Getting Organized: DIY Baby Prep Binder

Now that I'm officially 6 months pregnant, the reality is starting to set in that our sweet baby girl will be here before we know it. 

One thing that has amazed me throughout the last number of months is how many things to keep track of, prepare for, purchase, organize...and that's all before the baby even gets here! I'd be lying if I said that I haven't had moments of panic, of feeling overwhelmed and of, well, sheer terror. All mixed in with sheer happiness, of course.

But!

I find that the more I organize, the more I read and the more I slowly cross things off of my to-do list, the better I feel. I think there's a reason why women are pregnant for 10 months...so that there's plenty of time to get everything done! Slow and steady wins the race if you ask me.

Over the first few months of my pregnancy, I had paperwork, sonogram photos, doctor's bills, coupons and more strewn in all different places in our home.

I decided to make a little baby organization binder which has helped me wrangle it all together. Oh, and I got a little crafty with it, so I can happily display it right on my desk, keeping it easily accessible for filing and referencing at any time. Oh and getting another glimpse of my sweet baby's face doesn't hurt either :)

 

Here's what I used:

1 white binder (I used a 1.5" ring)

tab dividers

plastic sheet inserts

scrapbook paper, tape/glue & markers

any & all paperwork, photos, cards, flyers, etc.

First, I gathered up all of my baby goodies. I threw out any paperwork or flyers that I didn't need.

Next, I organized what was left into piles and placed them into the plastic sleeves. Then I placed the sleeves into the binder, separated by these cute (yet still unnamed) dividers:

Some of my categories included:

doctor's information (e.g., baby class listings, pediatrician recommendations, glucose test instructions)

coupons & flyers (like my Babies R Us Rewards card, Buy Buy Baby coupons, etc)

sonogram photos

congratulatory cards from friends & family

doctor's bills, explanations of benefits, etc

baby registry lists with the brands/products I want to research

a giant to-do list before Baby arrives

Once everything was organized to my liking, I decorated the outside of the binder. Using some leftover scrapbook paper scraps (which I purchased to use for a baby book that I'm putting together about my pregnancy...more on that later), I simply found an arrangement that I liked and lightly taped the strips of paper in place. I repeated the same thing on the back panel. Then I added a little sonogram reprint from our 20 week ultrasound. And finally, I cut one long strip for the side binding and simply wrote 'baby humiston' on it in dark purple marker. Voila!

It makes me smile to see this on my home desk and I feel a lot more settled knowing that I have all of the information I need in one place! Not to mention that I'm mildly obsessed with all of these scrapbook paper patterns, so I love that I get to have yet another use for them. I'm also considering using some of them as a mat for framed artwork and photos in the nursery. But that is a post for another time :)

What is your favorite organizational tool?

How do you keep all of your files wrangled?

And for the moms and moms-to-be out there - any other organizational/sanity-saving tips for me?

Tackling a {really long} to-do list

Since I arrived home from vacation, I've felt an overwhelming sense of...being overwhelmed. Though it's not quite mid-August, the end of vacation has kind of signaled the fact that the F word {Fall...ssshhhh} is inevitably creeping up on us. Somehow, all of those things that I've put off doing all summer like thoroughly cleaning my apartment must be tackled. And I'm slightly freaked out.

When I arrived home, I immediately started realizing all of these things that I've gotten away with not doing since we are so busy on the summer weekends doing fun things - like attending barbecues, hitting the beach and spending time with friends and family. Not to mention that Aruba was my 4th trip since mid-May (Spain/Switzerland, Las Vegas, Orlando and Aruba). It makes me want a vacation from everything in life, just to get my life in order. Alas, I don't think that's going to happen.

Yesterday, I felt really depressed. I know it's silly. I literally have nothing in my life to be depressed over. I'm healthy. My family is healthy. Shaun and I are employed. We just went on a fantastic vacation. I am so lucky. But I couldn't shake the feeling of just being unhappy...perhaps because I felt so daunted by all of the things that await me. The list in my head included everything from rescheduling my dentist appointment (which I missed in mid-July due to my Orlando trip) and finally getting around to changing my last name on my frequent flyer account to getting all of my laundry done & put away and the little task of decorating our entire apartment. Some small things...and some pretty big things.

By the time last night rolled around, I had had it with feeling blue. I decided to take action, instead of waiting for things to happen.

I started by tidying up my apartment. Somehow, just taking an hour to get things in order made a huge difference. I unpacked the suitcase that had been sitting in our kitchen. I started my laundry. I did all the dishes and wiped down my kitchen countertops. I cleared our dining table of junk mail, headbands, business cards and other 'stuff' that had accumulated. Suddenly I felt a lot better.

I pulled out my notebook and made a really, really long list. Here are a few things that graced my pages:

Reschedule dentist appt
Dermatologist appt (tomorrow)
Catch up on emails (via Gmail & FB)
Plan blog posts
Renew driver's license (yep, it expired on 7/31...woops)
Update frequent flyer info (so I can get my miles)
Create budget spreadsheet
Look into ABQ flights for my cousin's wedding
Go to the bank
Pick up contact solution
Laundry
Put suitcases away
Start home project spreadsheet, by room
Clean up the terrace (which we've hardly even used this summer)

The list goes on and on. But if I can get a few things accomplished each day, I will get there! I hope :)

Find ways to simplify my life. I spend a lot of time online, blogging, reading other blogs, pinning, etc. As much as I love all of these things, perhaps it's time to find a way to cut back just a tad. Even 30 minutes a day would help immensely. I'm also going to look into hiring a cleaning service to come a couple of times a month. I think this will help so much with my mental well-being (even if I do feel a bit guilty about it).

So there you have it. A few ways that I'm trying to tackle my to-do list. On a happier and more fun note, Shaun and I are finally going to see Harry Potter tonight! Wahooo!

Questions of the Day:

Do you ever feel overwhelmed or daunted by how much you have going on in your life?

How do you stay calm and collected {and productive} during it all?

My New Notebook + How I Keep Track of Things

The other night I had zumba and pilates class at our gym, which is literally down the hall (which I love) though it didn’t end until 9 (which I hate). So that meant Shaun was on dinner duty (which I also love). Using some leftover lump crab meat from our Jets party on Saturday night, he whipped up some delicious crab cakes with a creamy cocktail sauce on the side! Where does he get these wonderful skills? I wanted to share this yesterday but didn’t get the photo uploaded in time. It was so yummy so I obviously could not let it pass by without sharing :)

So though I’m not necessarily down with starting a new year, a new year means I get to start a new notebook! Nerd alert!

I purchased 2 pink moleskin notebooks a couple of years ago and only recently started filling them up. I absolutely love new notebooks and all things paper in general (Shaun says I should have worked for Dunder-Mifflin).

I keep many things in here. To do lists, grocery lists, apartment furnishing ideas, new blogs and websites to check out, you name it. Most of my life is housed in those pages since I love having one go-to spot for everything. I’m constantly jotting down thoughts, especially about the blog and article ideas. I keep it with me all the time and find that I’m so much more useful in daily life when I have this little friend to keep me company. Some other things you might find in there? My list of The Little Things, party menus, my name doodled in fun ways...I cannot wait to break into the new one and start filling it up with ideas and personal organization!

The rest of my life? It’s housed in my Google calendar. Ah the Google calendar. It’s a borderline obsession. I love that I can color code different calendars and fill it in accordingly. I have one for my own stuff and reminders to myself. Here's a peak from a week in Sept/Oct:

One for Shaun’s things just so I can remember if he has drinks planned with friends or is scheduled to go to a client dinner or bachelor party. I also have a ‘humistons’ calendar which I am trying desperately to get Shaun to look at. So that way before he signs up for things - or signs us up for things - he can easily check the calendar. I also have a Giants/Jets calendar (royal blue and green respectively), a weather tracker, a {real} work calendar and a holiday calendar. Lastly, I have The Avid Appetite editorial calendar where I try to plan at least a week in advance what I’m going to be writing about. Sometimes things do change, though, if I’m just dying to tell you guys about something in particular! So that means I effectively have 8 color coded calendars on Google. But I like to think I’m fairly organized at least :) My hope is to eventually whittle down my-Shaun-Humistons calendar into one, but it may be a pipe dream.

So that's how I try my best to keep my life - and all of its moving parts - together. It's not a perfect system, but it's working for me right now! How do you keep yourself organized?