Creating a Family Notebook

There are a handful of must haves in an organized house: the family notebook, family file, family calendar, and house message board. Everyone in the house should know where these are and how they work. In this post Ill talk about the Family Notebook because its the first organization tool I used as a new mother three years ago.

The Family Notebook stores all the information you may need to reference in running your household. Under the Categories of this blog (on the right), youll see a Family Notebook category. This will take you to all of the printables that I include in the notebook.

Because you can find the details of the individual sections elsewhere on this website, this post will simply give an overview of putting the Family Notebook together. ll describe the tabs that I use in my notebook but of course you should alter it for what works best for you. I use five tabs: Family Foundation, Master Schedules, Meal Planning, Event Planning, and Reference.

Family Foundation: This section provides a framework for how you want your family and house to function

  • Mission Statement
  • Family Rules
  • Reward Charts

Master Schedules: This is probably the section I use the most often. Its the tool that allows me to juggle all the demands of running a household. It keeps track of everything you need to do routinely.

  • Daily
  • Weekly
  • Monthly
  • Annual Reminders

Meal Planner: This tab will help you plan your familyвs meals, and simplifies grocery shopping.

  • Monthly meal calendar
  • Reusable grocery list
  • Meals list

Upcoming Events: This tab serves as a reference for preparing for events such as hosting parties, surviving the holidays, hosting guests, and traveling.

  • Travel packing list
  • Event Planning Checklist (parties)
  • Overnight guest preparation list
  • Holiday checklist
  • Information for Baby-Sitters
  • Information for Housesitters

Reference: This is all information, lists, and details that I like to keep handy.

  • Date Night Ideas
  • Activities to do with Kids