Do you have a Mom Book?

The small women's group I have been part of throughout the course of this year is finally wrapping up, and I am sad to see it go.  But, successfully getting through an entire year's crash course on Home Management has been such a gratifying, all be it shocking adventure.  I do not think I realized just how many areas I was already handling in the home!  Seriously, women rock!  I'm proud to be one!  =0)

If you missed the older post, the book we have been going through and gleaning from this year has been Large Family Logistics: The Art and Science of Managing the Large Family.  I have learned so much, both inspiration for things I need to do more, and realization of how many more things I could really be doing.  The time of learning has been awesome, and I am proud to say that I am in the processing of stepping into another level of experience by applying some of the lessons of the book.  One of the topics brought up in the book is the idea of the "Mom Book".  The "Mom Book" is a catch-all binder of the very important information, topics, lists, organization, ideas, etc. that are part of the normal homeschooling, homemaker's life.  It is a place for all the random thoughts to land in an organized manner, as well as a one-stop-shop location to plan out and organize any other areas of life that may come.  May I introduce my "Mom Book"...

I drew the picture for my Mom Book when I was still pregnant with Taliya, so I clearly need to update the lovely picture, but I have to say I am excited about getting a bit more organized with my days.

As you can see, my "Mom Book" is a smaller binder, because I wanted a portable one versus the huge binder option.  The tabs that I have in the binder are Immediate To-Do, Home Management Tasks, Homeschooling, Meal Planning, To Buy, Projects To Do, Blogging, Finances, Couple Time, Skills- Info, Miscellaneous.  Each of these tabs represent some of the areas that I cover in the course of an average week.  To-Do includes all the tasks that are needed to be done asap.  Home Management tasks includes plans for all the chores and training that needs to happen in order to keep the home clean and sanitary.  Homeschooling is where I plan for curriculum options, prices for books, topics to study in the upcoming year, etc.  Meal Planning is pretty cut and dry, but if I get additional recipe ideas, or meal plan ideas, I will write them down here, too.  The To Buy category includes purchases needed around the home (like more shelving), kitchen appliance desires, clothing needs, and other randoms things.  It also includes a list of the best prices for specific foods we often purchase.  Projects To Do includes fixer-upper projects around the home, school projects to do with the kids, Homemaking projects to do with the kids, etc.  Blogging will contain my blog ideas, notes, etc.  Finances will contain what we have upcoming for bills, debt, etc...until the debt is paid off!  Couple Time is where I will write down any books or studies I would like to do together, topics that need to be further discussed and ironed out, and anything else pertaining to our marriage that needs tracking or remembering.  Skills is where I will be jotting down the various crafts or skills I want to learn and any pertinent information about them, such as sewing, more gardening, etc.  And, of course, Miscellaneous...because you just never know when something will come up that does not quite fit in a nice little box (i.e. category).

I recommend custom making your own "Mom" book rather than buying a pre-made organizer because this is so easily changeable without too much overhead cost.  If I decide a category is not working for me, I simply need to switch the label and throw away the unneeded pages inside.  If I messed up a pre-made organizer, I would need to throw away the entire thing in order to get another one that is a better fit.  

I will, though, still be coupling my "Mom" Book with my new Well Planned Day Planner, which is super exciting to me!  I bought the Homeschool Teacher one, which has lots of the unique needs for homeschooling, such as lesson plans, daily scheduling, and calendars, etc.  Although I am sure I could figure out a way to do this in my "Mom" Book, I thought I would leave it to the professionals, at least this time =0)  In all seriousness, though, I think the two will harmonize well together and really help keep our lives situated.  I'm excited!

There you have it...the makings of my "Mom" Book.  I hope this inspires you to begin putting together your own method of organization that is perfectly suited to meet your unique needs =0)