The Young'ns

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Monday, January 10, 2011

I got my new brain book all done last Friday, hooray! I can’t tell you how many things I wanted to write down in a safe place last week and had nowhere to do so. Several people have expressed interest in my files, etc, so here goes.
What is a brain book?
My brain book is all the daily/weekly/monthly information that I would otherwise either attempt to store in my head or write down on a scrap of paper and then proceed to lose the paper. They’re called many things by many people: household notebook, daily planner, etc. I call it my brain because that’s what I think of it as. With this bad boy, I don’t have to remember all that stuff, I have a safe place to keep it all. I use it to “brain dump” before I go to bed, too, so that all that stuff I’m supposed to do tomorrow doesn’t keep me from sleeping (as it has in the past)
That’s great, but what kind of things are actually in your brain book??
Of course, mine is tailored exactly to me. This is the second one that I’ve put together in this format, and I *love* it! I got this idea from Life As Mom about 6 months ago, so I used quite a bit from her site. I even purchased her Organizing Life As MOM e-book so that I wouldn’t have to recreate everything she’s already done. She also has some other great free printables that I’ve used here and here. I did create several sheets that are exactly what I wanted, but you don’t have to if that’s what’s stopping you from having some type of book. Part of the reason I ended up doing that is because I wanted mine to be 5 1/2” by 8 1/2” (which is 1/2 a sheet of paper, not a whole one) so that it would fit in my purse instead of always getting left behind. Also, this one that I just made covers 6 months because more than that is too much and less than that is too much work to make a new one.
Okay, the nitty-gritty
Here’s the sections I have in my current brain book:

To Do:
This is my daily to do list. I printed enough to use about one every other or every 3rd day. I really only need one on a day that’s not the normal routine of things, like when I have errands to run or other things going on. You could also just laminate one and wipe it off every day, which I might try in July.
Bubble Planner

Back to the list
Calendar:
The calendar section actually has the most parts to it. First, I have a weekly calendar on the left side and a household chores/weekly to do on the right side. After the weeklies, I have monthly calendars because sometimes it’s nice to have it all laid out like that. I don’t have much on there, but you could put in birthdays, holidays, etc. I put all that stuff on my weekly calendar since I’m going to be looking at the weekly a lot more often. At the end of this section, I also have a year-at-a-glance, mostly for things that occur after June that I don’t have a calendar for in this book.
I got the monthly calendars from Organizing Life As MOM e-book. She already had them set up as two pages per month, and in the e-book, they’re fill-ins, so I *could* put info in them if I wanted to before printing.
2011 Weekly Calendar Part 1

2011 Calendar

Back to the list
Errands:
My friend and I came up with this one. It’s just a basic list for when you know you will be going to a store, but not necessarily right away. Simply has the date you think you’ll be going (or are planning to go) and the name of the store, then a place for your list. I hate getting to a store and forgetting half my list because I didn’t write it down or because it was two weeks ago when I thought of something I needed to get there.
Errands

Back to the list
$$$:
I’m not always good at writing down my spending when I get home. We have a big white board on the wall in the stairwell for our expenses, but after I go to the store, I usually forget. So, since this will be going everywhere with me, maybe this will work! Again, we went for simplicity. Date, name of store, description of purchase, and amount.
Monthly Expenses

Back to the list
Shopping:
Obviously, mystery shopping is something that is specific to a very few people. BUT it’s something that I must keep track of, so I put it in here. I also took a manila envelope and cut it down to size to keep my receipts in it. If you want my tracking sheets for some reason, let me know and I’ll send them to you.
Back to the list
SVCC Preschool:
Another section very specific to me. I coordinate the preschool room at our church for Sunday school, so I needed a small place to keep track of my volunteers and any action items I have for the classroom.
Back to the list
Blog:
I like to have a plan. I don’t always follow the plan, but if I didn’t have one, then I wouldn’t do anything at all! Besides “the plan” I also have a few to do lists and a few pieces of lined paper (they’re at the end of this post).
Blog Schedule

Back to the list
Food:
Another section with several parts. I started out with a weekly menu plan as I’ve been doing for Menu Plan Monday. On the back of that, I have meal ideas that fit within each of my categories. Then I have two pages for recipes to try. I like finding new recipes, but I hate it when I lose them or forget all about them. Next, I have a grocery list that I’ve broken into 9 categories that relate to how my grocery store is organized. Last I have my master Costco list. We go to Costco about every 6 weeks because the closest one is an hour away, so when I run out of something or know I need to get it next time, I’ll just add it to the list.
What's for Dinner

Meal Ideas

Grocery List

Back to the list
Paper:
The last section just has lined paper and blank to do lists. You never know when you might just need a piece of paper :)
Lined Paper

To Do List

Back to the list
So that’s it! I printed it all out (which takes some thinking to get it all double sided the way I want) and took it to OfficeMax to have them bind it. I had them put a clear cover on it too, but I made the *fancy* cover with a few pieces of scrapbook paper :) The binding was only $3.50, and the paper was free for me since I have a ton and I have a laser printer now too. Pretty neat, eh??
If you really want one, but putting together your own seems terribly overwhelming, I would be happy to help! I can put together a custom one for you for $15. Also, I’m happy to share my publisher files (that’s how I do most of them), just email me at theyoungns at gmail.com.
Off to make some more to do lists! ;-)
~S

Book Review – Oh, My Boring Toes! by Jasmin S. Latty

From the publisher:

What do you do when it’s too rainy and muddy to go outside and play? It was a sad, rainy day on Daisy Lane, and CeCe didn’t know what to do. As she stared out the window, she noticed her feet and thought it might be fun to decorate her toes with nail polish. But when she spilled it all over her feet and the floor, it ruined her decorations. What now? CeCe asked her baby sister and her mother, but will she find a way to make her toes beautiful again and pass the rainy day? Read Oh, My Boring Toes! by Jasmin S. Latty to find out.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jasmin S. Latty seeks to write a story that bored young minds around the world will enjoy reading and revisiting over and over again. Currently a freshman at Yonkers High School in Yonkers, New York, Jasmin plans to become a neurologist. In her spare time, she enjoys drawing and writing books, short stories, and plays. Oh, My Boring Toes! is her first published book.
(2005, saddlewire, 18 pages)

This is a cute book with a rhyming flow to it. My 4-year-old really likes it too. The pictures are fun and match with the style of the book very well. The flow of the book could be a little smoother, some of the pages are tough to figure out the cadence to make the rhymes work. But, once you get it, it works. The story is very simple and does not entirely make sense if you try to reason it out, but for the target audience of younger kids, it’s just fine. I think for a first time author, especially a freshman in high school, this is a good first try. I’ll be interested to see if she publishes anything that’s a little more polished in the future.

I received a complimentary copy of Oh, My Boring Toes! as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. All opinions are my own. Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team.

Muffin Tin Monday – Muffin Cups & Liners

Muffin Tin Monday at Her Cup Overfloweth

The theme for Muffin Tin Monday today is muffin cups and liners, meaning use only muffin cups and/or liners. I had extra kiddos for the morning and, as usual, didn’t plan ahead for this one. SO, here’s what I came up with:

Peas, Quesadilla (which didn’t really fit in the muffin cup, oh well), Apple Slices, Chicken Nuggets, and of course, Katsup (can’t have chicken nuggets without katsup!). I also ended up adding another of sour cream for the quesadilla, but it was devoured before I could get a picture.

All enjoying their lunch

Menu Plan Monday – January 10th

I have a recipe index, just for recipes that you can find on my blog. You can also get to it by going to the food tab above.

Here's the plan for this week:
Mix-it up Monday (something new) ~ Greek Chicken Lemon Soup with Orzo (not new, but very tasty)
Taco Tuesday (Mexican or Oriental) ~ Orange Chicken Stir Fry
Wow Wednesday (Date night or something like restaurant food) ~ Pappardelle with Snap Peas for my dad’s birthday. Also trying to come up with a tasty dessert that’s not cake, any ideas?
Simple Thursday (Crockpot or less than 30 min prep)~ Crockpot Potato Soup
Favorite Friday (A family favorite) ~ Shepherd’s Pie
Lazy Saturday (leftover buffet) ~ Chinese New Year’s-Themed dinner with my family
Saucy Sunday (Italian) ~ Spaghetti and Meat Sauce (0r leftovers, we’ll see how things go)

I also would like to get better about cooking interesting things for the kids, especially for lunch. I get a little tired of preparing the same 4 meals, and I would guess they get tired of eating them. Kahlen is pretty picky, though, and Nate is impatient, so it’s a little tough. What do your littles like to eat?

Come visit me for Tasty Tuesday for some more deliciousness.
So, what are you having for dinner this week?
Link up at Menu Plan Monday over at I'm an Organizing Junkie or leave me a comment!
~S