Making Your Own DIY Day Planner! Tons of Free Tutorials & Printables!

A good planner is one that you enjoy and suits your needs.  Need a section for homeschool?  How about a blog post section to keep track of you ideas for future posts and schedule them out, as well as all the regular weekly and monthly calendar sections.  I am putting my own together and thought you might enjoy making use of all these free printables I am finding to put it together with.  Adding in fun things like smaller tear out shopping lists, pretty scrap book paper, envelope or pocket pages etc.. add in what you can't just go buy at walmart.  Make it yours!


A variety of great homeschool planners can be found at this roundup of free homeschool planners here at re we there yet?


The homeschool one I used is a simplified planner with just the daily schedule, goals, a list for attendance and list for books read, and curriculum.  It doesn't include a daily sheet for planning each day of work.  I am using the regular week planner for that.

I love these free 2012, and 2013 printable calendar fromCreative Mama This would make a really cute monthly calendar planner or scale it down to fit in your smaller day planner between your weekly pages.


For  the weekly pages I like this printable from Sofia's World


I also love the simplicity and size of this simple free printable weekly planner by Anderson Family Crew.


This great year at a glance calendar covering 2012 and 2013 is from a blog planner by Homeschool Creations and it is page 2 if that is all you want to print from it.


I love this blog post planner another free printable by Confessions of a Homeschooler!  SO CUTE.

I have included a list of links to cute  menu planners if you want to include those as well here at Pinterest.

Once you print out the sheets you want to include you can add random pieces of scrapbook paper for notes and cuteness factor, pocket pages, dividers, and anything else you want.  Then you can take it to your local office supply store to have it bound (only $1 here for comb bound!).  Some people make their own cover from cardboard covered in scrap book paper or use a vinyl cover. You also have the option of just using a 3 ring binder or punching holes and using ring clips.

Here are two blogs who did a great job making their own.  I have included them so you can get any inspired ideas from them.


Here is one from Apple Head Threads. I love this detailed explanation on how she made hers and what she included.


Here is another crafty planner from Craftee that has great ideas for the dividers!


Check out this cute small planner with tutorial from ahhh-design


She also has a great tutorial for binding it yourself HERE!
Have fun and be sure to let me know how yours turns out or if you found any great free printables to add!

Taking back the basement!

It's on!  I am in the throes taking back my basement and craft closet from heaps of unorganized stuff that has claimed residence.  In a 1200 square foot house that is home to 6 people (4 of whom are under 7) every inch counts!  There are toys, storage totes, art supplies, homeschool materials, craft supplies, not to mention the mountains of unorganized fabric that has been unceremoniously dumped in to totes in a weak effort at organization, all wreaking havoc in my precious basement square footage.  Well... NO MORE!

I have plans for that precious real estate!  There is a great open area for the kids (unfinished but great in that it exists :) ), a storage area, and a wonderful walk in craft closet.  Again I use the word wonderful loosely.  Wonderful to me because it is there and I see a great future for it!

So while you may think I am lazily eating bon bons avoiding blogging I am in actuality doing battle with my basement!  I have spent hours and hours since Friday attacking the mountains of clutter, folding and refolding yardages of fabric, unboxing and repacking storage items in labeled totes, filling bags of trash, thrift store donations and even food bank boxes of food from the pantry that would be more likely to get used elsewhere.  I have taken some before photos.  Actually, they are photos taken midway through the demucking process that are horrifying and embarrassing.  I DARE NOT POST THEM TILL A BEAUTIFUL "AFTER" PHOTO FOLLOWS!!

However, I thought I would pass on some inspiring photos of basement or craft space make overs that might just help you take the plunge needed to get your overrun space back, and help me in my search for basement greatness!

This amazing basement was designed and created by Candice Olson from HGTV's Divine Design
I have no delusions that my basement will EVER look like this however in case anyone else out there has the money and time necessary to make this happen.. BE INSPIRED!

This beauty is from finehomebuilding.com. BEAUTIFUL!  I love this color and have it as an accent wall surrounding our fireplace upstairs.

I have kids though so I am looking for a basement that is a homeschool room, supremely organized craft closet, play room and crafty space for sewing and creating all in one!  I know that is a tall order, but it could happen!

This beautiful functional homeschool area from The Heartfelt Home (although not a basement) is great inspiration for what I want in a schoolroom area.

Last year for Christmas I talked my husband in to creating this crafty area for the kids on an almost nonexistent budget , but am hoping to add to it and really create a great workable area for homeschooling.

My instructions for how to create this DIY art station are HERE.  I am thinking thought that after looking at the above photo of the homeschool space with cupboards above that I would like to add two simple cupboards above each side and a shelf in between them that can be filled with our overload of books and curriculum.  I could dream up all kinds of things here but I am working with a realistic very very limited budget.  If I want to have any hope of talking the husband into it it has to be limited work and very inexpensive.

Now as far as my crafty sewing area goes I would love something like this... (from Sew Many ways)

or this.. (from one little word)

Reality dictates a slightly smaller and less expensive dream like this sewing armoire from BHG

Love how they utilized the vertical and door space!
I had better call it quits and head to bed since it is almost one in the morning! I need to have the energy to homeschool, be mom to 4 little ones plus the 2 year old we babysit, and find time to get on with the basement project while they nap.  Let me know about your homeschool or craft space make over.  We would love to see your photos!

housekeeping - simplified

The theme of this last week has been on getting organized in the home in a doable way so that even the busiest of us can manage it. I gave you the clean heart, clean home challenge, and I have posted on the 15 minute a day method to methodically overhaul all your hidden spaces (closets,drawers,etc...)and now I want to look at the idea of a simple schedule you can memorize. I have successfully used this method in the past and it really helps you stay on top of all the details it is easy to overlook. The idea is to take a look at things you want to get done and seperate them into days of the week. For example here is a look at the schedule I have used and find helpful. Monday - Meal plan Grocerie list Coupon gathering Tuesday - Run errands Grocerie shop Wednesday Clean bathrooms in detail Vaccume Thursday - Kitchen (Wipe down cabinets & any appliances, etc....) Friday - Clean out frige Clean out car Clean out purse The idea is that you add in frequently overlooked chores on a weekly basis so that they get done and with minor upkeep. Believe me if you a stay on top of the frige it becomes an easy chore opposed to a difficult time consuming chore you dread! An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! What are your tricks? I love hearing from you all in the comments!

15 minutes a day to a more organized home!

The new year is here and most of us would love to start out the year organized, but that cannot usually be accomplished in one fell swoop.  I did spend the week de cluttering and ended up donating 2 VAN LOADS of stuff!!!  But can I say all my cupboards are spic and span and every drawer is perfectly organized?  NO unfortunately! So as I mentioned in my last post I am going to do the "Clean home clean heart challenge".  I plan on staring on Monday, but in the meantime I will be using my old standby 15 minute trick.  You start at the front door and find the closest cupboard or closet to that door and spend 15 minutes a day organizing and cleaning out that space.  You continue every day until that space is organized and then you move clockwise around the house hitting every cupboard, messy spot, drawer, and closet till your whole whole house has been hit.  Then you start over.  You are also less apt to leave little messes when you know you are going to have to spend  your 15 minutes a day redoing what you just did.

I will be spending the next four weeks blogging about organization and planning for your home, your finances, your health and fitness!  Staring a new year is a great time for a fresh start.  A chance to believe that this WILL be the year your home, finances, and health become priorities that get planned into the schedule!  Let me know if you are doing the 52 day "Clean home, Clean Heart Challenge"!

The New Year is here, so let's get organized!!!

If you read my earlier posts you know that I am really trying to "clean up" my act when it comes to home clutter.  I am still in the process of a SERIOUS home weeding and have taken over 7 LARGE black trash bags  to the thrift store this week.  With home school and 4 kiddos (ages 1-7) plus babysitting I need to have my ducks in a row to stay on top of homeschool, meals and housekeeping.

I want to go into the new year with a good schedule, a cleaned out house, a plan for healthy eating and my finances in order.  So to keep me motivated and on track I plan to blog on each of these subjects (scheduling, housekeeping plan, healthy eating planning and financial planning )each week this month.  I will slot in the healthy recipes, crafty stuff, and homeschool  helps of course too ,but I want to make sure I get a good chunk of freebies, helps, tips and ideas posted in each of these categories so we can get the new year off to a good start together!

As I was thinking about a good plan to get my housekeeping on track I was reading a blog called On The Old Path and ran across this AMAZING FREE (love those words together!!!) Clean Heart, Clean Home Challenge !  It is a printable organizer for a 52 day challenge that helps get our hearts and homes in order.  I just printed all 85 pages out and it looks awesome.  It includes 8 weekly devotionals as well as calendars, chore charts and meal planning sheets.  So if you are wanting to get organized this year but your good intentions seem to stay simply good intentions head over and print off your Clean Heart, Clean Home Challenge Planner and let's get started!  I plan on starting next week so that gives you a few days to print it all out, get familiar with it and get your supplies in order.  Why not grab a friend to do it with you?  The accountability and camaraderie can only be helpful.   Let me know if you are on board.

Need to save some cash? Homemade gifts and online secrets for saving!

 Last year for Christmas I was totally set on a homemade Christmas.  I sewed and I crafted and I sewed and I crafted.  I worked till after midnight many nights and missed all the family movie nights while I holed up with my sewing machine and worked away.  I made photo calendars, music cds, aprons, dolls, hot bags (microwave rice bags in the shape of animals), purse hanging strip, hats, purses, mittens, purse organizers, a loft bed and crafty art station for the kids and all manner of crafty stuff!  I involved my husband in the creation of the art station and loft bed having him complete the carpentry aspect.  I just designed and dreamed them up.  So after an exhausting pre Christmas I came up with all these things..

Kids art station

My husband built the table and mounted the shelves.  

I created the rest and used washed out tin cans with clean edges wrapped in scrap book paper to create customizable art supplies holders.  My original plan and one I still plan on doing is to add strong magnets to the back of the cans and mount a strip of metal for them to attach to.  I also used baby food jars to fill with beads, and foam letters as well as lining up other supplies on the shelf.  I made the name plaques over their stations using a simple wooden plaque and adhering scrap book paper cut to size and individual letters to spell their names with spray adhesive.  The kids LOVE IT!  The best part is that this gift will give us years of use and is not just another plastic toy that ends up destroyed or outgrown in a few months.

Reversible Apron

Reversible apron (look at my right hand to see the other side of the apron).  My mom and I made up this pattern but similar patterns are available on etsy if you need a pattern .  I gave this to my sister and wish I had made one for myself!  It came out great.


Simple Cloth Dolls
The "black apple" doll came from a free pattern off Martha Stewart Living.  I made two of these, one for each of my daughters.  They turned out so so cute!  It was a very easy pattern as well.

This photo is from their website as I forgot in the midst of Christmas morning madness to take a photo of the two I made.


Customizable Purse Organizer

This is a great gift idea for anyone you know who has multiple purses and needs a great way to store them.  It is also very easy to do.  Instructions for the customizable purse organizer found here on my blog.

Loft Bed

My son went crazy over his new loft bed and we loved the amount of space it left for playing! We had been given a platform bed so my husband simply added a railing that he stained to match it and chain attachment before screwing it to the wall.  Then he built a ladder for the back side.  The ladder isn't in the photo because it was in the garage drying after it's stain job.

Ok so now you have some original crafty gift ideas, but if you are like me this year and are hoping to save some TIME as well as money I have another idea for you this Christmas.  EBATES! Click here to go straight to the site to start shopping from places already on your list.  You get HUGE cash back rebates from stores like walmart.com. kmart.com sears.com and TONS of others!  I just used it yesterday to purchase a tablet that I have been deal hunting for and saved $40!  Right now for Cyber Monday 2 also known as "Green Monday" most stores are offering DOUBLE cash back rebates and some CRAZY deals!  I got 10% back at Sears (good even on their Cyber Monday 2 deals) and saw that some stores were offering 30% cash back!  If you are headed to walmart anyway for stocking stuffers how about skipping the long lines and buying online at Walmart.com through EBATES and getting 6% cash back and saving on tax at the same time.  That is my plan.

How do you save money and time during the season?

Getting things done in bite size chunks!

Man I don't know about you but I am running at full speed right now with 4 kiddos and lots of summer fun to be had, kids classes, the park etc... Sometimes it seems like I will never get it all done.  By "it" I mean laundry, dishes, yard work, organizing, house rehab projects, menu planning, freezer cooking, and tackling that garage full of stuff that has been there since we moved in Oct!  It is easier to head to the park and leave it all behind.  the only problem is that when we get back it is still there waiting for me.  No the organization fairy that I dream of has still not shown her lovely face, and although I have managed to barely stay on top of the laundry and dishes the projects are all still waiting.  The thing is that I actually WANT to get these things done, but it just seems hard to find the time.

Cruz's birthday party (one more important thing to do!)

So the other night we ended up watching a weight loss transformation program.  Similar to the "Biggest Looser" but just based on one individual.  It was inspiring watching him struggle with his motivation and then push through.  We saw him loose weight at the beginning and then go back to lazy eating habits and sluggish work outs.  In the end however he turned it up a notch got his head in the game and made his goal one day at a time.  One decision at a time.

Then it struck me!  That approach will work the same with any goal that seems overwhelming and out of reach.  Bite size pieces!  My new goals are not to complete it all by the end of the summer, but to accomplish something at the daily level in attainable chunks.  For instance... I will spend 30 min every day organizing something in the kids rooms.  I will take the timer and just see what I can get accomplished.  I don't need to wait till I have a whole day to tackle something anymore.  Little by little the goal will be reached if I can just maintain the same mindset used in weight loss of staying consistent and motivated breaking everything down to smaller goals.

So I better get off the computer and get to work!  Let me know how you plan on applying these principals. Good luck to you and I will check back later in a few weeks and let you know how it is going for me.