NEW BEGINNINGS

Something else I switched around this year or should I say I am doing away with are the one month per 1 page black and white calendars which I had used for appointments and kept in the front of my planner.

I am doing away with them for several reasons. One thing is that the majority rules and I only create forms I use and like so the one month per 2 page spread appointment keeper color calendars has hands down been the favorite. It's my favorite too. I started creating these a few years back because I needed more room to write my appointments and important dates on.

Also, the one month per 1 page black and white is an easy find for freebies and well I am not very inspired. Needing not only more room but a tad more style pretty I created the one month per 2 page color calendars.

Side point here: You could even print off the whole set and put them in front of your home management binder if you are using it like a family command center. They can go in the student planners also. Even persons who don't homeschool but like their own page size planner use them. I love it when it helps public school teachers too. I have a wide audience on this form at times.  I have 2 color choices to download today for the Appointment Keepers Calendar.

 But I wanted to tell you about how I create them. When creating the colors for the forms I am inspired by things I heart. Not always, but a lot of times I am. I am in love with the Caribbean Sea and we have taken many trips there. I am hoping if I put this in my planner and turn the page I may feel the ocean breeze. I can wish because it has been a few years since we have been. But, the Caribbean Sea is certainly my fave.

Download Caribbean Seafoam Luv here

.

Another favorite of mine is shopping for unique jewelry. The bigger the better for me. If you haven't noticed by now I am not shy about my jewelry. Oh sure I love the real stuff but I always set aside a jewelry shopping day when we are on a trip locally or in another country to look for unique hand made pieces from amber or coral and things like that.  I love wearing all those pieces traveling or not. Also though I am inspired by a beautiful sunset. So those two things inspired me on this calendar.

Download Coral and Sun Luv here.

I just wanted you to know that though I love color, the appointment keeper pages always have some kind of personal touch and remind me of something I heart. They are not just forms for me but forms I hope you heart too. Don't let the instructions on the downloads throw you off. I know not everybody needs such detailed instructions but I would rather you have them than not. Try to take your time in preparing your planner so that you get exactly what you want. It has taken me years to get to this point so try to glean by going slow.

Well you hung with me during this 5 day spree of planning forms. I think I like this better since you can get a majority of them now.  Hopefully, you can get your planner put together early, or just print off as you go along what you want. You know the pages stay up during the year and I update as I go along when I have a new form. Yes, I already need some other things. The perfect planner is a unique find and like curriculum is an ongoing changing process. I know not everybody is following me for the planner but I am so glad you indulged the rest of us as we had to get in our punch for planning.

Some other topics got put on hold while I had all the year end stuff hit me at once so I will be finishing up 5 Days of a Homeschooling Co-op Convert.,  our present unit study and I still have progress on the Home Management Binder.

This cough is still lingering so I had to grab some meds for it. I try to do natural as much I can, but you know sometimes you need a little help getting over the hump. Of course that does not keep me ever from planning or organizing or doing our unit studies. I will be schooling lightly through the summer as I take care of project graduation for Mr. Senior 2013.

How about you, are you almost done with your year or are you taking it lightly too?

Hugs and love ya,

Rip roarin' to go on your planner? Grab the downloads from the other days.

5 Days of Tina's 7 Step DIY Curriculum Planner: Day 1 Free Covers

5 Days of Tina's 7 Step DIY Curriculum Planner: Day 2 Academic School Year Pretty Calendars

5 Days of Tina's 7 Step DIY Curriculum Planner: Day 3 Printable Year Around School Planning Schedule

5 Days of Tina's 7 Step DIY Curriculum Planner: Day 4 Editable Progress/Report Card for Teen

If you are new, the Main Planning Page that takes you step by step begins here:

The real reason I didn't want the academic school calendars on the front of the curriculum planner anymore is because now I can add lots more color and different designs since they are a separate page. Mix and match is so much more prettier and unique. Today, I have 3 academic school calendar pages. Too when these pages are not laminated but put close to the front of your planner like right behind the cover, it allows you to circle holidays you want to observe and important days to your family.

These are school calendars only not the school planning calendar pages. There is a big difference. The pages today are for reference and noting important dates. The pages coming tomorrow are for actual school planning.

Remember too my pages are made for year around homeschooling. My pages start with July and end with June. Even if you don't start school until August or September and end in May that is fine. This is the one you will use. Keeping the form from July to June allows greater flexibility if you decide to start later and end early or vice versa.  Here are 3 color choices for the Academic Year School Calendar.

Download Green Chevron Luv Here.

Download Lemon Luv Here.

Download Red/Orange Luv here.

Here {excuse the font on my website-I am updating and my site goes a bit bonkers as I clean it up} is the calendar page if you want to grab the two page spread appointment keeper and a black/white page of a 2014 or 2015 calendar to use for long range planning purposes. The 2 page spread appointment keeper is toward the front with all of my pages under a tab Calendar. This way, my planning, my calendar for the school year and appointments are all kept together. Any black and white pages for long range planning or calendars for reference I put toward the back of my planner. That is just my preference because I tend to plan for next year at the end of the present year. So that is my planning preference. You may want all those types of pages up close to the front of your planner. You decide.

Tomorrow, I updated the Year Around Planning School Calendars and have those coming! Isn't this fun? Hitting you with all the forms at one time instead of spreading it out all summer. Plus you never know when I get my wild hair day and have another form I need. It allows me all summer to simmer on it.

Hugs and love, simmering

If you missed Day 1: Free Covers of 5 Days of Tina's 7 Step DIY Curriculum Planner -  Click below

If  you want to get started now on your curriculum planner for next year, click below to go the main website page.

[This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.]

#7   

heather

 Congratulations to the two winners! Please contact us at dynamic2moms At Yahoo Dot com. {substitute the symbol for the words}

I admit to being fixated, not always, but a lot of times each year on themes as I create the curriculum planner covers. Last year I was fixated on including more editable spaces for dates on the covers. This year I am inspired by quotes. Well you know I love inspirational quotes anyway so I grabbed a few of them to put on covers.  Something you will notice different this year is that I have moved away from putting the school calendar on the front of the page. I am excited about this for several reasons: I am free to create more on the cover which I have been wanting to do. Also, it allows me to create yearly calendars that have more pizzazz and plus it has always been my goal that each planner be unique.

Who wants a planner where all the pages are the same and 1499 other people have the same thing? Not me. Call me odd.

Here are the four new covers this year.

Download above navy chevron here.

I love this quote:“When the world says, “Give up,” Hope whispers, ‘Try it one more time.’” It is the one I chose to use at the end of the year in my new bee workshop. It just seems at times that the whole world can be against you when you're homeschooling. You don't have to be a new homeschooler to feel that pain. So it's one of my faves for quotes.

Download above Hope Whispers cover here.

I am an equal opportunity offender when it comes to color, I love them all. When looking over my covers, I noticed I was lacking in some red. This cover reminds me of my favorite pair of jeans and red tube of lipstick. I wear red and I love it on my planner too.

Download above here

Train up a Child has to be one of our very favorite Bible quotes for homeschooling. A lot of non-homeschoolers just don't get that our teaching goes beyond academics. So I have this cover as a reminder of our journey.

Download above cover here.

I have retired some older covers. If you have a favorite cover and are wanting to use some from previous years, go here to the Cover Page. Remember, all my covers are keeper covers now which means I won't put a year on them. I keep them each year on the website and add to them. Tomorrow, I have the Academic Year Around School Calendar Pages.

Switching to a science gear here on you, I had to let you know one more thing.

I just got word from Aurora at Supercharged Science that her online science camp (e-Camp) is now OPEN for registration. Registration for e-Camp 2013 is only open for 3 days, until this Thursday. I think Mr. Awesome is going to do this.

You can click the link below to get all the details before it's too late:

e-Camp

If you're not familiar with e-Camp, here's the scoop. e-Camp is an all-out totally fun and educational online science camp.

Imagine sending your kids off to a really great hands-on summer science camp. BUT, you get to decide what day and time they go. This is e-camp.

Plus, it's designed so they can do it on their own - just set them up and they'll be engaged for hours. So it’s perfect if you don’t have time to work with your kids, or if science isn’t really your thing.

If you want to keep your kids' learning this summer, but you also want it to be totally fun, this might just be the answer.  Rather than try to explain it all, I'll leave that to Aurora herself.

I have seen her stuff, and I can tell you that she really over-delivers. Last year over hundreds of kids enrolled in e-Camp in less than 4 days!

Registration for e-Camp 2013 is only open for 3 days, until this Thursday.

Click the link below now to learn more and to register:

e-Camp

P.S. This year, Supercharged Science has introduced a brand new Advanced e-Camp for teens. It’s supposed to keep even the “coolest” teenager interested. Click below to learn about it:

Advanced e-Camp

Hugs and love ya,

Linking up Here:

 I have been in love over the past couple of weeks with my updated turquoise pantry.  You know I told you I have my own pantry. Well almost. It is a second pantry because I really like having a separate place that I can keep what is needed for when I cook. Since it is separate from my main pantry which is for the kids' snacks and cereal, etc., it allows me to find what I need and organize easier when I menu plan. Also, I keep my salad stuff in here because I love a good salad as part of lunch.  My main pantry is small and I have the room so I really like organizing my food this way. What do you think about the change? I am in love with my new baskets.

If you want to see how it looked before, you can see it here. A small change, but one I love.  Okay, now to what I purged, kept, used elsewhere, bought and made. 

I purged my cooking utensils. Though we grill outside during the summer quite a bit, I didn't need all of the cooking utensils I had. I do wash my dishes so I figured I could purge the cooking utensils and I did. I got down to one container.

Did I tell you that I use flower pots for storage? They come in way more colors than a utensil caddy, are normally cheaper and you can find them in bigger sizes. The orange chevron flower pot I found at Ross and fell in love. I used the yellow ones in my kitchen elsewhere. My clear containers are OXO. I know they are expensive but I love them because of how they all fit together. They just about make you measure and plan before you buy which is the way to do it.

But the biggest change has to be my green baskets from Hobby Lobby. The green baskets change the look and are the right size that I need. Since I use this more like a cooking pantry I was not looking for big or deep baskets. I ended up keeping the original turquoise baskets on the very bottom. I got them from Target but this is also where the Mr. keeps his protein drinks and I like to keep my cleaning stuff handy too like vinegar and napkins for the table. So it worked out better to have something bigger at the bottom.

Well I take that back, maybe the biggest change was that I finally got to label. Unless I label, a project is not finished. Remember I told you that labeling is always my last thing to do because I like to use something for a while before I label to be sure I like the lay out. Take your time when organizing and before you label to be sure you like the set up. I looked at my set up for months before I decided that I wanted different baskets.

I got the labels here for you that I used, but I am going to give them to you in two formats.

Download Pdf Copy Here.

Download Picture Format or Png Here.

One format is a pdf but the other is a  picture format because I want to show you how to fill in the labels that are PERFECT for you. You may or may not have the same items to label that I have. Also because this is my cooking pantry you may want to do your main pantry or you may need several of the same thing. So instead of me deciding your font & color like an editable pdf, I want to show you how to make your own using part of what I give you.

This tutorial is in Word because it is easy and also because a lot of us have some kind of word processing program we use.  Here it is step by step.

Open your Word Document. Copy and paste the picture file in your program after you download it from this blog post. Use the Picture Tools Format and click the picture to pull it out some and position it on your page. Get her straight on your page.

One more tip to be sure it fits, fills your page nice and is big enough on the page is to use Page Layout and change the margins to narrow. Then pull the picture by clicking on it to cover more of the page. Check the bottom of your page to be sure you are not off the page. Be sure it covers as much as it can without going off the page and you should have labels that are nice and big when you finish.

Click on the Insert Tab and insert a Text Box. I just use the simple text box. After you click on it, then use the cursor to position that box over your first label. Move it there by dragging it in place. Oh, and be sure to delete all the text in that box. Just highlight the text and hit delete.  The text should go away and your box should stay and be empty if you did it right.

Now we need to get rid of that ugly black line. Right Click on the box and go down to Format Text Box. Look for Line and click the drop down button and scroll down to No Color, Click Ok. Now we don't have a border around the text box. It has an invisible border.

Now the fun part. Take your time to make your font and color choice. Put your cursor inside of the text box. Be sure you are on the Home Tab and click down to choose a font. I just chose the first pretty one I saw in my menu. If you need your print larger make it larger.

I chose Artistic from my fonts and I chose the color blue and typed my first label. Isn't that pretty?

Instead of going back through all of this again to make the rest of them, just right click the first one you made and copy it. Then paste it somewhere on your page. It doesn't matter where. Just grab the copy and place it on the next label. Type in your next name or label. Keep doing that for each label. You can create as many color combinations as you want to. I did two. You can change the color for every label. Easy, peazy, diy and you get exactly what you like.

One last thing to share with you is how to attach them. I get all my labels laminated. It doesn't cost but a few bucks and it so worth it. You don't want it or need it very thick so even a home laminator works fine for this. As far as attaching them I prefer to use Scotch fasteners that come in a roll. I use a roll so I can cheat. I cut off a long enough piece so that I can reposition the circle as needed to get it balanced with the rest.  In other words repositioning the circle on the container up or down using a longer piece of strip, giving it a nudge or two gets the labels close enough to looking balanced without measuring each label on the container up and across.

My house is not perfect but I enjoy it and don't want to spend 30 minutes finding center. I take more care with how far up or vertical I go but not across. Scotch has been better over the years because they are known for being sticky and holding. So brand matters to me in this.

By using velcro too, you can switch out containers anytime you want to and use another label. I try not to label containers "permanently" unless I am for sure it will have the same content for years which is why I like velcro because I can switch containers and use it for something else.

Cut out the circles on the gray line or cut the gray line away.  The label looks cleaner when it has an outside edge that is white and the only way for me to show you that was to put a gray circle around it. That's it, all done.

I will print another set of labels to store in my Home Management Binder so I can have them handy. Are you doing a small project or two in conjunction with updating your Home Management Binder this year? I am lovinggggggg my new pantry updo.

Hugs and love ya,

Blame Kelley for this post. Or, okay, maybe thank her for this. She thinks sharing with you how I organize and cope with the gazillion posts/emails I get each day may help some of you receive more benefit from the blogosphere. I agree.  Also because my blog pace may not be so unhurried from now on because of all I will be sharing, I wanted to pass on a few tips on how to organize and still read all of your favorite blogs without looking for the unsubscribe button.

Before I share a few tips there are some things that are important for readers to understand when they join a blog.

• Understand that bloggers come in a variety of personalities AND this affects the layout of their blogs. From how they deliver their content to you, to when they do it, to what they blog about gives you a clear picture of their personality. You may say this is a given, but I promise I will give you an example real soon, but you'd be surprised at the people that don't get this.
• Personality, experience and background affects the blogger when they speak whether it is in generalities or whether it is very detailed and specific. One guess where I am on this sliding scale? Obviously the longer that a blogger has been doing something and the more experience they have gives them a treasure trove of tidbits to draw from.
  
• Some bloggers only worry about numbers --- that is the unsubscribe and new follower numbers. Those type of bloggers never make blogging a passionate hobby but only a business. They do not inspire a reader because their time is focused on pleasing folks instead of persuading them. Forget the numbers and foster a relationship with the reader is my mantra. 

• Maintain a separate email JUST for blog posts. I have an email account that is just for reading blog posts and yep I love it. It is an account that nobody has the email to and is used to receive only  blog posts.  Some readers unsubscribe from a blog claiming "too many updates", but are they really? Or are they just filling up your personal or main inbox to the point that you can't enjoy them? Besides your main inbox not being cluttered up, you can read on your own timetable AND read them all in one setting.  It is so nifty to look at a whole page or 20 blog posts at one time for the day and read the ones that interest me. With the abundance of phones, tablets and iPads, having a free email account which is just for blogs makes it very enjoyable for me to check when I am in the mood.
  
• Subject lines matter to me a LOT. Not all bloggers feel this way but you should help them along if their subject lines are not specific because it can waste your valuable time. Give them feedback, help them grow and improve as a blogger. I know I value your comments and always welcome them. To show you how much I do not want to waste your time, I use Feed Blitz email dispersal, which is not free, because I want you to get blog posts with a SPECIFIC subject in each blog post. When I see blog posts that say "Here is what So and So had to say today" I cringe because I am forced to open it up before I know what it contains. Having the option to delete the blog post or browse until you find one that interests you is a huge time saving tip.  So read my subject lines as I take much care to be sure you know exactly what I have for you each day. This is the example of what I was talking about when I say "personality comes into layout".
  
• Where is the fire? Take your time reading. If you have a separate email account, then there is no rush to reading your blog emails for the day and it's a breeze to look at all of them at one time. Look to see if there are any time sensitive posts like a giveaway and read those first, otherwise read on your time table.
• Understand the blogging cycle. Not all bloggers give specifics on what they blog about, but I do. If a blog failed to give you specifics, the very name of the blog should give you a hint of what is the mainstay or common weave of blogging topics. Not all bloggers have a variety of topics to blog about either, but if they do, most of them follow a sort of cycle. For example: Look at my blogging description: Dynamic 2 Moms Homeschooling Adventures: Our blogging pace is unhurried as we share our free printables first on our blog.  Unit studies,  lapbooks,  notebooking  pages, Free 7 Step Curriculum Planner,  Free Student Planners, Free Home Management Binder,  organizing  tips for homeschool,  homeschool curriculum review and some education for the educator are all things we like to share.  Because I homeschool, mothering and homeschool always comes first above my love for curriculum, home management binders, curriculum planners and anything else I blog about. I feel that my topics are like a blogging cycle and I address each one as I plod along. When I read an email that says "content no longer" it only tells me that the person did not read carefully what I blog about. That is all, it is not a personal affront and my life is blessed by each person that comes here.
• Personalities Differ. One night, I had a nightmare thinking I blogged about how my toddler {when I had one} did poo for the day and all were to hail him and rejoice. Thankfully I have never done that and feel over sharing about personal things makes for drudgery. Who cares about my toddler's potty habits besides me and his dad? Okay-- maybe grandma.  However, when I do talk about topics I am talkative passionate and tend to be the  "detailed and like to give a lot of information" person.  At times I prefer to send one or more posts at one time instead of each day. Overwhelmed people may think they need to scroll and read all the posts in that long rolling scroll. They do not. Again, bloggers do this so that you have choices. If you are interested, read them all, if not, use the subject line and delete that post. Like I explained above, give yourself time to go through a cycle on a blog by doing your part as a reader by organizing all the content you get.
  

Every blogger has a style whether it's general and all over the place or being finely tuned to details.  I appreciate both kinds of personalities as the blogosphere needs all of them to round us out. Appreciating that helps to make a better fit for you.

Take your time poring over all the blogs you enjoy, organize them and read them when it's good for you.  Reading your favorite blogs will be something you eagerly look forward to each day.

Hugs and love ya,

Before the Springabration starts this week, I want you to have the next printable for the Home Management Binder.

I don't know about you, but I give gifts year around and need to plan like that. Plus, I always have a gift or two I keep here at the house for the just in case. A lot of times they are small things but with a personal touch. I like to keep mini decorative bags that have travel size hand cream, nail polish and/or lip gloss and maybe some small perfume. It has come in handy more than once when I wanted to give something more than just a "thanks". Too, my nieces love jewelry and when I find it 50% I grab it then and hold back because I know what they like and then give it to them when its time. Having this printable helps me remember their color likes and allergies, and price comparisons.

I highlighted every other line on the form so that you can use 2 lines per person or 1 line. You decide how much room you need to write and plan.

Download here the Gift Planner.

Tonight, I have my last workshop for the year for my New Bee Group. I always have mixed feelings of happiness and sadness as the New Bees set out on their own in the Big Homeschool World. I am happy that many of them stayed the course but sad too that we won't be having our face to face workshops but then again it's time for them to make their way.

I prefer to always celebrate good times and so coming next is the Springabration!

Hugs and love ya,

Do you know how much time I spend thinking about changing my blog description? My ideal description, I think anyway, would be happy homeschool girl who hearts homeschooling and everything about it, but also hankers to organize any time of the year and dabble in a little decorating too.

How do you say "I am a girl who loves lapbooking, notebooking, history, doing anything hands-on when it comes to learning, organizing all I can anytime whether it's school, my home, or one drawer, creating my own printables, leading workshops and talking about every possible and conceivable subject that has to do with homeschooling and let's not forget while I am at that I have a soft place in my heart for new homeschoolers and in between that I conjure up new color schemes and projects for decorating that one day I may be able to use in my home"?

It is has never been easy for me to reduce all the ideas and projects that are reeling around in my head to a few eloquent sounding sentences. Instead of worrying about all that, I would rather tell you about what else I have been doing. I get on maniac missions and it's hard for me to unhinge myself from them until I complete them.

Right now, I am in a re-organizing part decorating state of mind. Maybe you have seen my pantry in some of my pictures but I am a girl in love, love, love with it.

This pantry is new and it is actually my "second pantry". I will have to show you my first pantry too but that is another project.  I fell in love with this pretty thing because I heart turquoise but also love the look of wrought iron. It is kind of old world charm mixed with traditional things. The wrought iron look is the same design I have on my breakfast table and I have loved that look for years.

So for my spring decorating project, I have been trying to decide on what containers or bins to use in my pantry because as you can see it is open to the rest of my house, so that detail matters to me.

I have been taking my time on organizing. These turquoise containers I already had, so I put them in the pantry to see if I liked them. Well I love the bins but I think I really need a pop of some other color. Also, I need to declutter the utensil containers here that are my extras. So I have more work to do to it. I think a keeper though are the clear containers.

Don't get in a rush about labeling your baskets and containers until you decide if they will work for you. I have to use the pantry for a while before I decide what I want to keep and get rid of. After deciding that I would keep only the clear containers, I have been on a hunt for different baskets ever since.

I have been looking for days and had to show you some of my favorite places to get baskets and if you visit the places regularly enough and watch the prices, you may hit a sale like I did today.

These bins or baskets come from Target and it is a good stand by, but Target is not always my first stop because sometimes a basket I like will have a tag indicating that it is an "in store" only purchase. I prefer to have exactly the number I need so I may look longer to buy online so I don't have to hunt and peck at the store.

Another favorite place of mine to shop for baskets is World Market. I can't stay out of that place and they vary what they have throughout each season.

Land of Nod has to be right up there for one of my top two places that I love to buy baskets at too. I guess people think they are just for kids room but baskets are baskets and can be used anywhere.

 I just go crazy over their color selection because I can match any color scheme usually.

So if Land of Nod is one of my top runners, then Hobby Lobby has to be my other choice for a great place to look for bins and baskets.  I just can't stay away from that place either and I finally found the bins I had to have.I just fell in love with these and the polka dots and will be changing out my pantry soon. I really couldn't contain myself either when the baskets were marked 30% off too. I just knew I had to have them.

They have so many styles and colors too. I have ones similar to these in my bathroom.

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12

The long hunt is over and I can't wait for them to get here. Next, I will start working on labels. You know I will make my own labels too. But now that I picked out the baskets, I have some time to create labels. When it's complete, I'll share those pictures with you too and of course the labels.

Just remember, if you buy organizational bins to measure first or use baskets you already have for a while until you decide exactly what you want. Do you have a project that needs some updated and fresh storage bins?

Hugs and love ya,

If you know teens, it gets harder to round them up when it's time to snap a quick family picture when they are all dressed up. We were able to grab this one though everybody's hair went flat after the rain. Oh well, I guess I am the only one who has enough hair to worry about it going flat.

So moving on along at a slower pace than I did last year, I am thoroughly enjoying updating my Home Management Binder. I am adding more forms this year as I update it. Organizing for long term use is about slowly making changes so that we stick with it, and then the changes become a habit. It is not about having anything "done", and I think that is where folks who struggle with organization get overwhelmed.  By no means do I want to discourage you though if you are overwhelmed with organizing because you may want to check off "done" things on your list.

What I am saying is that organizing is a slow ongoing journey. For sure there comes a period where managing your house and homeschooling becomes easier. As you declutter or organize you can check off big projects, but like anything else in our lives, it has to be maintained. It is so much easier to do it in bite-size pieces too.

The secret key to organizing is making a "return trip" so that the clutter does not build up or in our case with the Home Management Binder, we give it an updo.

I think it's normal to love doing "return projects" a little more than to do them originally but on the other hand there is so much more satisfaction when we first tackle an extra big project. That initial over the top high I get when I have thrown away all clothes that I don't wear is hard to come down from. I am eyeballing my kitchen next. I have some utensils in my kitchen that I have not used in 2 years. My rule use to be if I have not used them in 5 years it gets tossed out, but that is way too long. Two years tops is my new rule for kitchen utensil clutter.

Back to updating our Home Management Binder, I have the new calendar pages done. These are diy calendars that we can use again and again and they will go in our new "calendar" section of our binder. One thing you will notice a bit different about these blank calendars than most other forms is that it does NOT contain 4, not even 5 rows. This one has (6) rows. Yep, sometimes the 5th week is split and you need 6 rows. Look at  March, it was a month with a 5th week split. A small thing to some people but not to me when you can't use the calendar. So all my calendars have 6 rows so we can actually use them and not just look at a form we can't use. If I don't need the 5th or 6th rows on some months, I will use it for some note taking. Just wanted you to know that fine point that gets under my skin about some forms that don't pay attention to details.

Too, when it comes to choosing colors for my printables, I tend to have an out of body experience because you can never have enough color or patterns.

Print off what you need now or print off all of them. Remember I print my pages on regular paper because mine go into page protectors. As always, my printables stay here on the blog for you and as I get time I release on the New Bee Homeschooler website for visitors. So you can find the most up to date printables always here on my blog.

Download the 12 month diy calendars here.

I am feeling all giddy about getting rid of clutter, spring cleaning and new printables for our Home Management Binder, so this quote has me inspired.

"Life is all about timing... the unreachable becomes reachable, the unavailable become available, the unattainable... attainable.

Have the patience, wait it out. It's all about timing."

~Stacey Charter~

Hugs and you know I love ya,

If you missed the other posts for the new printables for the Home Management Binder, you can grab them below. There are 2 new Cover Choices and another page for the Calendar section.

Cover Choice 2                                         Front & Back of Cover Choice 3

Important Dates & Annual Events Calendar

I started slowly changing over my Home Management Binder from the dark brown binder to a white binder. There is something about throwing away papers that makes me get a little over energetic. I am taking my time and not getting the headrush I got last year. Are you doing one with me, even a small one to help you organize a little better?

This year I am finding that I need to add a few more forms. One form will go in a new section called  Calendar.  Maybe it is just my need to be aware of time and order that I like to glance at one or have one close by. Whatever the case, I have some printables coming for that section. The first printable I will explain at the bottom.

One other fixation I want to share with you that I realized too is that I like to keep all of my pretties or office supplies close by.  I used them more than I realized during the past year. So I have added a clear zipper pouch for storing that little stuff that is so necessary to organizing papers. Ask any organizing guru about office supplies and they will tell you that brand matters or at least the type matters. Details matter to me and I do fuss over them when it comes to office supplies that I heart. Maybe it's just a matter of preference but I feel that it is like anything else that we expect our kids to do a good job at. If they don't have the proper tools and supplies we can't expect an outcome to be any different.

Besides the fact that new office supplies make me giddy, tools matter. I think too they give us inspiration. Like an artist that needs high quality tools to create, a budding organizer needs high quality tools to bring harmony to her home. I know that is probably a bit dramatic but I take creating harmony seriously. Here are some sweet things going in my binder that I heart. They are small but hardworking and it doesn't cost that much more to have pretty too.

Clear zipper pouches I tend to prefer at my home. Now when I go to workshops or to speak at homeschool conventions I do not use clear zipper pouches. Do people really care that I have dental floss, mints and gum and you know I won't go there with whatever other personal things I carry? Of course no binder is worth their weight unless they have fashion binder clips.

Office Depot carries the ones above. I am a firm believer that a little animal print helps you organize too.

Semikolon carries a lot of organizing tools but I really like their sticky tab markers that I use for studying. I use more post it notes it seems for our school. For our office paper I tend to use Semikolon even though they cost a little more. They do last longer.

I shared last year with you my love for Martha Stewart Craft Pens. The pens are such beautiful soft colors and last a while. I like using them to fill out the new updated pages on the binders. Folks that do crafts don't like them for crafting purposes, but because I use mine for writing and printing instead, I like the softer muted colors.  The highlighters by Moleskine are my newest sweeties.  Anything by Moleskine I can easily become obsessed with. The highlighters are fluorescent wood pencils. So they don't bleed through pages. They come with a lid to fit on Moleskine notebooks but I tend to use my highlighters for my teacher's editions, for studying and for basically everything. So I try to keep one close by if I don't put it in the zipper pouch.

For soft plastic large paper clips that I use for business and personal papers I prefer ones by Fermagli Ideale and yes they are made in Milan. One large box can last me for a while since I am the only one that uses them.

Also for grouping papers together either in my office or in my binder, I like X-treme File bands. Right tools matter when you need to organize and even though they tend to cost a little more I get full use out of them and I keep them longer because the kids are not using them.

Now, my much needed zipper pouch is almost ready to be used. I am ready to start adding my next section and updating the information from last year.  This first printable I have for our HMB {Home Management Binder} is an annual date and events page. Don't you find that the dates you need to remember for special occasions seems to grow longer each year? Maybe not every year but sometimes it needs to be updated. Whether I need to buy gifts, plan for a party or just send a card, I like seeing the annual dates at a glance.

When creating this form, I fussed a little bit more over this form than usual. I have shared dramatic stories of my blogger printables and curriculum planner about how I use them for several months before I release them, right? I do this because I do use my forms and I know if they don't work for me then they may not work for you. My original form didn't have a line between the date and the event. It bothered me because it all seemed to run together. I like this one MUCH better because I have a place to write the day and then a slight separation before I write the event. The little things on forms means a lot to me.

Also because you may be new to following my blog, I want to point out a feature that most all of my HMB printables have and that is a place for the date up at the top left corner.

The reason for the date is to help you remember when the last time was that you updated your form. I don't have "YEAR" on this because you may keep it for more than one year. When it's time to update, just print it again. Basically, there is no need to update ALL the time or annually.

Update the forms as you need them. This saves a lot of time for me when I am transferring over all my papers now to my white binder. For example, my budget form for my binder didn't change much since last year, but some dates like an anniversary that I want to remember for some special friends has now been added.

The second tip is that I put my pages in page protectors. It keeps them clean throughout  the year as I use it and it takes less space, I find anyway, than printing on cardstock. Printing on regular paper and using page protectors that we use for school and that I have around the house anyway works for me in my HMB too. Here is the next form for our HMB. Download the printable below.

Download HMB Annual Dates & Events page here.

I love this quote today. It reminds me of how I still love to write things down and still love my lists..

"If you have a goal, write it down. If you do not write it down, you do not have a goal -- you have a wish."

~Steve Maraboli~

Hugs and you know I love ya,

In case you are new or missed it, below are the latest two HMB covers. I only have one cover showing on the Home Management Binder website page but I don't fuss that much over updating the page. I update as I have time because I prefer you get my printables first anyway.

Too, I can't help myself but I have to have lots of color in all my covers and forms. I don't try to "match" my HMB, I just like to blend everything I like.

Download Cover 2 Here.                               Download Front and back of Cover 3 here.

Come on over to A Bowl Full of Lemons - Life Organized and show your support for homeschooling. Leave some love for Toni to thank her for allowing me to guest post on her blog about organizing to homeschool.

Hugs, you know I love ya,