My Homemaking Binder
Lately I have been drowning in housework and trying to ignore a certain screaming Monkey during nap times. So, I decided to get myself organized so that I could do the things I want to do (like gardening and sewing), not just the things I need to do (the never ending mounds of laundry). Enter the Executive Homemaker Binder from TipJunkie by Laurie.Many of the pages are provided, but I did not like the layout of some of them, so I went and found ones that I really like. Also, some of the pages were suggested, but not provided.
Weekly/Family/Party
Mommytrackd has a nice meal planning list with a menu on one side and grocery list on the other. I also like the party planning sheet. I am currently using it to plan an afternoon tea event in late April. The weekly family calendar makes it easy to see what parents and kids are doing, as well as, see meals, too. If you have to leave your infant with a babysitter and you need more than a "phone number of where we'll be" babysitter info sheet, they have a infant specific babysitter sheet. But then, I also put together a 25 page handbook for any babysitter that comes to our house (complete with table of contents and index, can we say Type A???)
Budget
As for the financial section, I have not found another budget type worksheet that I like as much as the ones from Crown Financial. Keep in mind that this worksheet comes from a financial education course ( highly recommended, by the way) and is designed to work with other resources in the context of a class. The worksheet has the capability of recording amounts in different categories for each day and can really help you know exactly where your money is going if you are diligent.
Calendar/daily
For a calendar, I Google-ed a customizable yearly calender from Time and Date with a list of holidays for the next couple years from Cozi. Then, I used this monthly calendar from the Household Planner to help plan chores, as well as, monthly events. For my blogging, I use this planner by Beckie of Infarrantly Creative. I like that it is pretty. Also, to get the daily schedule under control I modified the excel file version of
Goals/Cleaning
The long and short term goal sheet was not easy to find, but I found one here that has a column for each and even a medium category, and I wish I found, a little sooner, the weekly cleaning schedule that works best for me at TipJunkie. I started with a Housework planner by Tashia Calhoun. She offers some free printables, but the site is meant to sell you planning products. If you sign up for updates (which I did), you can get it for free.
Verdict
I have been using this binder for about a week and a half, and I have to say it has helped me be mindful of what I need to do. It also provides a way for my husband to see the areas in which I need his help. It has the potential to cut down on my stress level, in addition to decreasing my frustration with the amount of work I have to complete.Thank you to all the websites and bloggers who created the resources that I have found. A special thanks to Laurie from TipJunkie for the idea for all this and making it available for free!!!
To my readers: If you stay at home, how do you stay organized? Do you plan your days and how do you keep track of events and schedules? What resources if any have you found? I would love to hear from you.
