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Housekeeping

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Original poster

You know all that paperwork form school

47 replies

Beetroot · 05/07/2007 19:57

Well with four kids and choir it is never ending - what shoud i do iwth it to make me efficient? At present it all goes in a pile and then gets forgotten

OP posts:
purpleturtle · 05/07/2007 19:59

I think you just have to deal with it as it comes in - write the dates on the calendar. Then keep the stuff you'll need to refer to in a box or something - at least so you know where to look!

maisym · 05/07/2007 20:01

I have four kids & all the activities

fill it in & put in school bags straight away - or get a notice board and put it there - to deal with the same day.

Fill in a calender with dates/times plus activity & then recycle the all the paper.

NoodleStroodle · 05/07/2007 20:01

Read
Fill in
Send back or bin

southeastastra · 05/07/2007 20:02

i hate all that stuff. i have one evening where i put music on, drink wine and deal with it all in one go. i usually wait until it's all piled up

ApuNahasapeemapetilon · 05/07/2007 20:02

they email it to me

FunMumm · 05/07/2007 20:16

I keep all important letters blu-tacked to the inside of a kitchen cupboard, DD has the left cupboard, DS has the right, things are written onto my calender straight away, and my children hate the way that money and notes go back to school in an envelope with their name and year on and, ie, money for trip written in thick marker pen! I find it really hard to be organised but this works for me...

have you got a big kitchen Beetroot with lots of cupboards!

nell12 · 05/07/2007 20:18

golden rule is touch it only once; deal with all paperwork as soon as you get it, then you will not forget about it or mislay it.

If only I could follow that rule

southeastastra · 05/07/2007 20:19

i would prefer the email option, our schools don't seem too worried about the amount of paper they send out

FunMumm · 05/07/2007 20:20

in 2 weeks time the inside of my kitchen cupboard will be clear! halelulla

WideWebWitch · 05/07/2007 20:21

bin it

Original poster
Beetroot · 05/07/2007 20:40

touch it once is good - yes BUT there is a whole host of stuff I have to refer to.

bgi kitchen but not wall cupbaords

OP posts:
GettingBetter · 05/07/2007 20:49

hmm.
struggling to post - new here.

GettingBetter · 05/07/2007 20:50

oh ok. think i've got it now..

just went to ds's orientation day at new school reception class: thought had done really well with all info, and in fact turned up 15 minutes late (had written time incorrectly on calendar) and failed to bring birth certfictae. we were scheduled for first interview with headmistress, so entire thing ran late for all parents.
hideous. utterly hideous.

Blandmum · 05/07/2007 20:50

I got one of the calender with a pocket things from lakeland. It helps, I just put the relevant paperwork in that month's pocket.

Not perfect, I still balls it up on times. But it does help a bit

KbearBrockovich · 05/07/2007 20:52

I cleared a paper mountain last night, school, car insurance claim, brownies, ballet, bank statements.

I was thinking of a more efficient way of dealing and have decided one of those ring binders with clear wallets would do the trick for things that will need to be referred to later, things you can't file yet, lists of dates, kit lists for camp, etc.

The rest, deal with the day you get it. I suppose. Oh for an ideal world!

oliveoil · 05/07/2007 21:36

get a ring binder

open letter, read, write stuff in diary AND on calendar on kitchen wall

hole punch letter and file for future reference

look smug

oliveoil · 05/07/2007 21:38

I have a 3 ring binders - bank, other bills, and australia visa stuff

and a concertina file for insurance etc

all neatly stored on a shelf in the hall

[smug]

DrNortherner · 05/07/2007 21:39

I action it immediatley, as soon as I remove from book bag.

Then put info on diary and calender and put letter in recycle bag.

I'm not one of these incompetant mums you see.......

DrNortherner · 05/07/2007 21:39

Olive oil do you love your ringbinders or summat?

Do you stroke tehm?

EarlSinclair · 05/07/2007 21:41

ooh beety i haev a good tip.

1 act on them straightaway( celndar and so on)
then fill int he form and the money or whatever and put in one of those returnenvelopes you get wiht credit cards

THEN

(heres the good bit)

you get a fridge magnet

and( if your front door is new and not period dahling) magnet it to the front door
so as kids leave they( or you ) see it

oliveoil · 05/07/2007 21:41

I am a kick ass organiser woman obviously

elasticbandstand · 05/07/2007 21:42

have a pile of papers... occasionally put on noticeboard, in diary.. but on very occasionally forget things... i am sure soemthign was gonig on today! but for the life of me dont; know what..........................

oliveoil · 05/07/2007 21:42

I need a calendar

EarlSinclair · 05/07/2007 21:43

OLIVE

you HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT SCHOOL PAPERWORK YOUR KIDS ARE FOETUSES

p

ShrinkingViolet · 05/07/2007 21:43

I have a folder (actually I have several folders for different stuff ) but the "children's day-to-day folder" has lots of clear A4 folders, and I file stuff which has not yet happened, including the stuff which I've sent the slip back in for, AS WELL AS writing it on the calendar. So folder is in three sections (3 DDs) with everything which needs to be kept for this week/term/year - once it's happened I can bin/shred.
So the boring detail of who has to be where with what is in the folder: the fact that someone has to do something at x time is in the calendar.