Keeping Your Family Running Smoothly

By Deborah Clark

I have to keep track of all the events in our house. Three schools and their inservice days, lessons, appointments and friends all need to be recorded. I have used all the systems: whiteboards, organizers, sticky notes, answering machines, even logging in on the computer. But I found regardless of high- or low-tech ideas, there is one thing that is necessary for the system to be successful. You need a great location.

In my house it's the fridge. It is a large, flat, washable surface. I made a grid for a month at a glance on the door. I use dry erase, or washable markers, color coded for each of us, plus one extra for car rides.

If your youngest can't write for themselves, they can still understand their color means something. I bought heavy duty magnets with spring clips attached from an office suppply store. All incoming papers, from backpacks, church, or the mailbox get clipped beside the calendar. Everything is transferred to the calendar by the person who brought the paper into the house. It is checked off, in color, then double checked by me when I read the mail pinned to the fridge.

But our Command Central is much more than just a calendar of events. I invested in a telephone with a memo messaging/answering machine component. Its remote access means we can check on each other and leave updates about where we are and when we'll be back. I ensured good message manners were instilled at an early age. Names, addresses, and phone numbers are left in addition to the message itself. The best part of my machine is that it will take a message while the phone is in use. So, when the child is recording the message, it is being repeated to the caller. I mounted this phone beside the fridge.

We also use the colored marker on the fridge to leave notes for one another and the house. The grocery list is the perennial resident on this part of the fridge. It only took a few times of not having peanut butter for sanwiches and milk for cereal to nudge everyone into keeping track of what we needed. When it's picked up, it is erased from the list. I had a list of friends and emergency numbers list there too, until my kids had too many friends to keep track this way. Now, just emergency numbers are on the fridge and the friends are recorded in a file beside the phone.

If your fridge won't work for you, try this. Find a peice of metal, at least 3'x4'. Coat it with spray enamel, two or three coats are good. If you frame it, it will hang easily, or you can screw it directly onto the wall. A shelf will keep all the odds and ends together.

Command Central can simplify your life. It made mine much easier. I have given the responsiblity to the kids for their sections. It has made them aware of what is involved in keeping the family running. Now they even check the fridge to make sure that the car is available before they ask for a ride.

2001(c) Deborah Clark.