The Home Mgt Journal Project

    I have been working on my Home Management Journal for some months now. Actually I have been working on several of them - for myself and dear friends. This is hardly an original idea. A few moments on the web will net a number of hits to these binders. I thought it might be helpful to articulate what I loved and what I really didn't love about the whole concept. Why would a woman who professes disdain for running a home like a factory even entertain the idea much less spend months creating one? Well here goes....

   It all started last summer when I saw a similar binder online. I was intrigued, as I usually am, by super-organized women and their methods. The reason I was intrigued was not to turn my home into a bells-on-the-hour, finely tuned machine however.  Initially the motivation was a bit morbid. It occurred to me that if something tragic happened to me there was really noone on the planet who could easily jump in and take my place. Granted there is probably no 'easy' way to do that in a large family, but still, I realized I was storing a LOT of information in my head.  If I went, it was all going with me.  Twenty years of trial and error, of tweaking techniques, of who needed vitamins, of what size the kids were, of how-to-run-this-place. 

    It also occurred to me that while dying is not a common thing for me <g> it DOES happen that my husband or children need to step in and help for varying amounts of time when I am down for the count due to pregnancy complications, postpartum, a child's surgery, or some unforeseen excitement around here. Even when I am right here there was always some question about when a job was really finished or how to do a task properly or what was expected from school each day. Having all that written out would seem to eliminate a lot of stress on everyone's part. No more surprises or misunderstandings about expectations.

   I bounced the ideas off of Jen and Elizabeth and we all realized these were very real issues in our homes. While you might be able to wing it with a couple children and a fairly static schedule you can forget smooth sailing if you have a full house and a deployed dad or a pregnant mom or a child with health issues - or how about several of those things! We needed to spell out how things were done and when they should be done. We also realized that we had children who might not have just absorbed by osmosis all the homemaking knowledge that had taken us the better part of two decades to accumulate. It wasn't that they weren't awesome kids. But, they did not have the benefit of the years of experience we did. It would be so nice to have a place to share with them what actually worked and what we valued. It would be nice to be able to pass it on.

   So the project began. I had a few priorities for the journal. First it had to be practical. Volumes of papers weren't likely to be waded through. Only the most useful everyday info was going in here. Second, it had to be pretty.  REALLY pretty. It's all visual for me. True confession - I just can't stand the business like forms for housekeeping and menus etc readily available online. They looked sterile and generic to me. If I used those there was a very real possibility that this binder would end up like many of my day-planners - a necessary evil I looked at as rarely as possible. To prevent that from happening I decided to make scrapbook style dividers and covers and to search the net for the nicest clip art to illustrate the pages. While the binder was my nod to the need for order and structure, the look of it was my statement about resisting the institutionalizing of education and the home.

   Since I was making one for myself I figured I would make multiples and share with my friends. Each of us got a theme.  Mine is Vintage. Jen's was more Country Floral (see pics left).  Elizabeth chose Susan Branch since her daughter Mary Beth loved her graphics.(I will link to Elizabeth's as soon as she has the pics uploaded) The same fonts (different for each of us) are used throughout on all the forms to lend visual continuity.  The end result was some binders we could all live with and use daily with a smile. I have been using mine for some time now and feel comfortable sharing the repro's if they are of help to other women. I am going to begin uploading today but will likely need to break up the posts over the next several days due to time constraints. I hope to put the downloads on the sidebar as soon as possible also so they are easy to access.

   Meantime - you can download (for personal use only please) the Download vintage_binder_dividers.doc in Word documents. You can also download the divider labels in ovals if you prefer Download mcd_dividers.doc . The label sizes are ready to go for index labels. I glued a bit of glue stick to the backs to make them stick in the clear label holders. The filler pages, which will be posted shortly, are all in Word Fonts so they should be viewable and printable on any pc. Though mine are in Victorian fonts you may want something different. You can highlight the document and change to a different font easily. The clipart is from all over. It cannot be used for resale.

    I will send the first section's filler pages and lists - Housekeeping - in the next post.  Enjoy!

Comments

[Cici]

Kim - these are truly lovely! And thank you so much for sharing the forms with all of us.

[Louise]

Thank you sooooo much! This is just what I needed to get me started and so beautiful... it’s perfect! I can hardly wait for your other posts.

[Cheryl]

Kim, I'm amazed at how motivated you are. I don't think your reasoning is a morbid at all. It's practical. My dh has plans to videotape himself instructing me on what to do with his business if he should pass away. If I ever needed it, it would certainly be a gift. I look forward to seeing the rest of your binder. Thanks for sharing it online. I'm sure it will be helpful to many.

[Cay]

Simply Awe-inspiring. :)
You are handing us such a beautifully crafted gift, Kim.
Thank you.

[Amy]

Oooo binders! So beautiful and inspiring! Looking forward to more downloads. :)

[Genevieve]

Oh this is perfect! I've been thinking of putting one together and slowing adding to it as time passes by. Looking forward to more!

[Dawn]

Kim, these are fabulous!! I am so excited to see and learn more about your system. You have inspired me to spruce mine up, too!

[Rebecca B.]

You know, I sat up late last night, early this morning because I was so DARN excited about revamping my home control journal after reading this post! I have used it for years and despise it, not so much the system (although that could use a little tweaking also). It is an ugly plastic three ring binder in the best color I could find at the time. I cannot WAIT to make it pretty and fresh!

[Rebecca B.]

You know, I sat up late last night, early this morning because I was so DARN excited about revamping my home control journal after reading this post! I have used it for years and despise it, not so much the system (although that could use a little tweaking also). It is an ugly plastic three ring binder in the best color I could find at the time. I cannot WAIT to make it pretty and fresh!

[Charlotte]

I guess I am new to the idea of a Home Management Journal,(this is the first I have ever heard of one) but very intrigued. Could you please work some specific information into your posts about how to create one from the ground up (and also how to make it look pretty!). Thanks!

[Jen]

As the recipient of one of these lovely and practical binders, just had to stop by and say how wonderfully beautiful they are! I so appreciate all the work that went into mine. :)

[Christina]

Kim,
Thank you so much for posting this. I was toying with the idea of making one up, but since Tuesday of last week I've decided it's HIGH time to start this binder. We found out last week we're expecting TWINS and I'm 20 weeks already! I also have 4 and 2 year old boys- so, anything to help my family run the home in case of bedrest or the sheer insanity of having 2 newborns at a time will be helpful!
thanks so much!
Christina

[Kaci]

Thanks! Your book is beautiful. Where did you get the lovely antique pictures?