one more week

School starts for us in one more week.  Where did the summer go?  I still want more time with my boys to just hang out and enjoy some carefree days (yet I admit I'm ready for them to go back at the same time).

The boys just got back from my parents' house, so after we ate dinner we spent the rest of the evening on the patio, playing games and cooling off in the water.  I was really tired but still wanted it to just last a little longer.  Our last Sunday night together before the chaos of fall begins. 

Over the past few weeks I've also gotten the bug to get organized for back-to-school.  It hit me like a train last year and it was all down hill from there, so I'm determined to be ready when it happens this year.  Brian and I worked on a few projects this weekend and there are more in the works for the coming days and weeks, but I thought I'd share what we've done.


This is where everything gets dumped when we walk in the door and I create piles of papers to deal with "later".  I'm determined to have a better system this year.  So here's the before......

and this is the "after"

 This is now the "action" basket I guess.  Every paper should fit into one of these file categories temporarily and then find a permanent home each week.  The categories are:  office, respond, discuss, bank/errands, file, Elliott, Ethan.  Then the white expanding file in front is for any coupons that we get and want to keep.  They are organized by the month they expire.  I used to organize by category (restaurant, grocery, places to go, etc.) but I'm trying this because the coupons would always expire before I remembered I had them.  Plus it makes it faster to purge what isn't useful anymore.

Then behind the basket is this...

My attempt to keep essential information in one spot where everyone knows where it is.  It's pretty empty right now, but it has page protectors ready for papers and tabbed dividers all ready to go.  It does already have some school information in it (current newsletter, layout of school, dismissal procedures, etc.)  I'm planning to put the kids' school schedules in there once we get them this week and any other school papers we need to access.  Right now the tabbed sections are schedules, school, cleaning, medical, emergency info.  Very excited to see if this is helpful this year.

Okay, time for bed.  Have a great day!