My HMG....Part 1 Where It All Began

Were you a Trapper Keeper Kid????    Me too!

Ahhh, Lisa Frank.

I remember the crackling of the Velcro as if it were yesterday.   That same crackling that instantly notified your teacher (during rest time/reading time/anytime you were supposed to be doing something important) that you were about to write a note to your best friend. 

I was also obsessed with my Sanrio Pop Out Pencil Case.

This next pic makes my heart flutter.  Wait for it.

Oh, all the organizational tools you could ever need....I mean a magnifying glass!   A pencil sharpener built right in.  Oh the shavings I got in trouble for leaving in my desk!  (I said I was organized, but not that organized.  I think I was a mere wanna-be at this point.)

There was even a place to write your schedule...before I even had a schedule.  I used it to write down our assigned lunch time and P.E.  ...that we had EVERY day.


A moment of silence for each!  So that's two moments.

Anyways....

Why did we love our Trapper Keepers?  It wasn't just because they were covered with unicorns and rainbows and the initials of our BFF's.  It was the fact that they did their job!  They trapped!  They kept!

They trapped all the important things we needed to keep!

Why haven't I continued to trap and keep all of my adulthood stuff? 

Three years ago when I started this Stay-At-Home Mom thing, I came across a blogger that I will forever be indebted to.  Her name is Heather and she blogger-lives at Want What You Have.  I dare you to check her out.  God will use her to change you.  He will use her because she is real.  She doesn't promise to have it all together all the time, because really, who does????  But man she really has it together when she has it together.

Reading her blog was one of the instruments God used to pull me from the dark place of discontentment three years ago.  I was discontent with God's provision for me and my family.  I took it out on our bank accounts, on our home, on my husband.  Basically, telling Him that all He had given me, just wouldn't do. 

But that is another post for another time.  It ends happily, instead of giving me what I thought I wanted, He taught me to Want What I Have not Have What I Want...which is the premise behind her whole blog!!!
Love her guts.

Heather also preaches that being organized absolutely saves you money!!!  I love this post about the things her family doesn't do to save money.

This one was posted yesterday.  Did she know I was blogging about her?????  I love me some organizational tips!

She also introduced me to the HMG  three years ago.  When you visit her blog, click on Inside the Guide at the top.  You will be amazed. 

So back to my question.........
Why haven't I continued to trap and keep all of my adulthood stuff?  I have been meaning to for a while now.

Three years ago, I started one.  It was a notebook with a couple tabs.  Mostly, our contacts, family addresses and such.  I mainly used it when I needed to address a card, invitations, or all our Christmas cards.  I would flip through it for our church contacts and important phone numbers.  I also kept recipes and other helpful tidbits that I didn't want to lose.  It was a work in progress...

Fast-forward three years.

About a month ago, I got serious about this.  I went through one of my overwhelmed spells.  So instead of feeling sorry for myself, I took it out on that binder of mine. 

Now I am just gonna tell ya that my Home Management Guide is NOTHING compared to Heather's.  So don't get your hopes up.  BUT it works for me!

Check back soon for Part Two where I will let you see inside my HMG!
I will show you how I started to get it together SIMPLY, without going out and spending any money.

It has changed me.  I spend a lot less time looking for things.  My favorite part of the HMG is the space to write down ideas, even blog ideas.  Ideas for church, homeschooling, you name it.  I have a safe place to keep these random thoughts...bye bye post-its!!!!!

After only a month, I can tell you that it has made me a happier gal.  I am serious.  It has freed me from trying to keep it all in the noggin!  Cause we all know this noggin filled up a long time ago!