BEGINNING A HOME MANAGEMENT NOTEBOOK...

Over the past week, I have been researching Home Management Notebooks, which go by other similar names like Home Management Binder, and other names, if you wanted to do a web search on the subject.  Here's an interesting article about them.  Being a wife for 22 years and mother for the past 14 years (4 children now!), you'd think that I would've discovered this much sooner.  It probably would have made my day-to-day life much more peaceful and productive had I done this sooner.  But hey!, as my favorite motto says "Better late than never!"

I have been perusing the internet for ideas these past days and haven't actually begun putting together my notebook yet, unless you count printing out forms I will be using.  Though I haven't started the notebook yet, I have started a Morning Routine Chart for each of my children, in addition to a Daily Chore Chart and a Nighttime Routine Chart all of which can be found at Free Printable Behavior Charts.  I have been pleasantly surprised at the enthusiasm my children displayed at getting their charts...more from the 7 year old than the 14 year old as you might guess.  My 14 year old daughter says she enjoys the morning routine but not everything about the new routine in general.  I reminded her that she did ask for this, to which she replied "Yeah, but it backfired!"  Still, I think it makes her feel like she has accomplished something, and she notices how mom is happier when all the jobs have been done with little whining and complaining from each of the children.  Yeah, I should have done this ALOT sooner!

But back to the notebooking idea, here are different notebooks that others have put together for their homes.  SimpleMom has a good post about it.  Passionate Homemaking has a wonderful post and looks like a place I want to spend more time exploring her blog.  And then there is Starry Sky Ranch which agrees that your journal should be pretty with pictures of her own.

There are also wonderful YouTube videos. Here's one from Malitose79, and she does have more than this one, so check out her other videos.  Here's one from a military mom in the middle of a move.  And then you can check out the endless other videos that are then offered for your viewing after seeing one video.  When you're ready, besides the pages some of these videos suggested, there's this wonderful page of all sorts of printables that you can choose from and download for free.  Some of these printables could be used without putting together a notebook....they're wonderful forms to help you in some of the things you might have to do in any given day.

Meanwhile, regarding my own Home Management Journal, I plan to use my love of scrapbooking and papercrafts to build my notebook.  If interested, I'll post more pictures as I start the process.  I do homeschool, so I'll most likely be incorporating a section for that.  I'm interested to see how my journal will turn out.  Until then, consider creating your own book to help you in managing your home.  I imagine that even if you're a student or living at home with your parents, you can still tweak this idea to better manage your studies or your home life.  I'd love to hear more from others who maintain a Home Management Notebook.  Or if you'd like to start one, what will you do?  If you do have a notebook already created and posted about, I'd love for you to share your link.  I love seeing new ideas and old ones! :)