In Part 1 of my Weekly Planning Routine I talked about daily planners. Today, I wanted to talk about my Family Binder. Family Binders are not new to the organization community, they have been around for years. My Family Binder has helped me stay on track for more then a decade. When my kids were very young, my husband would travel for work several days each month so often times it was just me and my kids at home. I was that mom that would show up to the scout meeting or soccer game without my scheduled snack. I hated that, it was so unlike me to not be prepared. But when you have small children running around and there is a house to care for and meals to prepare, its easy for things to fall through the cracks. So I began keeping all their important info in a binder and it helped so much!
Binders are one of my favorite organizing tools. I use them to stay organized in my classroom, to organize my recipe collection, to keep details of a trip together, anytime I need to keep important information organized. My favorite binder to use is the "Better Binder" from Staples. I like they way they open, where the rings are located and that they are strong.
The first thing I do with any new binder is create a cover page, so no surprise this cover included a picture of the family! The cover helps identify the binder and its just fun to make it pretty :)
The first page in my binder is a quote/poem I found on line years ago. Its all about loving your life and I have found it very inspirational over the years.
The binder is divided into 5 sections: Important Numbers, Neighborhood, School Directories, Kids and Friends and Family.
The "Important Numbers" section is where you would find all the contact information for doctors, schools, our work numbers, family cellphone numbers, emergency contacts and health insurance info. This section is a big help when filling out all those school forms and permission slips. The "Neighbor" section is where you can keep your neighborhood directory, or any HOA info you may need. Our directory also included the kid's birth dates which is great when planning neighborhood gatherings. In the "School Directory" section I have all the school directories from my children's schools over the years. Children always go through school with the same group of children so even if it is not a current school directory, these lists can be very useful. The fourth section is the most important. The "Kids" section is where I keep any information pertaining to my children. I have four children in four different schools so this is where I have the physical address of my boys dorms and their mailing addresses, school schedules, teacher emails, team rosters, snack calendars, practice schedules, competitions etc. This is the section that has helped me the most to stay on top of all the kids activities. I think its so important to have the contact info for your children's friends and their parents. Its one of those things that you don't know you need until you need it. The last section is the "Friends & Family" section. This is where we keep all the contact info for our close friends and family. If I send you a Christmas card, your name is in there.
So what do you think? Do you think something like this can work for you too. It has been a life savor for me over the years. Something so simple can be so helpful!
Part 3 of My Weekly Planning Routine will be all about menu planning. I hope you will be back to visit and be sure to leave a comment down below to let me know what you use to keep your family organized.
Love your Life!
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This is awesome!! Love the cover page too and the sections you have chosen!
ReplyDeleteHi Trista,
DeleteThank you! This book has been so helpful over the years. Thank you so much for visiting!
I love this idea! I've had variations of paper and digital planners over the years, and depending on the year, I've relied more on one than the other. I'm leaning more towards digital right now. I'm just waiting for someone to make an app that duplicates this style of binder, but digitally, lol! Until then, I'll have to stick with the paper version :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Megan! Maybe you should invent that app! What a great idea that would be. Thank you so much for visiting today, planners are so important to keeping our lives on track. Have a great week
Deletexoxo Mickey
I love this idea! I've had variations of paper and digital planners over the years, and depending on the year, I've relied more on one than the other. I'm leaning more towards digital right now. I'm just waiting for someone to make an app that duplicates this style of binder, but digitally, lol! Until then, I'll have to stick with the paper version :-)
ReplyDeleteGood idea! Love it!
ReplyDeleteHttp://unveiledandrevealed.com
Thanks for visiting Brianna!
DeleteThis is such a great idea!!! I should make a binder like this for my family!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Susannah,
DeleteYou should make one! Try it out and see how it works for you. Thank you so much for visiting!
xoxo Mickey
Wow! How I wish I could be as organized as you! This will be in my bucket list! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Nance,
DeleteI try my best, but I have admit things still can fall through the cracks! Thanks for visiting.
xoxo Mickey
This is a great idea! What a good way to stay organised.
ReplyDeleteThanks Melanie, hope you visit again soon!
Deletexoxo Mickey
We have a family binder too! It is great to have everything in one location and easy to read. Plus I can include fun and personal stuff in there as well. The organizer in me simply loves it.
ReplyDeleteMarissa
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Hi Marissa,
DeleteI'm glad your Family Binder is working for you. Our binder becomes a little scrapbook for us too. Thank you so much for visiting!
xoxo Mickey
I love organization :) If I didn't keep a planner I'm pretty sure my little family would fall apart and I don't even have kids! Haha...I'm glad I'm already starting with the planning processes so when I do have kids it will hopefully be much easier! I love your idea of the binder. I use a real planner right now but I think when I have kids it will be useful to have all the contacts in one place! Great post :)
ReplyDeleteHi Anna, You will be so organized when you have children! I use a planner too, for day to day planning but you will find with children comes so much "stuff" to keep organized, you will be so ready!
Deletexoxo Mickey
I love your blog!!! I love binders too, thanks for the tips on how to make them look creative! Cathy@threekidsandafish{dot}com
ReplyDeleteHi Cathy, Thank you so much for visiting! I too so love binders, they are just a perfect organizing tool. Wishing you a great week.
Deletexoxo Mickey
Such a great post! I'm a guardian for my niece and with both of our schedules things can get really hectic. I like the poem that opens up the binder as well as the sections. Thanks for the great tips :)
ReplyDelete