This Chinobilly is on a mission!

There is an organizing tool I've wanted to put to good use for a long, long, l-o-n-g time along with an innate desire to put things in my life in some sort of orderly fashion. Don’t cringe…A household notebook.

And this is why in a nutshell: I’m the type of gal who has to get my thoughts out on paper. For some strange reason Procrastination and perfectionism set in every time I start one I have yet to finish what I started.

There are three reasons that I need to do this. 1) As much as I love to use my computer/pda to keep things organized, sometimes I just need to write stuff down. And keeping it all in one organized place would be best. 2) I'm pretty good at remembering things. But one of my best tools for "remembering" is writing stuff down. And one of my worst enemies is the 425,904,825 things that I get interrupted with while trying to remember what it is I’m supposed to remember! Did I just hear an “Amen Sista”? 3) I’m having surgery in 6 weeks so my sweety, peachy will be running the show for a few days.

So, those are my reasons and here's what has been keeping me awake at night as plans for my notebook swirl around in my head and I begin craving peach pie and suddenly I have to pee but Matt’s arm is wrapped around my stomach and I’m trapped. You think I’m kidding? This was my mind at 2:48 this morning. Luckily I had paper in the bathroom once I wriggled free from the bed without disturbing the hubby.

The notebook will need to be pretty big but not too big. Let’s start with a 2 inch clear-cover binder for now.
I imagine stylish dividers inside. The dividers could have handy pockets for keeping things that I don't have time to punch with holes right off the bat. I think my notebook will generally stay on my desk or on the kitchen counter. This way it is accessible to me at all times but because it is a neat little binder and not a mess of papers, I don't mind it being out all the time. I won’t carry it with me on errands, I will continue to use a pared down version of my current day planner. It will be a tool I use at home.
And the cover...I will of course have to get crafty with the cover for my notebook. I want to make it pretty because things are so much more fun to use when they are pretty.

Sections/dividers (All to be discussed in greater detail later)
Daily routines
Weekly plan
Cleaning Schedule/Zones
Menu ideas/master grocery list
Emergency Info
Chinobilly Yellow pages and contact list
Children’s Stuff
Blog Ideas
Gift Ideas
Education
Personal/Family Goals
Budget
Devotions
Communication with Matt

You'll notice that I don't have a calendar in there anywhere. That's because I have a PDA that works very well as it synchronizes with outlook. But that would be a handy tab if I didn't have that sorted out.

So, that's my dream notebook. I think it will really help keep me sane by making sure that my poor little brain doesn't have to be responsible for too much information at once.

In the spirit of chronicling the chinobilly gardening wannabe adventures this spring while examining our progress in raising two wild and crazy chinobillies and our adventures in life, I will be starting a Chinobilly Household Journal over the next 6 weeks. I would be totally held accountable encouraged if you would like to begin this project with me. I will be formulating a plan over the weekend (hopefully) so I will have an idea of where I’m going with this crazy task. I have dreams of having this journal completed before I go under the knife so this fiasco may be a blessing to me AND my family as I begin to manage our home a little better each day. Not everyone needs everything I’ve mentioned. Feel free to let your specific need/desires “dictate” what you will incorporate. I want to start small and add as time allows. Let’s encourage each other and get started shall we?