Chocolate Vegetables

I was asked the other day if I had any advice for new mums seeing as I have been breastfeeding for over 9 years and have tandem fed during that time also.  I have obviously birthed 3 babies and have almost toilet trained 3 children.

My advice:  I don't have much to give as I have found that each child is different and each time I was a different person so each situation was as if new.  

On a practical level I really couldn't give any advice because I have changed things each time due to personalities and circumstances.  

On an emotional level I have learnt one thing, this whole parenting thing is a roller coaster ride, hang on to your sense of humour and enjoy the ride.  I have tried to not get stuck on any one parenting idea because each time has been different but I have loved my kids with all my heart, gotten better at laughing at the horrible days and try to remember the big picture, that those bad days won't last forever and the big smiles and giggles can last as long as you keep smiling too.

So please realise I only share what has worked for me with each personality so that maybe you,  the reader, will find something worthwhile.

I have binders for all sorts of things.  Medical records, recipes - sweet and savoury, Christmas planning, Household management, School planning, School records, Finances.  Just about anything really.

White binders can get boring and I could never quickly locate a binder so I have started to decorate my binders.  I thought I would be able to use scrapbooking paper as inserts but there really isn't a great range of designs out there, for instance, no food ones that would suit my sweet and savoury recipe binders.  So instead I am using quilting fabrics.  At this stage I just cover the outside of the book then use card on the inside to cover over the cut edges.  It looks neat enough for my liking.  I am wondering about the whole ribbons, buttons, patches idea but I am concerned they will get wrecked with the whole being put on the bookshelf and being pulled out again.

The kids each chose a fabric and I am covering their school binder in that fabric and a small photo album that holds index cards with their daily tasks.  

I am not going to write on each binder as I am the sort of person who can get tired of a certain colour or theme so I am going to just decorate binders with fabrics that appeal at any one time and then swap them around if I get bored.  At least now my shelves will look a lot more colourful.  lol

Here are some places that helped me with covering my binders.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BCsk8jBQB0

http://reviews.ebay.com/How-To-Put-Together-A-Household-Orgainizer_W0QQugidZ10000000001520436?ssPageName=BUYGD:CAT:-1:LISTINGS:3

http://www.geocities.com/beadfettish/projectsjune.html

This last one was a bit over the top for decorations for my tastes but her folding technique for the fabric on the inside corners was very useful.

I have had fun decorating them and it really does help me find the binder I want in my sometimes visually cluttered world.

I first got onto the idea of a home management binder from Flylady and then developed the idea of using binders for just about anything from Cindy Rushton.

I have set my Home binder with the following sections:
 - Calendar (not used often as I now carry a diary although I do have a page of annual events that is good with birthdays for the family and things like carpet cleaning, major bills and dentist check-ups noted),
 - Household routines (which includes my monthly rotation of cleaning duties),
  - Contacts (first page is always emergency contacts and quick reference contacts like the real estate),
 - Finances, and
 - Projects.

Projects is one of my favourite areas.  I have a page for each room in the house and then one for Household projects and one for Personal projects.  For example I have a reading room in this house so on its page I have listed to sort the books into order and paint the bookshelves.  In my bedroom I have to find a side table lamp with a pretty shade, make the top of my dresser pretty, design and build a wardrobe.  It is fun to dream and plan on these pages.  And when I do get a little money for my birthday or Christmas this is often where I go to look for ideas for spending it.

I must admit that it varies in how much I refer to my binder.  For me it can become just another piece of visual clutter but every so often I give it a good clean out and rearrange it to fit my current circumstances.  I use a 38mm 3 ring binder as I find they come out on special each school year for students and I like how the pages sit better in a 3 ring binder than how they tend to fall in a 2 ring binder.

Due to Cindy's influence I also use these binders for school planning, keeping the kids' school work together (at this stage one binder each), favourite recipes, and medical records.  My dh is not a well person and I download information off the net about his condition regularly like insulin resistance and obesity.  We keep copies of all his doctor's referrals in there and his test results too.  I am hoping that over time I can get a better picture of what is going on with his health and we can help him to get better.

And then yesterday I started a new one.  I am printing off the bank statements and writing notes all over them with the pays and the allowances left for various things like clothing and school.  This will help me keep better track of our finances.  My husband just laughed when he saw me pulling out the 3 ring punch and a binder.