Need Help Organizing Kids School Work?

I heart binders.  I seem to find binders the best organizing tool for me.  Give me a binder, some page protectors and papers to organize, and I will go at it.  I struggled for a long time in finding ways to organize my 3 kids school work.  I read blog posts and articles about it and I learned some ideas as well from Flylady.  I seem to have found something that is working well for me right now and hopefully I can just keep tweaking it here and there and it will turn out to be a great system.

GET A BINDER FOR EACH CHILD. 
I got a larger binder for each child from Target for $3 and it is flexible, it isn't one of those hard ones.  They were on clearance so I picked up I believe about 6 of them. 

GET PAGE PROTECTORS.
I get the big packs of 50 or 100 because I seem to use a lot of them.

GET TO WORK SORTING.
Sort through your school papers and give each child a pile.  Then work through each child's papers and for the ones you want to keep you can put them in the page protectors in their binder, and 2 papers should fit in each page protector, just put them back to back.

You can decorate the binders as you would like, put your favorite art work or something from them in the front cover.  You can also get new binders for each grade or fit however many grades you can in each binder and label them by what grades are in them.

I got my ideas mostly for this from Pinterest and mostly the pin that linked me to this site.  Below is her picture that she shared.  I did adapt my binders to my own liking, but basically this is where my main idea came from.



I also have a larger binder for each child that is for all of their certificates.  I got it at Target and it is more like a photo album.  I, so far, have my kids certificates and awards from each school year in them along with perhaps an 8x10 picture of them from that year.  Take this and do what works for you, but I like the idea and it is organized.

Now if I can just organize the rest of my pictures and papers, kitchen counter clutter is next to tackle, seems I procrastinate on that the most lately!  School is out on Friday and that will be a project up and coming!

I am joining in with I'm an Organizing Junkie as I continue learning to have my natural organizer in me come out! 



Ask me if you have any questions...leave me a comment!

More later...

p.s. I also just found Mary Organizes and am excited to join in with her linky party on Organize My Life!

10 Goals for this Week

Joining in with Money Saving Mom in making weekly goals and pressing on to make progress in life as I have been feeling scattered for a while.  Writing the goals down here is my sense of accountability to keep on going and pursuing. 

Personal/Heart Goals:

1. Continue 3 year Bible reading plan I started last week.
2. Read James 5 for Life group reading and find story to relate to my life to share
3. Journal on my Google Drive journal when not at home and don't have my personal writing journal so that I can still record what is on my heart and what I am learning.
4. Gym 2 days this week-strength training.
5. Walk 3 days this week with kids around the neighborhood.

Organize Life Goals:

1. Inspired while reading 3-2-1 Stop to start minimizing things in our home that are not needed-declutter to put it simply.  Declutter 1 thing this week.
2. Finish reading The Energy Bus for work.
3. Stick to budget and don't try and wiggle out of or rearrange certain categories with only a certain amount budgeted.
4. Stay positive and focus on God when I feel like giving up in taking care of myself-physically and spiritually.
5. Drink more water.  Goal to drink only water and no soda or sweet tea starting in June.  Get used to this.

More later!

Couldn't Stay Away From Blogging

So I took a break from blogging.  I turned my blog to completely private and took it offline.  I was feeling perhaps I didn't need to blog.  I wonder if I turned off a faucet in my life though, a faucet that God wanted to use to pour out to others.  So here I am, back writing and not sure where I will go from here but I know I have testimonies of my life I want to share every day and I just really like writing. 

I am learning right now about minimalists and decluttering.  I thought I had a cleaning problem, but it seems if I just get into the habits of decluttering and getting rid of things regularly, things will be much, much cleaner around the house.

Glad to be back.  Have a great day!

My Goals for the Week

I am encouraged to make goals.  I am encouraged that even if I don't finish but one of them, I am making progress.  I am pressing on.  I am going to work on making goals as I have never liked to do this because I did not want to feel like a failure not completing them.  I would always give up right short of a goal.  I am seeing though how growth comes when just one goal is set out for and accomplished. 

I am encouraged by Money Saving Mom who makes goals regularly and presses on.  I am going to join in with her. I am going to try and make weekly goals.  I look back at my simplify goals post and see what I had written as some goals back then and what I have not done or what I may want to focus on.

Personal goals:

1. Hello Mornings-continue waking early, 5:30am goal.  Quiet time.  Exercise.  Plan.  Get ready for the day.
2. Complete a T-Tapp workout this week.
3. Write down each morning in my journal 3 things positive about myself.
4. Write down my priorities in life, very focused, not broad.
5. Continue reading Truly Fed as God teaches me to be free from any bondage to food or my body.

Financial goals:

1. Consistently stay in budget this week.
2. Continue using YNAB and adjusting categories to fit our needs.

Home Goals:

1. Do some sort of cleaning routine this week.  At least mop, dust, bathrooms and sheets.
2. Clear counter clutter-that seems to be the challenge that continues.
3. Don't beat myself up if I don't do it perfectly.

That is it for now.

Slow Posting This Week



This week I am slow at posting as I had a busy weekend and spring break was last week.  I will and post during the week anything exciting that comes to mind.  I hope you have a super great week and enjoy every minute of it!

Broken-5 Minute Friday

Writing for five minutes straight about the word broken. Mind you this time I am on my iPhone writing from the blogger app, I am still writing.

I felt like this was the perfect word to write about today. At such a time as this. It is Good Friday. Sometimes I think I try and feel something just because it is that day. And really here is no forcing feelings. So I chose to slow down in my heart.

Slow down. When I slow down my busy thinking and analyzing thoughts I start to see something. I start to see what I need to be in order to stop controlling. Controlling my life.

I need to be broken. I need brokenness in my spirit so I can let Jesus in. When I am broken it takes the pride away. It takes the fake motives away. It leaves me available. To be used by Jesus. To be molded by him.

When I am broken I also allow Jesus to heal me. In ways that if I hadn't slowed down I would have never known I needs healing in.

Broken. Jesus I sit this weekend in brokenness. I am not in control. I need refreshing. I need obedience. I need you. You see I am being reminded you are all that I need.

Seek first the kingdoms of God and all these things will be added unto you.

End.

My Talents and Gifts

I am learning more and more as I get into my 30's what my talents and gifts are and what my personality is and how to try and live more to what those are and focus on those things, and not be so scattered in my life. I am finding that I am a learner, oh so much a learner, love teaching (not big crowds mind you), encouraging, walking along side in areas I am passionate about and sharing my knowledge with others.

I love assisting people, I love meeting people's needs.  I love it.  I love being sensitive to what others need, and then trying to find a way to meet it.  If it is in the area of things I love, like administrative work, social media and chatting work, writing and finding the perfect phrase or words for something, finding recipes and creating meal plans, or in learning to live within one's means with a budget and actually living it out, then I am in.  Count me in!

I don't have any idea what it will look like when God continues to grow me, but I do know that I am asking God to take it all and guide me.  I am asking for prayer from friends and family so that I have clear direction.  I want to stay in step with God.  Thank you for listening.  I look forward to sharing more and more.



Love to you!