Prepping for 2013: Keeping Organized

This was Eamon's first full week of work at his new job.
It was important for me to take this week captive to start off with new, good habits so that he has confidence that the home is taken care of while he is back at work. So much of the past nine months has been "Oh, hey, Eamon, can you get that real quick?" while I deprioritize my family. I've been really nervous about the transition, and I have had a bit more anxiety, going to bed exhausted every night with a clean home has been so refreshing.


Here are some things that have helped:

• This mama said she never goes to bed with dirty dishes in the sink so (other than last night, yesterday was particularly craptastic) this week I made sure that I didn't either. It made our mornings go much smoother.
• Having an activity planned for the girls every day was also very helpful.
• I allowed myself one PJ day, but made sure I was dressed and my hair was brushed (not did, just de-bed-headed) and I showered more often (and with a preggo belly and two toddlers who do not understand "personal space" that is a daunting task that results in a very crowded shower)
• One of these mamas reminded me that the "Good mom's have messy floors and happy children" is kind of for the birds. Yes, your children's happiness is more important than a shiny floor, but a disorganized home, for me, is just added chaos in a sometimes very stressful environment. So taking control of my household to better serve my children is what makes me a "good mom." Not messy floors ;]
• I made sure the girls were also dressed, dressed, every day. If they took their clothes off, that's their prerogative,  but at least I tried.
• I stuck to my daily to-dos, and made sure I had them every day.

I feel like 2012 was a very unorganized year for us. In 2011 I started a "Home Planning Folder" and it did wonders for our family. I got the idea from here nearly exactly like this:



In 2012, with Eamon and I both working from home, things got very confusing. And out of control.
So this week I went back and tried to gather my resources, knowing now what has worked, and what hasn't, and started going putting together my binder for this coming year. It will grow and change as the year moves on, but for now, this is what I have planned:

Burke Home Planning Folder

Family Members

Eamon:

• How to pray for my husband
• Date Night Ideas
• Work Schedule

Mae:

• Devotional
• Pray (Missional Work & Prayer List)
• Blog (Ideas for Mother, Mae I? and calendar)
• Healthy (Food Diary & Exercise Log)
• Make (Crafts & Around the house To-Dos)

Lily:

• Learning (Monthly goals [a calendar with objectives of things I'd like to cover that week, not a lesson plan], Book List, Chore Chart)
• How to pray for Lily

Norah:

• Healthy (Food Diary [with reactions], Supplement Chart/Inventory, Doctor Visit Notes)
• Learning (Chore Chart, Potty Chart, Book List)
• How to pray for Norah

Baby:

• Planning (Baby Names, Baby Needs [by third baby, some things definitely need replacing] Finances for Midwife, Finances for Photography)
• Healthy (Appointment Calendar, Supplement List, Midwife/Doula Notes)
• How to pray for Baby

The Home

Finances:

• Monthly Budget
• Calendar with Due Dates
• Debt
• Savings
• Charity

Meal Plan:

• Monthly Meal Plan Calendar
• Grocery Lists

Schedule:

• Monthly
• Weekly
• Daily To Dos

Maintenance:

• House Cleaning Schedule (Weekly & Monthly)
• Projects to be done before Baby comes (Room by Room)

What about you? Do you have a way to help keep your home in running order? What about an organizer? What is something that's a must in your book?

Hoping your 2013 is starting to look organized and joyous,
Mae