Getting It Together. Kayse Pratt. kaysepratt.com. Your Guide to Setting Up a Home Management System That Works All Rights Reserved.

Transcription

1

2 Getting It Together Your Guide to Setting Up a Home Management System That Works Kayse Pratt kaysepratt.com 2012 All Rights Reserved.

3 C ontents The Most Useful Tool In My Home Top 5 Reasons Why You Need A Home Management Notebook Creating Your Own Home Management Notebook Filling Your Notebook What You ll Need (a.k.a. The Fun Stuff!)

4 The Most Useful Tool In My Home An organized home is a happy home. Right? Well, it s at least a happier home. And my home? Well, it needed some organization, no doubt about it. As wife, mommy, and homemaker, I desperately needed to get it together. I have a few issues, as far as homemaking goes: 1. I stay home with my daughter, work full-time from home, and write on the side. Time is this elusive concept that I never actually have. 2. I DO have a toddler who likes to tornado through the living room, topple the towers of folded laundry, and throw her unfinished food on the floor. 3. I am emotionally allergic to cleaning. But I DO love organizing. If you ve read my blog at all, you ll know that I get a tad obsessive excited about systems. Planners, schedules, calendars, I love them all. Enter the Home Management Notebook. Basically, a Home Management Notebook is a resource for your home, keeping all your important paperwork and organizational wizardry in one place. I d read about them on other blogs, seen all kinds of printables, but I could never find anything that totally worked for me {read: I couldn t find all the documents I wanted in matching fonts and coordinating colors}. 3

5 So I made my own. Meal planners, cleaning schedules, babysitter cheat sheets I created everything I needed. And I m more than excited to share it with you. In this e-book you ll find a few things. First, my soapbox on why having a Home Management Notebook will change your life. Then, a complete tutorial with step-by-step directions on how to create your own notebook. And finally (my favorite!!) over 30 printables for you to download and use within your notebook. All in matching fonts and coordinating colors, of course! No, being organized won t accomplish world peace. It won t make you love cleaning, and it won t counteract the tornado-toddler issue. But it will most definitely bring a little more peace to your home. And we could all use a little more of that, am I right? So get ready to get it together, my friends. Here we go! 4

6 Top 5 Reasons Why You Need A Home Management Notebook 1. It s pretty. Seriously. Isn t it pretty? And let s be honest. If you re like me, you re just more likely to use something pretty. 2. Everything is in one place. Need the number for the pizza place down the road? Here. Wondering when that friend s birthday is? Here. Forget which room you re supposed to clean today? Here. List of rules for the babysitter you only mostly trust? Here. 5

7 3. Preparation is more important than you think. In an emergency, do you know which hospital is best to take your kid to? Do you know the number for poison control, or even where to find it? Are your financial goals written down somewhere, or just floating around in your head, hoping you get around to them someday? 4. One word: Freedom. I get it. Leaving your kids with a sitter (or sometimes even your hubby) is often more trouble than it s worth. You have to create a schedule, meal plans, a detailed map of where all the important things are in the house, and every possible important phone number in case of an emergency. It takes you a whole day to prepare to leave the house for an evening, much less a weekend!! Creating this notebook, where all of this information is compiled ONCE, and left in a permanent location brings freedom to your life. You can hand the notebook over to the sitter (or hubby) and trust that they have every piece of information they need. You can enjoy a date night without that back-of-your-mind worry that you forgot something. Freedom. Doesn t that sound amazing? 5. You ll be able to breathe again. No more scrambling to find the scrap of paper you wrote your to-do list on yesterday. No more wondering what to make for dinner when 4:30 rolls around and your crock pot window has closed. No more getting unfriended because of missed birthdays and anniversaries. You ll have access to all the important information in one easy peasy location. Your home is run by YOU, rather than you being run by the demands of your home. Instead of always being distracted by a never-ending to-do list that takes you away from your kiddos, you can easily pinpoint those things you need to do, accomplish them, and then spend your time enjoying your family, creating memories, engaging in activities, and loving life. A Home Management Notebook keeps all your managing tools in one place, from menu plans, to cleaning schedules, to babysitter tips and emergency info! It cuts down on clutter and makes for a streamlined household. It is honestly the most useful thing in my home to date. Sound good? I thought so. Let s get started.! 6

8 Creating Your Own Home Management Notebook Gather Materials 1. Alright, the first thing you re going to need is a basic 1-inch binder. You can use a plain one, or one with a view slot, like the one I bought. You can also find cute designer binders at Target like these, these, or these! I bought this one with a view slot, so that I could personalize a cover that I loved. 2. Next, you ll need a few dividers. I have 8 in my notebook. I chose the white dividers with clear tabs, again so I could make each divider pretty with some scrapbook paper. 7

9 3. Depending on your choice of binder and dividers, you might also need: - scrapbook paper (I highly recommend picking up a pad of paper with designs that complement each other well. Believe it or not, I ve found Walmart to be the best place for this!) - glue sticks or mod podge - a paper cutter - a pen or marker to write on the tabs. (My choice (always!!) was an Ultra-Fine Sharpie.) Create a Cover If you ve gathered your supplies, you re ready to get to work! Let s start with the cover (assuming you chose a binder with a view). I wanted to use a blue and green color scheme, with some pink/orange thrown in, and I actually had a scrapbook pad on hand with paper in those colors! I chose this blue and green striped floral page as my cover, and cut it to a 10 inch x 11 inch size, which fits perfectly in the front cover. I then cut a 9 inch x 11 inch sheet for the back cover (must be thinner due to the brads that connect the rings to the binder), and kept the 1 inch scrap strip for the spine. I also used my Silhouette to cut out letters in my chosen font for the cover. I didn t get too creative and just chose Pratt Family Notebook for the title! Here are a couple other options: Home Management Notebook: The Family Our Family Notebook 8

10 After the Silhouette cut the letters out, I placed them where I wanted them to go, and glued them on with some handy dandy mod podge. Here s the final result! (If you don t have an electronic cutter like a Silhouette or a Cricut, you could easily pick a favorite font and type up a cute title on white or colored cardstock, and back it with some scrapbook paper!) The 1-inch scrap from the cut fit perfectly in the spine! Yay! I love when that kind of stuff works out. 9

11 And the back cover (see the brads I was talking about?). 10

12 Pretty Up Your Dividers Time to move on to dividers! First, you need to brainstorm what categories you want to include in your notebook. I wanted this notebook to be a resource where I could keep EVERYTHING from cleaning to blogging to meal planning. After MUCH pondering, the categories in my notebook are: Calendars Meal Plans Important Numbers Finances Cleaning Household Management Inspiration & Family Records (Note: I do not keep recipes in this binder I have another notebook for recipe filing. There is no way all of my recipes would have fit in here along with everything else!) Now, if you re planning on making your dividers PRETTY, choose 8 coordinating scrapbook pages (this is where that pad of scrapbook paper comes in handy!) and cut them to 8.5 in. x 11 in. size. Use mod podge or rubber cement to glue the scrapbook pages to the front of the dividers. (Tip: Lightly coat the dividers with mod podge and then lay the paper on top where you d like it. This will help you avoid that nasty bubbling effect. If you re worried about lining things up completely, use a full sheet of scrapbook paper, aligning just the one side with the divider tab. Then trim the rest of the paper off after it dries. Perfect-o!) 11

13 If you re really fancy, you can do the backs too. I m only a little bit fancy, so I just did the fronts. Then, simply create your labels using your Fine Point Sharpie, and slip them in the tabs! And you re all set! The framework of the notebook is complete, so now we re ready to start filling it up with all sorts of useful information! 12

14 Filling Your Notebook {Printables by Category} Alright! So you ve got your notebook {all cutely decorated}, and you ve got your dividers {also cutely decorated} now it s time to fill it up! In this section I will detail each divider tab and the specific printables that I include in each location. Let s jump right in! Inside Front Cover: Inside the front cover, I keep 2 documents, laminated back to back. (If you don t have access to a laminator, a heavy duty sheet protector works just fine! You just want to be able to use a dry erase marker on it.) On one side is the Babysitter Information and on the other side is Emily s Daily Schedule. 13

15 I like to keep these in the front cover because they are easy to pull out when we have a sitter. When someone comes over to watch Em, I just stick this fancy 2-sided, sheet-protected document up on the fridge. Before I laminated the sheets, I made sure to fill in all the information that doesn t change (Em s routines, our cell phone # s, etc.). Then, utilizing the dry-erase factor of the lamination or the sheetprotector, I grab a dry-erase marker and write the current info for the sitter (specific times for schedule, where we re going to be, special notes), and then just wipe it off when we get home. That way I don t have to keep printing these it s totally reusable! 14

16 Calendar Divider: This section holds multiple calendars, one for keeping each part of our family life in order. I keep a yearly master calendar in here one page for each month. This helps me to plan in advance, and then copy our schedule from the master calendar onto our white board calendar (kept on the fridge) every month. I also keep 2 Perpetual Calendars in this section (one for birthdays, one for anniversaries). Helps me remember all those important dates! Lastly, I also keep my Blogging Calendar here, for planning out my weekly blog posts, and jotting down ideas for future posts! 15

17 Meal Planning Divider: This category is for my Monthly Meal Planning! I love planning meals by the month because I can plan to double meals and freeze things ahead of time, which makes cooking just that much easier. However, I know that some of you prefer to meal plan by the week, so I ve included a weekly meal plan printable for you in the Resources section! {I also like to plan choices for Breakfasts, Lunches, and Snacks, so that I have a list of healthy choices when I m hungry, instead of just reaching for something yummy.} 16

18 And what s a Meal Planning Section without a list of your favorite Restaurants and Take-Out options? Yup, I even plan eating out and I try to choose places that have a coupon marked in that far right column! This is also a great reference sheet for those days when life got crazy and you just.cannot.possibly.cook. You have those days too, right? 17

19 Important Numbers Divider: While small, this section is super functional. It holds all of our Emergency Info {also a good sheet to open your notebook to when you leave your kiddos with a sitter!}. I also include a simple baseball card/coupon sheet protector in this section to display the business cards of Frequently Referenced Numbers, such as the mechanic, doctor, dentist, landlord, home repairman, library, post office, and any other often-used numbers. This is a great way to store those dentist appointment reminder cards as well! Lastly, I keep an Address Book spreadsheet in here a quick reference for all of those thank-you notes and Christmas cards! 18

20 Finances Divider: Ahh, finances. Such fun. In reality, finances can be one of the biggest sources of contention in your home, so it s really important that they are in order! This category contains some tools to help you get organized in this area. An Account Tracker will help you keep your accounts straight. I like to keep a list of the accounts I have so that even if I miss an or a piece of snail mail, I can look at my list and know with a quick glance whether or not I am up to date on all of our bills. Our Family Budget is probably the most used {and most often altered!} document in this section. We use Dave Ramsey s Financial Peace method {cash in envelopes, debt snowball, etc.} and our budgeting sheet is set up accordingly. The dark blue area is for bills that we pay online or with a check {rent, phone bills, medical insurance}, the light blue area is for cash we need to take out of the bank {groceries, entertainment, clothing}, and the purple area is for monthly investments {car repairs, Christmas savings, life insurance, etc.} The green area documents our income, and the gray area at the bottom balances everything out. 19

21 Next, we have the Spending Tracker. It s basically an account register, but cuter! This helps me write down our purchases and keep things balanced. That way I don t overspend at Christmas and have to tell my husband that I blew it, but don t you like your new shirt, honey?? Not that that s ever happened to me Lastly in this section, we ve got our Financial Goals Worksheet. I love this one.! This worksheet is all about getting things done and dreaming about the future. On the left, there are two sections for debt that you re working on, tracking payments and estimating pay-off dates. On the right, there is a section for things that you are hoping to put money aside for {long term goals, like your child s college fund, retirement, etc.}, and a section for things you need to save for {more immediate goals, like a family car, home, etc.} Having these goals listed in right in front of my eyes is SUCH a motivator for me! It reminds me that my kiddo probably has enough toys, I probably have enough books, and we definitely have more urgent things to do with our money. 20

22 Cleaning Divider: Cleaning. Ugh. Cleaning is my least favorite thing to do. Ever. But it certainly helps when I have a cute Cleaning Schedule to look at.! The left column is my daily routine, things I need to get done before breakfast, after breakfast, after lunch, before dinner, and after dinner. Setting small goals really helps me stay on track. Otherwise I d make a list that goes for the whole day and only get half of it done because I spent before and after breakfast watching Downton Abbey on Netflix, thinking that I d get to that laundry eventually. (Don t judge. You do it too.) That doesn t work. This works better. The right column details specific tasks for every day of the week. I like to have a laundry schedule, so the load that I m doing that day is also on there. And last, but not least, I also include easy tips and tricks in this section articles I find online or in magazines, recipes for eco-friendly cleaning supplies, and other things that will help keep me motivated. 21

23 Home Management Divider: I like to keep a Master Project List in this category an ongoing list of things I know we need to do around the house. This helps keep me grounded when I m wondering what part of our house needs some TLC next. Additionally, this is where I keep our home inventories Fridge, Freezer, and Pantry, for all of our food records. I also keep our Book and DVD inventories in here, which helps us keep track of things if we are looking for a specific movie, or if we loan things out. 22

24 This is also the section that holds our Auto Maintenance Log. We have one for each car a record of oil changes, work done, and mechanics used. And last but not least, our Online Password Tracker finds it s home in this section as well. 23

25 Inspiration Divider: My Inspiration section is just for me. There I use the Inspiration printable or scrapbook paper, or even just notebook paper (!) to write down Bible Verses or quotes that I want to keep on hand. I also use this section to collect ideas for home decor, activities to do as a family, and other tips that keep me motivated and inspired as a wife and a mommy. Sometimes that means I print out an article, sometimes that means I tear something out from a magazine and glue it to a cute piece of paper, and then everything gets holepunched and put into the notebook. 24

26 Family Records Divider: The Family Records section holds important family-member-specific information. I keep Em s Immunization Record there (my own copy, just in case I ever lose the sacred yellow card!) I also keep a Kid s Info document that details the favorites of each child. I m thinking I ll be able to use this in the future to create birthday meals and plan little surprises, but for now it s another document that s handy to give to the babysitter as some tips and tricks for handling my kid. Behind these documents, I keep three manila pocket folders one for each member of our family. These are for loose documents that are not going to be permanent parts of the notebook, but are important enough to keep on hand for a time phone numbers of new friends, parking tickets (ahem ), suggested meal plans for a 1-year-old, things like that! 25

27 In my own folder, I keep my Exercise Log and Food Journal. These change weekly, so they don t need a permanent place in the binder I print a new one off each week and keep it in this folder. (Whether I remember to USE it or not, that s a different story ) 26

28 And there you have it, my friends! A complete Home Management Notebook. Nothing too complicated, but definitely my favorite household tool to date. This notebook helps keep our busy home somewhat organized, efficient, and peaceful. Now, time to head on over to the fun stuff the free printables.! 27

29 What You ll Need {The Fun Stuff!} In this section, I have included, in alphabetical order, every printable that you will need to create your own Home Management Notebook, as detailed in this e-book. Simply print off each one, and use them as a resource in your own notebook! One thing, please - These printables are copyrighted and for your use only. If you have a friend who loves them and wants to use them, please direct her to my blog (kaysepratt.com) rather than printing them off for her. Reprinting these printables (or this e-book) for anything other than your own personal use is in violation of the copyright. But please, use them in your own home to your heart s content! And send your friends my way I ll be happy to make these available to them as well! Thank you, friends! All included printables have been created in a blue/green color scheme. My hope is that these colors are universally loved.! However, if you don t like the colors you have a couple of options. First, you can print them off in black and white. Not too exciting, but you avoid the blue/green thing. However, if you want something a little more customized, you can visit my etsy shop, Finding Hope. There, I create completely customized printables, from color to font to a personal printable just for you the possibilities are endless. You are welcome to contact me there to place an order. All e-book owners will be given a 25% discount, using the code GETTINGITTOGETHER. If you need to contact me for any reason, please feel free to me at kayse@kaysepratt.com. Have FUN, friends! My prayer for you is that setting up this simple system will help bring some muchneeded peace to your busy home, giving you a little more time to spend with those that you love. No home is perfect, least of all mine! But I believe that together we can encourage each other to keep a home that is functional, organized, and a blessing for you, for your family, and for all who enter. Let s work towards getting it together together.! 28

30 Account Tracker Account Name Account # Website URL Username Password Billing Info kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

31 Address Book g Name Address Phone kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved

32 Auto Maintenance Log: Date Description Mileage Notes Cost Performed By kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

33 Baby s Daily Journal + Date Time Breastfeeding Ounces Sleep Wet Poopy Minutes {Bottle} Diaper Diaper R: L: R: L: R: L: R: L: R: L: R: L: R: L: R: L: R: L: kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved

34 B Babysitter Information b {emergency info} emergency: 911 parents names: where we will be: cell phones: emergency contact: {child s name} {age} allergies: {child s name} {age} allergies: {child s name} {age} allergies: {child s name} {age} allergies: {child s name} {age} allergies: {household rules} {notes} kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

35 e Blogging Calendar Week of: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Ideas kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

36 b Book Inventory Title Author Location kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

37 Cleaning Schedule h Daily Tasks Weekly Tasks Before Breakfast: After Breakfast: After Lunch: Before Dinner: After Dinner: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

38 a DVD Inventory Title Genre Location kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

39 Emergency Information address: home phone: cell phone: cell phone: directions: emergency: 911 poison control: police: fire department: pediatrician: family doctors: dentist: landlord: neighbor: address: phone #: friend/relative: phone #: friend/relative: phone #: family emergency plan: first aid kit is located: emergency kit is located: medicine is located: notes: kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

40 Family Budget Bills Monthly Investments Income Rent/Mortgage Car Insurance Gas Car Maintenance Car Payment Christmas Cell Phone Home Maintenance Medical Insurance Renter s Insurance Total Utilities: Retirement Gas Emergency Fund Light & Water Vacation Phone/TV/Internet Future Home Life Insurance Family Car Moving Fund College Fund Total Kids Wedding(s) Tithing Total Total Cash Balance Groceries Dining Out Clothing Entertainment Personal Home Goods Miscellaneous Total Income Expenses: Bills Cash Investments Total Total Balance: kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

41 Financial Goals h Paying Off Debt Put $$ Aside For... Frequency Amount Date Paid Off Balance Save For... Purchase Date Amount kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

42 c Daily Food Journal Date B/L/D/S Food/Exercise Calories +/- Balance kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

43 e Freezer Inventory Date Item Quantity kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

44 Immunization Record h Child: Vaccine Office Date/Dosage kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

45 Inspirational Tidbits g kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

46 e Daily Schedule for e Time Activity Rise and Shine! Breakfast: : : Morning Snack: : : Lunch: : Afternoon Snack: : : Dinner: Bedtime: Notes: kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

47 Kids Information g Favorites breakfast: lunch: dinner: snacks: drinks: toys: music: activity: tv show: name: birthday: age: Tips and Tricks {likes, dislikes, fears, preferences, etc.} G G G Favorites breakfast: lunch: dinner: snacks: drinks: toys: music: activity: tv show: name: birthday: age: Tips and Tricks {likes, dislikes, fears, preferences, etc.} kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

48 e Master Project List Done? Project Area kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

49 e Monthly Meal Planninge Monthly Dinners Breakfasts Lunches Snacks kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

50 Online Password Tracker Website URL Username Password kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

51 e Pantry Inventory Date Item Quantity kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

52 c Perpetual Calendar: Anniversaries c January February March April May June July August September October November December kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

53 c Perpetual Calendar: Birthdays c January February March April May June July August September October November December kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

54 c Restaurants and Take-Out c Restaurant Name Address Hours Phone # Coupons? kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

55 My Shopping List Produce Dairy Baking Supplies Deli Frozen Foods Breakfast Foods Snack Items Canned Goods Drinks Paper Goods Medicines Baby Foods Toiletries kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

56 g Spending Tracker Date Purchase Category Amount Balance kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

57 Daily Schedule: E Must Do Today! E 1. _ Dinner: Notes: Today s Duties: Errands and Phone Calls: Today s Plan Before Breakfast: Morning: Midday: Before Dinner: After Dinner: Evening: Bedtime! kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

58 My Weekly Exercise Log Date Exercise Duration Calories Burned Water Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.

59 This Week: On Our Table Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Breakfasts Lunches/Snacks kaysepratt.com All Rights Reserved.