Olive Knolls MOPS: Back 2 School organization, not just for the kids

For those of you with kids in school, here is a tutorial I found while browsing over at:

My Computer is My Canvas

that might be useful for getting us Mommies organized for School.

Here's her instructions.

Go visit her page to download the cover and see all the great ideas she has!

(Photos by: My Computer is My Canvas)

Back to School Binder: Mommy Edition

"My 4 kiddos head back to school in a few weeks and to stay on top of it all, I have to be super organized! It's so stressful to search for lost permission slips, elusive school calendars, disappearing project outlines and diorama instructions! And even worse... to be doing that at midnight or worse, when you should be walking out the door to catch the bus! Don't miss the boat on something important and it's easy to organized if you have a system. My secret to keeping my crazy life and schedule in check is my ..."

Back 2 School Binder

MOMMY'S HOMEWORK EDITION

Inside, I have the school's annual calendar in my front sleeve...

You'll be amazed at how often you refer to it!

Inside I have a clear-view file labeled for each kiddo... via my trusty old friend, Mr. Label Maker (a must have for any organized mama). In these folders... I only keep *important* stuff! Only things I'll need to refer to later... like classroom policies, schedules, grading matrix, project guidelines, book report schedules, lunch account deposit slips... you get the idea. Don't clutter this book with the "work" and "art" you kids bring home - there are other places to store those treasures. THIS binder is MOMMY HOMEWORK only... stuff you need to stay on top of, stuff you need to sign, stuff you need to remember, stuff you KNOW you'll be looking for later! :)

At our house... immediately after the kids get home we do a "Backpack Check". They get ALL of their papers from the day out and while they are winding down with a quick snack, I go through everything and sort it. I usually end up with a pile of papers for recycling, a treasure or two for keeps... and things that need to go IMMEDIATELY into my Mommy Homework Binder. That's the stuff that keeps the wheels running smoothly and I'm never stressfully *SEARCHING* for the important stuff.

Lastly... don't forget to label a folder for yourself! If you volunteer to help in your school's parent organization or are a classroom helper... you'll have papers to keep track of too! :)