Command Center: Part 2

A couple weeks ago, I did a few blogs called 'All Things Food and Meals'.  If you remember, I showed you a photo of my meal planning "station", I'm considering this Part 1:

This is where I have my weekly reusable calendar (a simple calendar framed and we use dry-erase [actually I have wet erase because I wanted a finer tipped marker] to write on the glass), my clipboard that has our meal planning/grocery sheet on it, on that clipboard is also the plastic envelope that we place the coupons we will be using for our current grocery list.  And the can writing utensil holders.  This technically would be Part 1 of the "Command Center" in our home.  While meal planning is VERY important here (but I must admit, I didn't do a meal plan for this week...I'm feeling burned out on cooking - I bet none of you EVER feel this way [wink, wink] - so I'm just using what we have without a meal plan - so far, so good), there are other aspects of this space that serve a huge purpose.  So, I'm going to show you another section of this area...sometimes I feel as though I live in our kitchen - between cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, and the 'Command Center', I spend a LOT of time in this area.  Anywho, here is a different view:

*While waiting for these photos to upload, I'm indulging in an iced chai brought to me by Tazo.  It's the same liquid chai they use at Starbucks...but they want $4.00 for a grande.  Instead, I buy the container of liquid from Target for $3.99 (sometimes I get lucky and get it for $3.49) and get at least 4 glasses of it.  It's flippin' delicious (or 'lee-shus' as Sweet Pickle would say).  I don't buy this often, but it's another little thing that I enjoy!

Back at it:  Here you will see that right below our meal planning headquarters we have a little end table that our home phone (yes folks, we still have a land line...we like to live in the past...I kid, where we live, our cell reception isn't that great not to mention I want our Littles to have access to 911 all the time), a box of facial tissue, my purse(s) - don't judge me, there's a small drawer on the bottom that has phone books and notepads in it, and an XL magazine holder that has two binders and two other very important items:

Here's the skinny (I'm attempting bullets again, let's see if I can do a post without a rogue one):

• The larger binder has our meal ideas in it.  It's simply a white binder (it was $1.99 at Walmart) with some scrapbook paper I found at a local store.  I adore this paper...colorful utensils!?!!?  Yes, please!!!  I bought two pieces and they were $.89/12x12 sheet.  Worked perfect.  I showed you a glimpse of the inside a couple weeks ago and you can see it again here:  http://www.arethesemygoodsweatpants.blogspot.com/2014/01/all-things-food-and-meals-part-1.html 
• Side note:  these bullets are tricky!
  
   
• The smaller striped binder (a $1.00 investment from Dollar Tree - clear and all I did was added pretty scrap booking paper for .$89/12x12 sheet - I bought 2), is used for the other little annoying things you get, such as:  appointment cards (on more than one occasion I've gone to an appointment and they claim that we're "not in the computer", this is where whipping out the appointment card comes in handy...BOOYAH! - more to prove a point, not that we've ever been turned away - granted you have to remember to take it with you), gift cards, business cards, reward cards, important phone numbers (this is great for a Hubby that has to call daycare and/or school when the number isn't programmed in his phone), my work schedule, the kids daycare schedules, and restaurant menus (we don't eat out much, I'm talking maybe once or twice a month, but it's nice to have them on hand), and there's also a folder in the back that was used for important school papers but now...who knows what I'll use it for!!!  So with a little investment in a package of business card plastic pages (I picked mine up at Staples 10 for $5), some simple plastic page protectors, some 3M sticky labels and of course my trusty label maker...you have a 'Random Information' binder.  Yes, this is what I've labeled it.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Back in my second ever post about my (sigh) planner (link: http://www.arethesemygoodsweatpants.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-planner.html, I also said that I had ordered an address book from Erin Condren (link:  www.erincondren.com) but I hadn't received it yet.  Well, I got it, and I am ga-ga over it.  It's clean and simple and it's just marvelous.  The front few pages are for 'Special Occasions' and then it moves right into the alphabetical sections for your peeps.  The ONLY, and I mean the ONLY beef I have with this is that it doesn't have tabbed pages.  I think it would be tremendously helpful for each letter section to have a tab, alas, it does not.  Sad face (channeling my inner sister - she says this a lot).  BUT, it's still absolutely wonderful!!!  And, you can bet your bottom dollar that when I received it in the mail that I got butterflies just looking at the box...and then after the kids were in bed, I snuggled in with my fave pen and my Rolodex to fill that puppy up!!!  True. Story.  It also made me realize that I need a friend with a last name that starts with an 'X'.  Anyone?  Moving on...
  

• And of course, my planner.  My beautiful lifeline, my planner.  She gets taken out and looked at every morning.  I have her sitting out on the kitchen counter all day up until 4pm, then I put her here.  4pm is usually when I'm getting supper rolling and I don't want to get food on her.  Gross.  Like how I'm talking about my planner like it's a person?  

There you have it!!!  Part 2 of our 'Command Center', set aside but easily accessible.  The ONLY thing I'm wanting to do is spray paint the magazine holder so its a little more colorful.  But, I'll do that another time when it's warmer outside to do so.  And, when I pick a color!  Brace yourselves for next Tuesday, where I unveil our 'Daily Station'!  Ooooohhhh.  Trying to make this a climactic experience...and...no rogue bullets!  Yay me!