An Organized Life!

I spent a good chunk of my day yesterday creating a home management binder to help myself and my family be more organized. I modeled it after some that I had seen used by a couple bloggers that I follow (Money Saving Mom and Motherhood on a Dime). I used some things I liked and modified some others-the thing I really liked about creating my own was that I got to put in everything that I wanted (and I enjoyed a little graphic design time!). It is now fit just for my family-the photos I am posting are actually modified versions (I removed personal info) and they are all designed to be printed and inserted into a binder (complete with room in the margin to three hole punch). I can only post the entire PDF documents on this blog if I upload them and link them so I am just posting a few pics to give you an idea of what it is like!

Above is the cover-this PDF document is just the cover and dividers for each section.

This document is just a two page spread that shows each week in a bit more detail. 

I designed the margins so that my binder will sit open showing the whole week all at once.

New week? Just print another!

Fill the month in at the top then write the dates in the little circles.

The bottom lines are for tasks or reminders that occur on a daily basis. 

Mine are typed in and all the same.

This is part of the bulk of the binder-yearly planning!

This is what the calendar looks like. 

There is a page for every month-it is a nice way to write things down so you don't forget something that you planned or paid for a few months in advance.

 It is also a place where you can track pay days etc.

Goals are a great way to stay organized! 

I have a page for financial, family, organizational, and personal (one page for each person in the house) goals.

There is another page for monthly and yearly chores as well.

That about sums it up! I am going to print all the pages on white card stock except for the week by week which I will print onto regular paper because I will need 2 pages for each week! If you would like to make your own Microsoft Publisher was a HUGE help (the calendars were super easy!). I would also be happy to share the PDF files with friends-just let me know. I hope you find this post helpful and inspirational to get you off to an organized start to the new year.

Winter Update

Since it has been a while (oh say since the beginning of the school year and tomorrow starts the beginning of the second half of the school year!) since I last posted I thought it might be time for a bit of an update.
My summer fitness plan and goals were pretty much ruined by a bum foot. It started with problems with a cyst on my joint at the end of last school year and bloomed into tendonitis on the outside of my right foot. It was incredibly painful but, thanks to some help from my foot doctor, new tennis shoes (that I now have to wear all the time bleh!), inserts, tape, ice, and a wedge for my shoe, my foot is now feeling much better!
I did however still participate in the Susan G. Komen 5K in September-it was a wonderful experience with both of my boys along for the trip. We walked pretty much the entire thing and finished in about 54 minutes. I was able to raise $250 for the cause along the way.

Race Day

I am very happy that my foot is better because I need two good feet to carry around the little baby in my belly! I was actually pregnant at the time of my last post (barely) and I am due at the end of April. This will of course be a big fitness challenge for me to face as pregnancy weight is usually not an issue for me but I gained about 50 pounds with both my boys while I was breastfeeding them. I am hoping to keep that better under control with baby number three but only time will tell. It will be a big challenge! I am hoping that with a bit more planning and preparation for my household (with menu plans and such) I will be able to keep myself on track.
I will be creating another post shortly with my home management binder pages that I created yesterday to get myself organized for 2013 and a family of FIVE! Best wishes to all in the new year!

My baby belly at 3 months