DIY No Sew Apron

Today I am going to share a super quick, easy peasy, and cheap tutorial for an everyday apron! Since I have started line drying our laundry, I have wanted an apron with a pocket to put the clothespins in. So the other night I grabbed up some scrap fabrics, and whipped one up in about 30 minutes.

Don't know how to sew? Don't have a sewing machine? Don't sweat it! I share both a sewing and a        No-Sew version! 

Step 1.) Gather your Materials...I used some left over fabric for the main fabric, a handkerchief for the pocket, and some old lace for the ties. For the ties you can use lace, bias tape, ribbon, etc. Don't have a handkerchief...use any piece of fabric you want. I went with this hankie because the edges were already finished. Use whatever you have on hand. No need to buy new fabric!

If you are making the No Sew version you will want to pick up a small roll of Heat-N-Bond Ultra. You can find it at Wal-Mart or any craft store for just a few dollars. 

Step 2.) Cut your main fabric to the size above (28" wide x16" long). You can honestly make this any size you want...want it longer, add a few inches...want it wider...no problem! Do what ever size works best for you. 

Serge or zig zag edges so they do not fray.

**If you are making the No Sew version: When "hemming" the edges with Heat-N-Bond you will want to hem the top edge 1" and the sides and bottom 1/2". This will save you a whole step later on.**

Step 3.) Pin and sew handkerchief onto main fabric.

No Sew Version: Use Heat-n-Bond to adhere the two edges of the handkerchief together since you are folding it in half, before adhering it to the main fabric.

Step 4.) Sew or Bond  1 1/2" of the top of the handkerchief to the main fabric. This will give the pocket a bit more stability.

Step 5.) Hem the top of the apron. Fold over 1", iron and sew in place.

**If using the No Sew method this step has already been completed back in step #1. Yea!

Step 6.) Line up the center of your lace to the center of your apron. Attach with either Heat-n-Bond or pin in place.

No Sew: Once you attach the lace with Heat-n-Bond you are done! Try it on and be proud!

Sewing: Continue to step 7...

Step 7.) Sew lace in place.

All done! See...simple...easy peasy...and cheap! Now fill it with some clothespins, or whatever else you want and look super cute while working!

Linking to Frugal Days Sustainable Ways and Raising Homemakers

Frugal and Simple Laundry Week: Tips for Managing Laundry

To wrap up our Frugal and Simple Laundry Series today, I am going to be sharing just a few tips for managing your laundry. Like I have said before, laundry in our house can seem to get out of control pretty quickly....and we only have four people! Having a good routine and schedule helps me to stay on top of it and make sure my family has clean clothes that actually get put away.

When I first started working out a system for our laundry, I tried doing a laundry day. I would leave all laundry till Monday, then knock it all out in one day. Sounds great right? You only have one day of dreaded laundry and the rest of the week you don't have to think about it.

After the first week of trying this system, I quickly found it was not for us! I ended up with about 11 loads of laundry. I couldn't believe the amount of laundry we had gone through in just one week! It ended up taking me till Wednesday to finally get it all finished up. It was a disaster.

So I ditched that system. However, it may still work for you. If you only have 2 or 3 people in your family and don't use cloth diapers. Your laundry mountain may be a more manageable size, making it possible for you to get it all done in one day.

Here is the system we finally did settle on...

1-2 loads of laundry per day. Washed, dried, folded, and put away that same day.

I love this system. It is simple, manageable, and helps me stay on top of things.

I wash 1 load of clothing each day...
Every day I check our laundry basket to see which load (lights, whites, brights, or darks) needs to be washed that day. I try to alternate each day what load I do to make sure they all get washed in a timely manner and we don't end up with moldy clothes that have been at the bottom of the basket. Yuck!

I wash 1 load of towels or diapers each day...
I alternate every other day between towels or diapers. Since we basically us cloth everything (diapers, wipes, hand towels, kitchen towels, napkins, table cloths, and our Un-paper Towels) it is very important that I keep fresh, clean ones ready to be used.

This is basically what my schedule looks like:

Monday: Load of dark clothes. Load of sheets.
Tuesday: Load of white clothes. Load of diapers.
Wednesday: Load of light clothes. Load of towels.
Thursday: Load of brights/dark clothes. Load of diapers.
Friday: Load of white clothes. Load of towels or another load of clothes (which ever is needed more)
Saturday: Load of clothing or towels. Load of diapers.
Sunday: Rest :-)

As our family grows I will probably have to make some adjustments or even change my system completely. But, for now, this works perfectly!

Here are a few other laundry systems that I found that may work for your family (or even mine in the future)...

Personal Responsibility System
              -As your children get older they can be responsible for washing, folding, and putting away their own laundry. Assign each child a day that is their wash day.

                 I think this system could be great since it teaches your child responsibility for their own clothing. They have to learn how to manage their clothing so it lasts them all week. Plus, they actually learn how to do laundry. It may take a while to train your children how to properly do their laundry. Additionally, you may have some kids who throw dirty clothes back into their drawers to avoid doing laundry.

Room by Room System
                -Each room is assigned a day when their clothing gets washed.
Example:
Monday- Towels & Diapers
Tuesday -Girls Room
Wednesday -Boys Room
Thursday - Towels & Diapers
Friday - Master Bedroom
Saturday -Sheets & Towels or diapers

Pick a system that works for your family! One that won't leave you feeling stressed out or overwhelmed.

A few of my favorite laundry tips:

-Hate matching socks? Put each persons socks into a mesh bag. They get washed, and you don't have to hunt for t matching pair!

-Hate putting your clothes away? Everything too crammed? De-clutter it! Only keep a set amount of clothing for each person. Get rid of the rest, sell it or donate it!

-Put kids clothes away in their dresser in outfits. This way little ones can grab their own clothes out and actually match! If you really want to you can even label: Monday, Tuesday, etc.

-Have a family closet. I love the idea of all the clothes in one place!

Here are a few awesome ideas found on Pinterest for organizing and managing your laundry:

 Laundry Basket Dresser.  Find the how to here on Ana-White.com

Great Solution if you are limited on space! Directions to make your own found here.

Love this idea for reuniting lost socks! From Decor-ganized Crafts

I definitely need to do this! From Better Homes and Gardens.

I think something like this would be great in kids rooms! Rather than use a dresser have their clothes in easily accessible, under the bed, carts! From Martha Stewart.

 

Organize your bed linens in their own pillowcase. Marthastewart.com

 

I love this idea! Much cheaper than storage tubs! From Attempting Aloha. 

Thanks for joining me for our Frugal and Simple Laundry Series! 

You can find the other posts in our series here: 

Homemade Laundry Soap

Homemade Dryer Sheets and Fabric Softener

Benefits of Line Drying

Homemade Oxiclean and Color Safe Bleach

Do you have any tried and true laundry tips or tricks that you love? Share below in the comments section! I would love to hear them! 

Enjoying Beautiful Somehow? Then I would love if you would look up to the right hand side and click on "join this site" or subscribe to posts to make sure you don't ever miss a post!




Linking to Frugal Day Sustainable Ways

Frugal and Simple Laundry Series: Benefits of Line Drying

Today in our Frugal & Simple Laundry series I am going to be sharing the Benefits of Line Drying. Yes...I said benefits! While line drying clothes may seem like an old, out of date, and unnecessary practice to many, there are several benefits to drying your clothing the "old fashion" way.

Benefit #1 It saves you $$$ on Electricity. 

Did you know that your dryer is one of the top energy users in your home? Yep, it is right up there next to your refrigerator, lights, and your water heater. Even if you hang one of your loads each day, you will be saving money on your electric bill. Now who doesn't want to do that?! 

Benefit #2 It saves you $$$ on products. 

Fresh Mountain Air, Cool Breeze, Spring Rain, these are just a few of the fresh air smells that the commercial product companies are trying to bottle up and sell to you. You can have it for free by simply hanging your clothes to dry! 

I first started line drying after I began using cloth diapers. My diapers were looking a little stained and pretty dingy. However, you can not use bleach on cloth diapers. After doing some research I found that the sun is the best bleach ever! I hung my diapers out on the line to dry, and they looked brand new! Guess what...it also sanitizes!!! Don't worry about buying bleach, simply let the sun do it's thing! 

Benefit #3 Less wear and tear on clothing.

Have you seen how much lint your dryer collects? That is because your clothes are being worn out by rubbing together in your dryer. Hanging your clothes to dry outside will cut down on the wear and tear, allowing your clothes to last longer. 

Benefit #4 Less wrinkles = Less ironing

Properly hanging your clothes to dry can actually cut out the wrinkles. Less wrinkles means less time spent with your iron! Simply snap the item in the air to release the wrinkles, then hang to dry. 

Benefit #5 No Static Cling.

Static cling comes from your clothes rubbing up against each other in the dryer. No rubbing, no cling!

Benefit #6 Environmentally Friendly

Line drying obviously does not use any energy or put off anything harmful! A win-win!

Benefit #7 Time spent outside in the sunshine!

This is honestly my favorite benefit of line drying our clothes. I love the sunshine, and I love to be outside. This gives me the perfect excuse to spend fifteen minutes outside with the kids soaking in some vitamin D. (After looking up some of the benefits of sunshine I found that it can actually help to level out hormones in us ladies...and may even help with pms symptoms! That is a good enough of an excuse for me! I line dry to help with my pms! Ha!)

Here are a few tips to remember when line drying your clothes...

-Shake out wrinkles by snapping your clothes in the air before hanging them up to dry.

-Hang shirts and socks upside down to avoid marks from clothespins. (I have never noticed marks on my clothes from my clothespins before, but I have read that some others have this problem.)

- Fold your jeans and towels in half, then hang on the line. Flip them over when one side is dry.

- The sun is great at bleaching whites. Because of this you will want to turn your bright colors inside out, or hang them in the shade to prevent fading. 

-Hang heavy items on the outside of the line. This will keep your line from dipping too low in the middle. You definitely don't want your clean clothes dragging on the ground. 

- If your clothes feel a little bit crunchy, toss them into the dryer for a few minutes to soften them up. I only have to do this with our towels and jeans. Everything else feels great! 

-Remember not to hang items that are wool or loosely knitted, such as sweaters. Lay them flat to dry to retain their shape. 

-Wipe down your clothesline, and clean your clothespins periodically to avoid dirt build up that can transfer to your clothing. 

If the thought of hanging all of your laundry to dry seems a bit overwhelming, then start out with just one load a day. I will tell you though, that it really only takes me 15 minutes to take a load off of the line and hang a new one up. Plus I fold the laundry as I take it off the line, so that saves me time later. So why not give it a try? Get outside and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air! 

Enjoying Beautiful Somehow? Then I would love if you would look up to the right hand side and click on "join this site" or subscribe to posts to make sure you don't ever miss a post!

Linking up to Frugal Days Sustainable Ways, and Healthy 2Day Wednesday

Frugal and Simple Laundry Week: Homemade Laundry Soap

This week I am going to be sharing a bunch of new recipes and tips for that wonderful thing we all love to do...laundry.

Does any one else feel as though laundry just never ends? I can get all of our laundry washed up, folded, and put away, and magically three more loads appear. And we only have four people! Taking care of all that laundry can quickly become expensive and time consuming. After becoming frustrated with my old laundry care routine, I had been in search of more frugal and efficient ways to take care of our clothing. 

Today, I am going to share with you our recipe for frugal & simple homemade laundry soap. 

I had previously done coupons in order to cut cost on laundry soap. This was the one thing I seemed to be able to do well with coupons. Since I decided to forgo the coupon clipping, I knew I would have to find a new way save money on our laundry.

Thanks to Pinterest, my eyes had been opened to a whole new concept...

Make your own detergent.

I heard of a few people making their own before, but never gave it too much consideration. I figured it would be complicated, include a ton of ingredients that would be hard to find, and time consuming to make. Well, I was...wrong. wrong. and wrong again.

I originally found this recipe on The White Silk Purse. She gives wonderful detailed instructions on how to make both the liquid "paste" version and a dry version.

There are many recipes out there for making your own laundry detergent. So, when I chose the recipe I wanted to make it had to fall within these guidelines...
-It had to be simple to make.
-I had to be able to find the ingredients at my local store.
-It had to be easy to store.
-It had to be cost effective

So here is the recipe I finally settled on:

You will need 4 basic ingredients.
                     
1. 2 Cups Borax
2. 2 Cups Super Washing Soda (Not baking soda)
3. 2 Bars Fels Naptha Laundry Soap
4. 6 Cups Hot Water

You will also need 5 quart sized canning jars to store your laundry detergent (I got 12 for $8 at Wal-Mart).

All three of the main ingredients you can find at Walmart in the laundry aisle. Easy to find at my local store...check!

Step 1: Place 6 Cups of water on the stove to heat. (You do not want it to boil, just get very, very hot)

Step 2: Grate your two bars of Fels-Naptha Soap. The finer the better. It will melt faster that way. 

Step 2: Add Fels-Naptha soap to hot water. Stir continuously for 15 minutes until all the soap has dissolved. It basically looks like the picture below...frothy and bubbly. (One thing Dana from the White Silk Purse mentions, is to not let it boil...it will make a mess.)

Step 3: Once soap has melted remove from heat and add in 2 cups of Borax and 2 cups of Super Washing Soda. Stir until it is all dissolved, 3-5 minutes.

Step 4: I did this step a little different than the original instructions. By accident. But I think it ended up being easier in the end. Pour the mixture equally into 4 quart sized canning jars. Easy to store? Check!

Dana (from The Silk White Purse) then adds water to fill up to the shoulders of the jar and mix together and let it set for 8 hours. This was the part where I had two screaming kids and got a bit distracted. I forgot to add the water. It set for 8 hours. I kept looking at the jars and thinking...'hmmm this just doesn't look right. Was I supposed to get smaller jars? I thought they were supposed to be full.' Nope. I just read it wrong. Like I said, it actually worked out better in my opinion. I let my jars set for the full 8 hours and then added the hot water and filled to the shoulders of the jar.

                           

(here are my jars, waiting out the 8 hours. Forgot to add water, they were supposed to look full by now. Oops. Oh well.)

Step 5: For this step Dana explains how the soap separates and hardens on the top and you have to use a knife to break it back up. Mine did not do that. I am assuming since I forgot to add the water till after it set. Instead, I simply used a spoon to mix up the hot water and goopy mixture. Some parts were a little hard, but did not require a knife. I also did not worry about mixing the water and goop thoroughly, since they are put into a blender in the next step.

Step 6: Spoon the contents from one jar into a blender. Mix thoroughly on high until the goop becomes thick and creamy.  Spoon back into jar. Since the mixture has puffed up a bunch you should have some left over. I had enough to fill up 1/4 of a new jar. Continue process with other three jars. You should end up with about 1/4 extra from each jar giving you roughly 5 jars total in the end.

That is it! Simple to make? Check!

This was so very easy to make! A lot of other recipes require you to use the whole box of borax and super washing soda, a ton of water, and a five gallon bucket. That is too much heavy lifting for me. I love that this version fits into small jars that I can store above my washer!

Oh yah...and the really awesome thing about this laundry soap recipe...the cost!

It only takes 1 tablespoon of soap for a large load of laundry! For real! This stuff is a concentrated version so it packs a lot of cleaning power. One quart will clean about 64 loads of laundry. That means that one batch of laundry soap, 5 quarts, will last you about 320 loads!

Even better...it only cost 1.7 CENTS PER LOAD! Say what!!!!!!!!! Amazing, right?! I never thought I would be so excited about laundry soap. Hop on over to the White Silk Purse, and Dana does a break down  of the cost and about how much it would cost you to make enough for a year. Guess what...it is right around $20. Compare that cost to your favorite brand.

Cost effective? Check!

Okay, so it is pretty easy to make, easy to find the ingredients, easy to store, and is cheap; but do I really like how it works?

YES! I actually love it. Our clothes do not have a flower smell like what you may get with store brand detergent. But, the Fels-Naptha gives it a wonderful clean and fresh smell! I love the smell! As far a clean factor, I honestly can't even tell a difference between my homemade version and Tide. Seriously. It even works well in cold water.

So why not just give it a try? Next time you run out of the store brand detergent, opt for buying the supplies you will need and make it yourself!

Don't want to worry about cooking it, letting it set, ect? Try the powder version (also found on the link from the White Silk Purse above). Simply grate the fels-naptha soap bar, stick it in your food processor to make sure it is super fine (powdery). Then mix with borax and super washing soda. Store in container of your choice. This apparently only takes 2 teaspoons to do a large load. I might try this version next time. Not sure, I am pretty much in love with my laundry soap now.

Have you ever made your own laundry soap? Have a tried and true recipe you love? Share your experience below!

Come back tomorrow...I will be sharing my "homemade" dryer sheets!

Linking up to Frugal Days Sustainable Ways , Raising Homemakers,  Healthy 2Day Wednesday, Simply Made Home, and Homestead Barn Hop

Enjoying Beautiful Somehow? Then I would love it if you would look up to the right hand side and click on "join this site" or "subscribe" to make sure you don't ever miss a post! 

Enjoying the Morning

Wouldn't it be so much easier to wake up happy in the mornings if you woke up to the mountains in this picture? (This photo is actually one my sister took. She lives in Colorado. I'm not jealous. Ok maybe just a little jealous. Or a lot.)

I have never enjoyed the mornings. I would never  have been classified as a "morning person".  My husband greets me in the morning with a sweet hello, and my usual response is simply a sound..."ugh". Once I had a cup of coffee, washed my face, and dressed for the day, I am usually up to a few words rather than a grunt. When we didn't have kids, this wasn't really an issue. I could just roll out of bed. Get myself ready in my own time. I didn't have any one else asking anything of me.

Then kids came. Everything changed. I now had to roll out of bed quickly and head down the hall to a hungry baby. Change his diaper, dress him, feed him, and get him settled for the morning. Add a second little one and double everything from before. Rushing in the mornings, not washing my face, or getting dressed till almost lunch time, stressed me out! I felt yucky. I probably looked yucky. I didn't feel refreshed, or ready to take on the day. When you feel that way, it becomes difficult to get motivated to do much of anything. I hated the mornings. My boys were the only good part about it. It's hard not to feel joy when being around them!

It was too difficult to give my family my best when I was half asleep. I decided a change needed to happen. A few mornings I woke up about 30 minutes before the kids usually wake, in order to get in some Bible reading. I noticed on those mornings, that even though I got a tiny bit less sleep, I felt better. I was completely awake and actually prepared for when they woke. I didn't feel as sluggish or as irritated. I was on to something...

I have now developed a loose morning routine for myself. I wake up around 6:00 am, stumble into the kitchen and start the coffee. Gotta have that coffee! While it is brewing, I open the living room windows to let in a cool, refreshing breeze. I grab my coffee and Bible, and snuggle up on the couch to read. I usually read for about 30-45 minutes. Then I look at pinterest, check out a few of my favorite blogs, or post my blog for the day.

Once I am done, I head back to our room to wash my face, brush my hair, and get dressed for the day.  This only takes me about five minutes. It is usually around 7:00 by this time. I head back to the kitchen and fill in my daily routine in my Home Management Binder. This helps me to get my priorities in line for the day and stay on task. After that is filled out, I start breakfast, wake up the boys, and get going with the day.  I will let the boys sleep in past 7:30 if they were up later that night. During that extra sleep time, I try to start a load of laundry or any other small chore that needs to be done.

I never thought I would say...I love my mornings! The house is so peaceful and quiet. I get to spend time with my Savior. Plus, I get dressed before noon! It has been wonderful since switching to this routine.

This is a loose routine, so on the nights we have to stay up late, I sleep in a bit later and just adjust. On those mornings though, I regret not making myself get up earlier. I miss my quiet time.

If you are struggling in the mornings, I encourage you to give this a try. Make up a routine that works for you. Do something so that you can relax, enjoy, and look forward to each morning. If the thought of losing an extra hour of sleep seems like too much at first, then work up to it in fifteen minute increments. It is so much easier to get through the day joyfully when you have started it that way!



Thanks to my awesome sister Erica for the gorgeous pics! Colorado is beautiful. Yes, we are all jealous now.

A Little Encouragement

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galations 6:9


Has your job as a wife, mother, or homemaker, made you weary this week? Don't give up, don't loose heart! This job is not an easy one, but the "harvest" will make all the endless laundry, dirty diapers, and runny noses worth it! As you finish up the week and head into the weekend, bring to mind the verse above any time you feel like it is just too much. Then ask God to give you strength to keep going, to keep having the right attitude, to keep setting a good example for the little eyes that are watching you.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend with your families! Monday, I am going to have an exciting, probably crazy (ok definitely crazy), 30 day challenge for you! See you then!

Natural Cleaning: Getting Started

I feel like I have been on a journey lately. My views on certain things have changed so drastically in the last few months. Since deciding to move to Houston to help plant a multicultural church, I have been searching all over the internet for new ways to start saving money for my family. What started as just a way to save money has slowly evolved into seeking a healthier lifestyle for my family. It all started with trying coupons. I did okay with it initially.  I would grab two copies of the Sunday paper, match up coupons to the sales, and get to cutting. I would go to the store and come back home feeling really good about how much money I had saved. I would get laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, hygiene products, and even some food. Our stock pile was slowly beginning to grow. However,  I quickly started to realize that I was spending an extra $20-$30 a week buying these coupon items to build our stock pile. We simply didn't have the extra money in our budget to do that. I tried to reason that in the long run we would save a lot of money by not having to buy these products at full price. Maybe I wasn't doing it right, or spending enough time working at it, but it just was not working for us. I finally gave up.

I went back to researching other ways to save the money we needed to be saving. I finally stumbled upon a blog one day that opened my eyes to a whole new way of doing things. I saw a post on Like a Mustard Seed blog about making your own laundry soap. Now I had heard before about some one doing this and never had thought very seriously about it. However, after seeing how cheap and easy it would be to make, I started getting excited. While talking with one of my best friends in Ohio, I shared with her my laundry soap find. She told me that her Uncle actually made his own cleaning products. He used one gallon of water and adds in 1/3 cup of white vinegar to clean the floors and surfaces in the day care he cleaned.

Could it be that simple!?!?!

I decided to give this a try first. Here is the final recipe I ended up using:

1 Gallon Water

1/3 Cup Distilled White Vinegar

1 Lemon Rind

 

Obviously the only thing I changed from my friend's Uncle's recipe was to add lemon peels.  I saved a gallon jug from our milk, used a funnel to add the water and vinegar, and added one whole lemon rind. I poured some of the mixture into a spray bottle and added a few more lemon rinds. The lemon rinds added a fresh lemon smell to mask the vinegar smell.  I sprayed the floor with the mixture and used my mop like normal. So easy and works great! Even after using the more expensive floor cleaners, my floor would still feel slightly sticky. It drove me nuts! Now my floor feels clean, looks clean, and smells clean! 

I have began to use this cleaner on my kitchen counters, kitchen table, the bathroom, and even to wipe down appliances! My favorite thing about this cleaner is that not only is it cheap cheap cheap, but it is also much safer for my family, and so much better for the environment. I am hooked! I will never go back to buying expensive cleaning products again! 

I am continually looking for and finding new recipes for cleaning products.  You can check out my pinterest board Make it Yourself! for a lot of the recipes I am using. I will also share some of my favorites with you in later posts.

I currently am making...

tub and shower cleaner

dishwasher detergent

dryer sheets

Color Safe Bleach Alternative

Citrus Enzyme Cleaner

On my list to make is...

Laundry Detergent (I am waiting to run out of my stockpile first)

"Clorox" Wipes

Hand and Dish Soap

"Windex"

Seeing how much better these cleaning products are for my family has me researching other ways, not only to save my family money, but more importantly, to be healthier. As I mentioned in this post, I am slowly starting to rework my family's diet. We are eating more real food as opposed to processed, boxed food. I am also very interested in making our own body wash, shampoo, lotion, deodorant, and toothpaste. I plan on trying each of these out when we run out of them in our stock pile.

I have even began to think about switching out the medicines in our cabinet with more natural/herbal remedies, as well as growing our own vegetable garden. These two ideas however, are going to take much more research before diving in. 

I am so excited about it all! I will be sharing with you as I try new ideas...whether they are successes or failures!

Have you tried making your own cleaning supplies? Any tried and true recipes that you love?
Please share below, I am always looking for new ideas!


Linking to Raising Homemakers, Make Your Move Monday, Homestead Barn Hop, Raising Arrows

Managing Our Home...the Ultimate List

The first time I heard of a Home Management Binder I kind of laughed. My thought was "wow, that is a little unnecessary". I just didn't see a need for it. Two kids later...I totally get it! Between the boys schedules, doctor appointments, homeschooling Jack, Chad's schedule, church activities, keeping up with laundry and cloth diapers, keeping up with cleaning the house, and shopping for and cooking meals...it gets a little crazy. I found my self constantly playing catch up and feeling stressed out when I would get behind. On top of that, all of our schedules were starting to conflict. I would schedule a necessary doctors appointment on a day my husband had something big scheduled. It quickly became frustrating.

One day, I was looking at Passionate Homemaking, a blog I LOVE, and she was explaining her Home Management Binder. I started taking a serious look at the links she provides. I have to say...they are really cool! This is coming from a girl who loves to make lists! They honestly have every kind of list you could ever think of making. For me, it was love. Oh man...I know...I am a dork, but I do love it. I get so much more accomplished in a day, feel so much more organized, and a lot less stressed.  So here is a look at my home management binder...

 

I am all about doing things the inexpensive way, so I looked around my house first to find what supplies I already had on hand to use. I grabbed...

3 ring binder

 Scrapbook paper

 Colored Sharpies, glue stick, and scissors

File Folders

 Hole puncher

Computer and Printer

The first thing I did was to decided what sections I wanted to have in my binder. I chose to include...

Weekly Overview

Daily Overview

Menu and Recipes

Cleaning

Family Info

Homeschooling

Master Copies

There are a lot more you could include depending upon your own needs. Here are some additional ideas... Schedule, Finances, Inventory, Blog Posts, Contacts, Medical, ect. Add anything that applies to your families specific needs. I am planning on still adding a Contacts and Blog Posts section to mine.

Next I went through several different websites to pick out which templates I wanted to use. You can check out the Passionate Homemaking link above or check out my Pinterest board Organization and I have pinned the sites where you can find some of the templates that I used. I especially love this site and this site for free printables. 

What I did...

Once I gathered all my supplies I started to organize. In the front of my book I put the week's calendar... this has the schedule and any notes I need to remember.

I also have the menu plan for that week...

 

...and a to do list that I fill out each day. I love this list because I can write in specific things I need to get done that day, as well as make up a new schedule for each day. 

  

Next I have my sections. First is the Weekly Overview. I keep all of my extra copies of the weekly schedule shown above in here. Right now I am trying out several different types of templates for a weekly schedule...but so far I like the one found on this blog the best.

  

Then I have my Daily Overview section. Once again this contains extra copies of my daily schedule for the week. 

 

The Menu and Recipe section holds all of the extra copies of my weekly menu plan, as well as a page full of meal ideas to help me fill out the menu plan faster. I plan on adding a grocery list template but haven't found one that I love yet. I might end up just making my own. 

The template below is one I made myself. I copy down my favorite recipes from Pinterest so they are easily accessible. 

Is it weird that the Cleaning section is my favorite? I think it is because it holds some of the things I am most excited about lately. Weird...I know, but since discovering that I can make all of my own cleaning products, save lots of money, and it be better for my family, I have become excited about cleaning. Again...excited about cleaning...weird...I know :-)

 

I found the cleaning schedule below at the  Time Warp Wife blog. It is great for keeping up with basic household chores every day. It spreads them through out the week so it will only take you thirty minutes or so to complete, rather than trying to do it all in one day. This leaves me with a lot more time for the more important things...like my boys! On the first page of this section, I wrote out a list (not shown in pictures below) of the reasons why I desire a clean house. I did this to help my self stay focused and motivated on the real reasons a clean house is important to me. Here is what my list looks like:

Reasons I Want A Clean Home...

to have a feeling of peace

to feel comfortable

to do a good job taking care of my family

to keep my family healthy

to take care of what God has given me

to make our possessions last longer

to be able to be hospitable to others

I do not have to have a perfectly spotless home. Everything does not have to be perfectly in it's place at all times. With two little kids, that is just not possible! I do want to have a home that my kids and husband can feel at peace in, that they can feel comfortable. A lot of clutter or filthiness can make it very difficult to relax and enjoy time together as a family.  I would encourage you to make a list for yourself that you can look at on days when it is difficult to remember why you are doing all this.

The next two pages I made for my book. The first page is for writing down the recipes I have for each of my cleaning products, and the other is for awesome cleaning tips. I love that the soap on the cleaning products page says "Make Awesomeness"!

 

 

I also added a Spring Cleaning Checklist that I found on this awesome blog, as well as a list of 60 uses for baking soda. How did I not know that baking soda could do so much?!

The last three sections do not have much in them yet, but I will be adding to them soon. The Family info section will have a baby sitter information page filled out for each kid. As well as medical information, family birthdays and anniversaries, etc.

Eventually the homeschooling section will hold lesson plans, schedules for the kids, and fun projects to do.

Can you even begin to guess what the Master Copies section holds? Yup, you guessed it..a master copy of each of the templates I am using. This way I don't have to go searching through websites to find the one that had the template I liked. I also did this so that I don't accidentally use the last one and can just make more copies.

It took a little thinking and planning to figure out exactly what I wanted, but I am so happy with the finished result. I added a lot of scripture to my notebook to remind myself of why I am doing this and to stay encouraged and focused. The scripture really is my favorite part.

The great thing about this notebook is, you can make it exactly what you need it to be. If you are looking for help and little bit more organization in your life, I would definitely encourage you to give it a try!

Linking to Raising Homemakers