Busy.... simplified

One thing that happens to me on a regular basis is that I make something and then decide I don't like it or that it needs to change to fit my needs.  You may remember my post on the chore charts I created for the kids HERE.  Well, at first, these were great and worked exactly like I had hoped.  But then, school started and schedules got more complex and I needed more.  So, I took some pretty scrapbook paper, my hot glue gun and some ribbon and got busy. This is what I came up with:

You will notice, that now, each child has a weekly dry erase calendar.  My family calendar is swamped with things and this way I can keep Dad straight with who needs what during the school week as well as keep up with all the random things H needs for school.  I also have a small spot for a photo of each child (currently substituted with a random picture) next to their names.  Below their names is a magnetic 8.5 x 11 area to clip worksheets for school or important reminders.  At the bottom is their chore chart right within their reach.  For the lettering, again I used stickers, and I trimmed the separate areas with ribbon to give the charts a clean look.

Little bit here, little bit there....

I promise I haven't been a lazy bum!  It's just that damn wainscoting!  If J would just finish that wainscoting than I could zoom through this house painting the final rooms!  Okay, maybe J and maybe the heat too.  I have had a few projects finished that I realized I never posted.  So here they are...
My Mudroom
In an earlier post, I showed you how I made chore charts for the kiddos.  Chore charts weren't enough... I run a very tight shift and I needed a command center!  SO... I turned an entire wall in my mudroom into a sophisticated and organized command central.  It consists of the kids' chore charts, a mail area, dry erase board, calendar and pictures of my favorite people... my family!

The calendar is something I made using nothing more than and old picture, permanent marker and stickers.  All I did was draw out a 5x7 grid on the back of a piece of glass with a ruler and permanent marker.  Then, I flipped it over and used the permanent marker to draw in the dates and important events on a few dates.  On the large piece of paper that came with the frame, I attached stickers to serve as the dates and teh word "Month".  I was going to use pretty fabric but didn't want the calendar to be so busy that I was unable to read what I had written.  Eventually, I'll go with a very pale gray to coordinate with the paint we use on the walls.  But for now, it works just fine.  For everything else, I just use dry erase markers to cross off the days and write other events on the calendar.  The reason I used permanent marker on the numbers was so that I could erase whatever I had written in dry erase and not have to worry about wiping off the days of the week.  When a new moth comes, I just put a little rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball and wipe the calendar clean.  FYI... rubbing alcohol is what you use anytime permanent marker finds itself on something it shouldn't!