Remember September Part 3: Turning Over a New Leaf

The next one of mom's September traditions that I will tell you about is Turning Over a New Leaf. This idea involves looking at the month of September as a kind of fresh start to a new year. In many ways it makes more sense than January. After all, September is the start to a new fiscal year, it is the start of a new school year, it is a time when the close of summer creates a natural desire in us to re-prioritize, re-organize, "stock our larder"(pantry) and prepare for the winter ahead. That's why September has always meant a clean start at our house - a time to wipe off the old slate and begin again. 



The best part about this tradition is that you can make of it whatever you want. It does NOT have to be a huge undertaking, just something simple to help you feel like you are starting fresh. You could deep clean your house or just choose one room to reorganize. You could make a September resolution list or just rededicate yourself to a specific goal. You could resolve to be more productive in your use of time, break a bad habit or start a good one.  Its up to you!

My New Leaf

 Despite having eight kids to worry about,  while I was growing up my mom kept our house humming to the well-run rhythm of efficient routine and effective organization. 

So. . . in my mother's fashion, I thought an excellent way for me to start fresh this September was to create a new daily schedule to better manage and organize my time. (Who knew becoming a mom would make me feel SO busy ALL the time?! My daily schedule definitely needed a make-over.)

I also believe that babies and children need routine!  It gives them something they can rely on and helps them to structure and make sense of the world around them. I have read many articles by doctors and child psychologists who attest to this. So I figure my schedule is as much for my son's sake as it is for me!


CREATING DAILY JOBS

 I think a great idea my mom has always used is giving a specific job or task to each day of the week. Her advice is to involve your children in the daily tasks and create a kid-friendly calendar for them to look at so they know what to expect each day and have things to look forward to. 

 It worked best for my mom to do this Monday-Friday and then leave the weekends free. This is the schedule she used while we were growing up:

Since my son is still so young and it's hard to fully involve him just yet, my list turned out a little differently than my mom's.  I also assigned a task to all seven days of the week, instead of just five.

Mine turned out like this: 

I'll break it down for you:

SUNDAYS
- Scouts: I am the assistant Cub Master for our local church. On Sundays I review what I need to do for this responsibility. We also have committee meetings once a month on Sunday. 
- Journal: I have always kept a journal. For me it works to write in it once a week. Sunday is a quiet day, good for reflecting and recording.  
- Family Inventory Meeting: It takes only fifteen minutes but helps my husband and I work together as a team throughout the week and to make sure we are communicating effectively. We follow this itinerary each time:

MONDAY

      - House:   Deep cleaning, DIY projects, decorating, organizing, repairs, etc.

TUESDAY

- Errands: Plan weeks menu and do grocery shopping.
- Family History: I work on personal and family history. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this idea, see the following website new.familysearch.org. It has amazing resources!

WEDNESDAY
- Scrapbooks: Digital photo organizing, editing and scrapbooking.

THURSDAY
- Blog/ Swing Day: I plan to work on my blog on this day. Also I can use it to catch up on other things.

FRIDAY
- House: This category needs a lot of attention so I assigned it twice. 

SATURDAY
- Yard/Pool/: Weeding, mowing, check pool chemicals, gardening, etc.
- Errands: Any errands that need to be run, grocery shopping.

In addition to my "Daily Jobs" there are a few other things that I need to do EVERY day.

CREATING A COMMAND CENTER

To help me stay organized, I created a little "command center" where I have a calendar and my Daily List/Jobs posted. Since we're on a student budget, its nothing fancy. I used an old white board of my husband's to make the calendar. I drew the lines on it with a permanent marker, and then jot the dates and events each month with a dry erase marker. That way I can erase the events/appointments, etc. without losing the calendar itself.

Then, I framed my Daily List and Daily Jobs and hung them next to my calendar. By framing these under glass, I can write on the glass/cross things off and then erase it each night.

CREATING ORGANIZATION BINDERS

Lastly, I organized papers and things that I use frequently into binders.  First, I have my "Household Binder."  In it I keep a copy of: my daily schedule/daily jobs, my list of goals, a copy of our family budget, a copy of our Family Inventory check-list (see above), important documents for my son,  and a quick reference for adult and child CPR/heimlich maneuver. 

My second binder is my "Meal Binder" which contains all things food related: my menu planner, meal suggestion list, grocery shopping list, a pediatrician Feeding Guide for my son, take out menus, nutrition/organic whole foods information, etc. 

And my final binder is my Journal. I decided this year to start typing and printing it out rather than hand writing it, which allows me to write faster and write more. 

Ah, what a great way to turn over a new leaf this September!