.)  I've even found a good way to remind my 1st grader to practice her daily reading list and her primer story with Daddy before bed.

 

 

 Next step for the Clippies is to have some fun personalizing them with some fancy papers and homemade decoupage. Wow, do I love pinning.

 

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While I was mulling things around, dreaming of the Super Organized Life, I revisited my years of aspiring to create the perfect Household Binder.  I've tried all manner of formats only to feel defeated or at least frustrated that what I thought was the Road to Perfection was simply Another Thing To Do and Keep Track Of.  In fact, it's been a couple of years since I even bothered with any kind of household tracking system, even a calendar, outside of the basic Stick On A Wall Until It Falls Down trick.

But, I was feeling motivated and somehow, a bit empowered with this new pinning habit I've acquired. I got some great inspiration and, well, neatly filed ANYTHING is going to make me itch to try it. So, I took a clever idea, tailored it a bit, added in some new and old forms, bought myself a fancy-dancy file box with some Christmas money, and Viola! I have a lovely new toy...errr....tool.

On the front is a simple calendar for planning out family events and appointments. It's at the ready for anyone to add to it or check in to be see what we have coming up.  Inside the hanging file folders I put individual pocket folders that are easy for a grab-n-go kind of life. No more dragging a 15 pound Trapper Keeper everytime I head out the door. I mean, really, with a 15 pound baby, car seat, diaper bag, toddler, purse, tote bags, cheerios, bottles, snack bags, hats, mittens....well, you get the point. This ain't high school anymore, sisters!

 

This is my proto-type, so I expect it will be added to and revamped as the year goes on. I took apart my old dinosaur binder and picked the tabs I found most useful to me. I now have a section for To Do (aka: Schedules and Calendars).

This folder is one I'll use daily, so I put it in a pocket folder that is plastic instead of the cheaper paper ones. I figure it will get the most abuse.  Inside the pockets I have items that need doing this week by me.

 

 

In sheet protectors I have a daily check-off list that I use a wet-erase marker to write on. Oh! for the love of saving printer ink!!! I picked this page because I love the little checkboxes reminding me to drink my water and take my vits. I am *always* forgetting both of those.  I've also put our school calendars and lessons plans in this folder. I debated making a separate one for school, but, really, school is about all I do in life so it makes sense to have it all together. One Effects All.

 

Quick run down on my school planning forms:

One yearly calendar to mark our weeks on and off school. This gives me something to aim for and also helps me see where I can play catch up should we need some unplanned time off for illness or other fun stuff that comes our way.

I use this form that breaks up the year into weeks to keep track of weeks that I call "formal" where we attempt to complete a full load of subjects. There are weeks marked "Basic" where we focus on LA and Math and anything we may need to do catch up on.  Then, there are weeks that are completely off. I use different colored highlighters to help me see that at a quick glance. I'm sorry I can't link you to this form. I have hunted for it a few times this past year and just can't find it. It's my favorite one but it would be simple enough to recreate if you are excel friendly.

I use this same form for each child, marking more specifically where they should be at in their various subjects throughout the year.

 

 

Now, looking close, I can see that my 3rd grader is *only* a *few* weeks behind some subjects at this point. (...ahem...)

 

Back to the File Box. 

Another folder for Shopping. I've got a shopping list in a plastic sleeve. Again, easier than reusing paper if I can just wipe off the list each time I go shopping. Others can add to the list and I can just grab it on my way out to the store.  I've also included a cute school supplies list, a sleeve for collecting business cards and punch cards, an ongoing wish list of items to purchase, a pic of the hairstyle I like for my trip to the hairdresser, flyers or brochures for items I'd like to get at some point, and I have plans to add in a list of clothing and shoe sizes for each person. That way, I'll be ready at the clearance racks, thrift stores, and yard sales this spring.

 

My folder for Household Cleaning and Organization is pretty slim right now. My master chart for making our weekly menu is in there. Some things I've collected on cleaning tips, and charts for recording auto and household maintenance.

I have a folder marked Tracy's Reading Materials. I'm stashing various newsletters, catalogs, clippings, and other odds and ends I don't find time to read around the house. I figure when I head out for dental appointment, a long car ride, or some such down time I can grab my folder and catch up.

Last, I have a folder for Medical Notes. I've always dreamed of having a lovely binder recording all of our medical histories and such. It's never happened. But, this is a pretty start, isn't it? Thing is, we have very few doc visits, which is a Very Good Thing. I'm hoping to just get some of my notes in there regarding vaccinations to I'm armed and ready next time we all file in for what ails us.

 

That's where I'm at with this for now. I need to add in a folder for Ministry, keeping track of some of the work we do with our local homeschool groups.  Likely, I will add a School folder soon, especially with curriculum planning on the horizon. I have plans of adding in a folder for The Garden and, Lord willing, we'll have need for a Vacation Plans folder in another year or so. 

Adding an apology for the poor quality on the photos. I find that by the time I'm done with the daily necessities and have time to do a little extra...like blogging...the sun is going down and that doesn't make for the best color quality for photography. Oh well, you get the idea. :)