"Mary Poppins has landed" or tips on making a Home Management Notebook

This is what I said to B today when running around the house in a flurry. He asked me if that was a line from the movie, which it's not. And I'm not really sure why I said that, except that's the way I feel these days.

As I mentioned previously, I've recently taken some time off of freelancing to just be home and as a result, I've realized just how disorganized the last year has made us. I was using up almost all of my extra time to work or rest from working (and when you work hard, you just want to wallow in laziness afterward), and thus, my file cabinet was neglected, budgets were forgotten, and special projects with Ava were few and far between.

I don't like living like that. AT. ALL. Look at 'ole MP up there, too. She doesn't like it, either. So, as a result, we're spring cleaning early, and I've been making a Home Management Notebook that houses our family calendar, daily to-do lists, my cleaning schedule, a Bible reading plan, prayer list, A's preschool announcements, travel and special outing plans , and budget stuff. I loooove the computer in a major way, but sometimes, it helps to have everything written down on that stuff called paper. Remember that? Now it's easy to contain paper clutter when it comes into the house, because it either goes in the notebook or gets trashed. My daily schedule has changed too, thanks to Inspired to Action, a motivating website with an ebook that discusses how to get up early in the morning. We all know that's not my forte, but her plan is really motivating. As of now (and it's been like this for awhile, just with the planning modifications), my routine goes something like this...

--alarm goes off 1 hour or so before A wakes up
--coffee in hand, I spent some moments reading the Bible, praying and journaling
--then I address my master to-do list in the notebook, pick a few things off of it to do, and make an index card with that list.
--I add my dinner plans to the card (I meal plan every Sunday afternoon) so I know what needs to be defrosted, picked up at the store, etc.
--I consult my cleaning schedule so that I know what needs to be washed and cleaned. It helps to divide all of your types of laundry into specific days (Monday- darks, Tuesday- lights, Wednesday- towels, Thursday-jeans, etc.) so you don't feel overwhelmed and chained to the house with the simple chore of "do the laundry." I write all of that on the index card. I either leave the card on the bar in the kitchen or put it in my jean pocket. This index card idea is not mine--it's Kat's from her e-book (which is free, by the way).
--at some point, A wakes up--sometimes before I'm finished, sometimes after. If it's after, I jump in the shower to get ready before she gets up. Getting this done early makes the day so. much. easier.
--I definitely want to add some exercise in the morning when it warms up.;)


With a cleaning schedule, my house says somewhat presentable, although there's nothing like a clean house after a few concentrated hours of cleaning, but, truthfully, I don't get any concentrated hours like that anymore. If I do, I'm sure as heck not going to spend them cleaning.

Here are some great resources to get you started on your notebook! And, for the record, you can do this even if you're not a stay-at-home mom. It's a great way to get organized!

Household Notebook print-outs from Organized Home--a slew of calendar pages, and other stuff. Plus, they are cute.

Donna Young's household print-outs--not as cute, but lots of options.

Home Sanctuary's Make Your Own Cleaning Schedule print-out --I have a schedule I made a few years ago, but it needs some updating based on our new home. This is a great one. She even gives you an example of a stay-at-home mom's.

Hope Chest of Wisdom's House Management Folder --she gives examples of file categories and even includes a picture of her notebook. I love seeing pictures of how people do this--don't you wish I had done that for you? Oops.

Simple Mom's Downloads -downloads for your notebook, including a Preschoolers' Chore Chart. This is next on my list to do! Simple Mom is one of my favorite home management websites. Go ahead and follower her--you won't regret it.

Bible-reading plan -- I really like how this plan is laid out in daily genres. I can't tell you how many times I've set out to read the Bible all the way through or in a year, and Leviticus just ruins it.

Revive Our Hearts 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Children

Revive Our Hearts 31 Days of Praying for Your Husband

There it all is! Do you have a system for your home? What do you do?

If you make a household notebook using these links, please let me know in the comments. Mary Poppins would be so proud of us.