…is to have a book for your household! Whatever you call it (control journal, homemaker handbook, shalom bayit book, family manager notebook), this is a crucial book for keeping your household running smoothly.
I call this my shalom bayit book (SBB). Shalom bayit is Hebrew for peace in the house – which is what we want to create with this book!
My SBB is a 2 inch binder with dividers physically, but even more importantly, I have each of the pages on word document (for a discussion of how to set YOURS up, look here). I update each of them each year and in the planning process. My SBB tells me what I used last year, what worked well, what didn’t, and has a list of menus and planning from previous years that I can reference or even copy again! I also have a very helpful list of what I have and where it is stored. I have the pages printed out for me to write on and adjust as needed, but what I really appreciate from year to year is having them on the computer to go in and update.
I will be putting these printable documents into the organization sections (above) as I go. I’ve started linking some of this year’s Rosh Hashanah planning there already. Subscribe to get updates as things are loaded there (there is a box for your e-mail in the upper right corner or if you prefer a feedreader, there are buttons for that, too). Starting a SBB is also one of the weekly challenges here at OJH (see the 52 week challenge for more info!)