A Household Notebook

For many years, even before I was homeschooling, I have had a yearly notebook for my household. Since we started homeschooling, I have combined the household and school notebooks. I highly recommend building your own Household/School Notebook. It can save you loads of time and stress throughout the year. If you include page dividers with pockets, you can keep receipts and all kinds of papers all together where you can find them.

A Household Notebook can be as simple or elaborate and all-encompassing as you like. I include a calendar, an emergency number list, a shopping list including a weekly running grocery list and a list of important phone numbers. some people like to include financial planning, bills and insurance information in their household notebook.

For the School Notebook I include the calendar, class schedules, lesson plans, library book lists so we won’t forget what we have brought home and when it is due, a Curriculum Key, Reading lists and Chore Lists.

Here are a few pictures of my Household Notebook. I am using the same art work my daughters did last year until they decide on their theme for this year.

The Emergency Numbers Title Page and the Emergency Numbers page.

This is one of the dividers with pockets. I keep at least one with each section of the Notebook.

The Daily Schedule Title Page and each child’s Daily Schedule.

The next section is Shopping Lists. I printed off forms from DonnaYoung.org for shopping.

The Menu Plans section includes plans for lunches as well as as family meals. Again I used Donna Young.org to get forms that I like for planning meals.

The Chores Title Page and the Chores List. Each child has his and her own list.

More forms/lists that I use (explained below).

Library List – we have a way of forgetting how many books we have checked out from the library. This list helps us remember what we have and when it is due. We sometimes use our Public Library’s online system as well.

Reading List – each child has a list of books that he/she is required to read each year. We keep this simple list and check off what is read and when.

A Curriculum Key – this is handy for me.  I write down the names of the books the children use in school and an abbreviation for each book’s name.  Then when I plan I can use the abbreviation instead of writing the name out.  Very handy especially when you are talking about books with titles like The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales = OX

Do you make a Household/School Notebook?  Would you share here?