organization on these fronts

my favorite findings on pinterest have been food related (see the past two menus) and organization related.  we live in tight quarters, but we like it that way.  so the more ideas we can get on organization, the nicer it looks around here. 
i decided to start 2012 with a organization of time.  we started off by having a family calendar that i'm in charge of, posted in a convenient, we-go-there-everyday spot.  (the door in the kitchen that leads to the laundry room) 

i put all of our family's plans on this calendar.  i started really using a calendar like this after jones was born.  when binkins was born, i was still "with it" enough to write down a monthly progress chart for her.  i might have even done it weekly.  but after jones was born, i couldn't keep up with EVERYTHING...  so i'd write down his big milestones and accomplishments on the calendar and then i'd file it, at the end of the year, into his forever-file.  the calendar has just gotten busier and busier with each kid and with the years.  i believe i still put last year's calendar in starboy's forever-file... but it was filled more with are agenda than with his growth... since he turned 2 last year.  usually we have another baby by then to file it under.  ;)
i've found out it sucks to pin up a calendar that you use.  unless you just want to pound a nail in your wall... but that doesn't work in a door.  so, i came up with this lovely system:

 i use a binder clip to securely hold up the calendar...  the holes on all the calendars i've ever used on nails always get pulled through!  so with the binder clip, i don't have to worry about torn holes.

 and i use an "eye" from a hook and eye couple, screwed into the door.  when i want to change the month, i just have to unscrew the eye half a turn and take off the binder clip.  if the eye is screwed horizontally, the binder clip can't come off (even if it's pulled), so the calendar is secured nicely. 

and the binder clip doubles as a coupon/business card holder.  i keep my ob and cardiologist's cards up there, as well as a few coupons that the kids get as prizes from school (like for a free ice cream cone for 100% attendance or whatever).  nice.



also, otter pop carries around a day planner so that he won't forget his commitments, meetings, classes, etc.  so i don't always have his stuff on our family calendar.  that's changed though now. -more on that later-
anyway, it works well to have a system like this.  but i wanted more organization with our time mostly concerning the kids and the way they use THEIR time. 
our mornings were filled with lots of yelling, rushing, whining, and complaining.  i was spending all morning nagging the kids to stay on task and get done what they needed to get done before they went off to school.  it was chaos. 
so, we (the parental units) brainstormed and my lovely brains (aka husband) decided we needed a big white dry erase board.  so, even though i didn't really love the idea... it's not like i cover our walls with beautiful home decor... so i couldn't backup my argument of dislike with anything other than, well, i just didn't think it'd help.  and so i went ahead and submitted and let him be the leader of our family.   and i bought one.  and a pack of dry erase markers (6 in a pack.  all different colors.)  and i put all the kids names at the top (each with a different color), and then listed off their to-do agenda for the day... in order that it needed to be done.  and it has worked.  a-mazingly!  instead of me harping on the kids to get done what needs to get done... if they're walking around aimlessly, i remind them to go to the white board and start doing what needs to be done.  the three school-bound kids can read what they need to do.  and at the end of their morning schedule is "serve" meaning "help others".  so, they're never really done... it's been really great.  really.  simple.  and great. 

and that was good enough.  for me.  but then i ran across a CUTE idea on pinterest, that i decided we must have.  it was a weekly agenda post.  i thought it was a good idea, but once i made it i realized why it was a great idea. 

(top one says "our week", then each are stamped with a day of the week)

each sunday evening, i use a dry erase marker and start jotting down our next week's journey.  for each day, i'll mark whoever has something going on that day.  this is a great idea because it gives us an overlook of our day in one fall swoop.  it also gives us a head's up on tomorrow.  AND it helps us know what's going on in each other's lives.  this is more detailed (in some ways) than my wall calendar.  for instance, it lists off homework assignments for wolfie.  so it doesn't sneak up on her at the last moment...  and it lets the kids know what's up with dad's schedule, knowing if we need to set the table for him or not.  ---and just things like that---  plus it's eye-appealing.  and we don't have much of that around our house.  ;)

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."