The Binder

I've got a giant binder, lots of dividers, sheet protectors, etc. I've created my daily and weekly schedules that will last a couple of months, until gardening season starts up and I'll need a new one. What I've found is that if I follow my schedule, there will be no more insane cleaning days on the weekend, because all that shit will be DONE. There will be no more fighting with the kids to clean their rooms, because that shit will also be done. As a matter of fact, all sorts of shit will be done, and I've found time where I can have TIME for me. It is RIGHT THERE in my DAILY SCHEDULE. It is, really, a phenomenal amount of shit that will get done, I know when and how and who will do it, and I will not be running myself ragged anymore. Because I am tired. I will even have a day scheduled once a month for picture taking.

So what's in this Great Big Wondrous Binder of Planning and Organization? Everything!
*Daily notes/ planner, to make quick notes about something I need to do, or note when I did something I need to keep track of (phone calls, emails, bread feeding, etc)

*the meal section with meal planners, recipes, delivery menus, notes on who will not/cannot eat what food

*Family info includes social security numbers, clothing sizes, notes on what sort of clothes they prefer, shoes          sizes, birthdays, gift ideas

*school information from my daughter's school. her schedule, list of teachers and their contact info
planner for the homeschooling stuff, including reading logs, hours logged, etc

*garden planner, a list of things I want to grow, I've started mapping out each square foot with companion     planting in mind, what I learned from last year's garden, and a ginormous to do list to ready the garden           for spring planting, and a project list for painting pots and building an herb garden on my balcony

*a pet care section, with vet info, emergency vet info, and a section for each type of animal in our care. Since
 I am always rescuing kittens or cats, I have a list of cat rescues listed in order of likeliness to help me. Also, the dog food recipe so I am not the only one that can make it, and a list of what 'people food' is safe for each pet. I make my own dog food ALL the time, sometimes cat food, and while the chickens can get kitchen scraps they can't get things like garlic and onions. Also, how much food to give each pet at feeding time, how to clean the chicken coop, things like that.

*Contact information, divided into personal, business/ financial, and medical/ dental, utility

*an entertainment section, divided into books, movies, music we want, craft activities for the kids divided up  by season, places to go and how to get there via public transit, date night ideas for me & Mr. Parker,            and a schedule of free events at museums that would be good for the kids, whether it's for fun or learning.

*An exercise planner. because it is time for me to go back to taking care of myself. Back to yoga and maybe even the Couch to 5K thing. If not the 5K, then more vigorous dog walking, that's for sure.

*The budget section, so as to account for what money will go where and when bills need to be paid.

*a home project section, listing all the things I want to do to here at Ampersand, like painting the living room or refinishing a table, complete with materials lists. Also, home decorating ideas because that's my big project for the year, every room needs an update. And a DEADLINE. It must be done as inexpensively as possible, and with as much up-cycled materials as possible.

*a list of places and abandoned buildings I want to find my way to for picture taking purposes

*a cleaning section: a comprehensive list for each and every room, so that I can say "Clean the _______ while I am at work" and no one can say "Oh, I didn't know you meant for me to do THAT, too"




As I look at this binder full of schedules and plans, I am pretty proud of myself for putting it together. It was hours of work, and it's not done yet, but it will definitely be a big help and WORTH IT. There are chore lists for each child, even my 5 year old has some stuff to do. They do help now (mostly with supervising chickens having their free time or taking out the little dog or feeding the cats, but there is a little more they can do without feeling overwhelmed. I cannot think why I didn't do all of this a long time ago.

Getting Organized. Seriously.

Life is feeling a little hectic. I mean, there's really quite a lot on my plate, and I often feel completely overwhelmed. As soon as I wake up, I am running. I get the dogs outside for quick walks, clean the chicken coop and feed/ water the chickens, get the kids awake and fed, start our homeschooling day while cleaning up from breakfast, errands, lunch, cleaning up some more, more dog walking, send the boys outside to play and let the chickens run around, dinner, make sure my daughter's homework is getting done, dinner clean up, bath time, story time, bed time, more dog walking, litter box scooping and cat care, and then I get some me time. Maybe. 

The two days a week that I work, I kind of have to squeeze a lot of stuff into my 5:30PM-1:00AM time slot. And housecleaning days? It's ridiculous. Mr. Parker helps as much as he can, but really it is almost like I am a single parent through the day because he's sleeping since he works overnights, so two days a week he can help out. That is when stuff gets done that I can't/ didn't get done. The kids help some too, but I've realized that I have been so busy just DOING STUFF and feeling like I am the only one that CAN do stuff, I forgot that I have three capable children who can do chores other than the most basic of chores. I'm not doing them any favors by not letting them help out a little more around the house. 

I have been driving myself crazy for years not being as organized as I should be, not being able to find contact info for people/places, remembering doctor's appointments at the last minute (which is really bad when you don't drive and only use public transit and causes a lot of rescheduling and making of excuses), procrastinating because I am so busy doing other things. Also, the whole WHAT'S FOR DINNER? Thing. Almost every day I dread dinner because I don't know what to make, I have to run to the store for something, it is just unpleasant. 

I used to have it DOWN. I used to plan menus by the month, and we never had the same meal twice in a month. I had my shopping list down, I never had to go to the store because I had forgotten something. I had breakfast stuff ready to go before bed, so when I woke it was easy to get started. I cooked extra at dinner so I could freeze some for lunch another day. I scheduled field trips, play dates, and library days for story time and I NEVER had overdue library books. I had baking days so there were always homemade muffins/ cookies/ breads in the house. I planned EVERYTHING. It was a lot of work, but my days were relatively stress free. I knew how much time it took me to do something, got it done, and moved on to the next thing. Geez, I was even THIN then, because I SCHEDULED MY EXERCISE TIME. 

It might sound a little crazy to some people. But when you're home schooling, things need to be planned. And now? I have even more people, because I have another kid now, and more animals to care for and clean up after. I miss having that discipline. I miss having that order. 

So in comes my massive overstock of office supplies I bought with the intention of getting super organized. A giant binder, some dividers, lots of paper, sheet protectors, etc. I am getting to work. I have two weeks to get it done, because I want to start the new year borderline psychotically organized.