Today I became the meanest Mom in the

Since my kids are out of school

(the ones that go to public school that is)

I decided it was time to

clean

and sort

and most of all

I gave each child a box

and told them that all their personal toys had to fit into that one box, everything else needed to be tossed. That is why I am so mean.

Really, making my 4th grader throw away the half used notebook from kindergarten….cruel, so very cruel.

I took before and after pictures of each of my daughter’s bedrooms, I am ashamed at the before pictures. I know you all think I am this fabulous housekeeper that has a tidy house all the time…haha….NOT! Here is the proof that I really am kind of messy, I do a lot of homey kind of things, but keeping the house picked up…not my strong point. (I will say that my house is clean…cluttered…but clean). I don’t like living in a cluttered house, but when you have so much stuff hanging around it makes things a little harder. So hopefully the great purge of 2009 will usher in a new era of cleanliness.

Here are the before pictures of Punk #1 and Punk#4’s bedroom.

Yes, it really is this bad…I am so embarrassed!

I had several comments about my housekeeping binder, mostly wanting to know what it is. I will admit this isn’t a unique idea, I have seen variations of this on a few different blogs. I have seen some that are a lot more detailed and others that are more simple. I am somewhere in the middle. It isn’t exactly how I would like it at this time, it is still a work in progress, but aren’t most thing!

My friend Patty asked “Is this housekeeping binder the reason you’re so organized?” I had to smile, I am one of the most unorganized people I know! This housekeeping binder is my attempt at some organization!

So here you go, a tour of my housekeeping binder.

My Binder consists of one three ringed binder and a couple of other folders for item that are too big and bulky for the regular binder that I need to keep on hand.

In the pockets I keep items that need immediate attentions, phone messages, notes from school, my check book and pen and other various items. On the first page is where the master schedule goes. It is blank right now, I am in the process of re-working our schedule.

The first section is for school. Each school age child had a plastic sleeve that is theirs. I put class room syllabuses and other various papers they bring home that need to be saved. If there is a report due, the instructions are slipped in there, and I don’t have to worry about them getting lost. If they do really well on an assignment, I will put it in their sleeve until I can get it put away.

There is also a plastic sleeve for MISC School, for things that have to do with school in general.

My next section is Food and Menus. Every two weeks when I do my shopping I plan a two week menu and it is put on the refrigerator door, when the two weeks is up the menu is put in a plastic sleeve. I have several months worth of menus saved. It is really nice if I am having a brain block to go back and look at what we have had in the past and it gives me ideas for when I am making out the current menu.

There is also a running grocery list at the back.

This is my gardening section. It is blank right now, but I am gearing up for the next planting season. I have grid paper in here so I can plot out my garden boxes. I want to start saving these and keeping notes from year to year.