I've been getting my Household Notebook updated for the upcoming school year. Do you want to see it? I should warn you, my notebook doesn't look all color coordinated and beautiful like the other ones you will see in Bloggerville. It ain't pretty, but it gets the job done.
So here's a little trip through my notebook, affectionately nicknamed "The Brain". (If you don't get that, it's probably because you have never walked into a room and wondered why on earth you went there, and you probably don't even need a grocery list, because you easily remember a list of 200 items without needing a single hint. You are probably also a real drag at parties...)
The Cover
...because there has to be something to hold it all together, or otherwise it would be a Household Pile, and we probably already have too many of those.
This used to have a cheesy pastel flower on the front. I endured it all year last year. I couldn't bear to look at it anymore, so I cut out a new fabric cover and used mod podge to glue it on. After I put a couple of coats of mod podge on there, I let it dry, then sprayed it with polyurethane. Now it should be somewhat indestructible. I say "somewhat" because I live with real kids, not the picture perfect ones in the glossy ads.
The First Page
...the household rules, because if I can't even remember them, there is little hope anyone else will.
I stuck this sheet in a plastic page protector.
Daily and Weekly Planner
...On the right hand side is the weekly planner, and on the left is the daily planner. I just revised them, so they are already a little different than my last household notebook post.
There is a page divider in the middle on which I have listed daily focus areas on one side and an 8-week deep cleaning guide on the other. That way it's all staring me in the face everyday.
The weekly planner pages are just hole-punched and put in normally. The Daily planner pages are stapled to a piece of card stock. The card stock is hole-puched on the "wrong" side, so it goes in like the picture below. The staples are across the top, so the daily pages flip up. This keeps everything tidy and visible.
I hardly ever remember to use the next sheet in this section, but it is a "DayBook". It is just a simple form I can fill out to document a normal day. While I really don't care what a normal day is like, my kids and grandkids might, someday in the distant future. Usually we only tell about the special or unusual days, so our normal lifestyle is largely forgotten. This is an attempt to document reality.
Menu Planning & Grocery Lists
I printed up extras and keep them in page protector sleeves in this section, that way I can get to them easily when I need them.
I downloaded a customizable version of The Ultimatest Grocery Store List, compiled of the most common things people buy. I will eventually make my own, but this gets me through for now. You can get yours here.
I try to plan my meals out ahead (although I have been lax lately). I try to have at least a weekly plan, and when I am freezer cooking, I do a month at a time. I'll try to do a future post about that. I just plot it all out on a blank calendar (in pencil, of course, so I can make adjustments as we go, because things happen--like when the kids eat up all the ingredients for your specially planned meal. Looks like its hotdogs tonight, folks...)
Here is a freezer inventory sheet to keep track of the freezer meals when I make them, because it is really a bummer to do all that work and then forget the meal is in there until it succumbs to death by freezer burn.
Household Maintenance
This is where I keep a more thorough schedule of what needs to be done around the house and when. I have a year long schedule that will keep my house spring cleaned all year if I just do it. I also have a list of 15 minute jobs, for when I only have a few minutes (or when I am making excuses to myself.)
Purchase Planning
This is where I keep a list of the things we need to purchase that don't go on the grocery list. I can plan out a budget here, keep track of sales I want to take advantage of, etc.
Planning Notes
This is basically my sticky note corral. I keep all those little jotted notes and memos here. This turns into a pretty thick section, and I have to clean it out every so often, but I never have to run all over the house looking for that note I jotted to myself. They all wind up here. Eventually these notes either solidify into more concrete plans and get transferred to my school planner or the daily/weekly section, or I realize it was never a good idea in the first place, and they get trashed.
This section also has forms I can use to plan Day Trips and Field Trips with the kids, because nothing ruins a day trip like forgetting the diaper bag.
I can keep a list of books I want the kids to read, and mark when they are completed.
I also plan out future school needs here.
The Holiday Planner
Oh, look. There's nothing in there. That's because I just cleaned out last year's stuff and haven't put this year's stuff in there. But check out this post to see what will wind up here.
Fitness
I track my fitness goals with my iphone, and I often use DVD's for my workouts, but sometimes you need a fast, no nonsense workout. This is where I put printable workout plans so I can flip to one quickly and get it done before I come up with something more relaxing to do.
Medical Records
This is where I keep the kids immunization records. This one is blank, because this is the internet, folks.
Testing
Our state requires standardized testing for homeschool students. This is where I keep our records. I'm not going to show you a picture because you could totally see all our personal information.
Notice of Intent
Our state also requires us to file a Notice of Intent each year. This is where I keep a copy as proof of compliance. I also keep a copy of the homeschool law for our state, and the number for Home School Legal Defense (we are members). I have never had a problem, but it is good to know your ground.
That's it. You can find nearly all the forms I use or something very similar by looking through the links here.
I keep my school plans in a separate planner so I can have the both opened at the same time. This year I am using "The Ultimate Homeschool Planner" and the corresponding student planners. This system stair-steps your students into independent learning and helps you teach them to take personal responsibility.
And now you know way more than you ever needed to know about how I keep myself on track. Have a great day!
