Life Book & Home Management - Computers

Computer Information to Remember

 Here's where you can record the manufacture, company address, customer service telephone number, purchase date, purchase price, serial number, warranty length, and where the item is located for each computer or computer related piece of equipment like external hard drives, printers, monitors, etc. I got this form out of the Schoolhouse Planner.




Home Network Settings

Ever have to remember some tiny bit of information for your home network and draw a blank? Or the person who knows the information because they set it up for you is unavailable? Or the detailed crystal clear note you made in case it was ever needed isn't so crystal clear a year later? Well here's a basic form to help solve the problem.

Machine Profile:

What I liked about this form is that it gave a place to record the operating system and list the software that is on the computer that your recording the information of. Plus a section for notes. Something that I have found incredibly handy when trying to figure out what came original and what was added to the computer. We have a couple of different computers one that is used by the children for their games and school and one that is used for dh's games and general things. We also have a couple of old slightly dead (obsolete operating systems and other issues) computers that we have kept around because my son has wanted something to practice computer science stuff with.

Web passwords for school

I have found this to be handy for the online classes that my children and I take. I like that I can easily keep track of the educational websites used in a year for documentation purposes for my children. I can also keep track of the many different lesson(s), class(es), workshop(s), etc. that I participate in. It's helpful for keeping up with continuing education requirements and gives me a real sense of accomplishment when I feel like I've been stagnating.

Here's another form that I use for recording websites that I go to. I write the general category in the bubble and then fill out the rest with the web address and notes. I have a page or pages if I am honest about different things. ex. blogs, educational websites, etc. from the time when we didn't have our own computer at home so bookmarking was useless. I use it also for when I am researching and want to remember sites that I have been too but may or may not need to go back to. I've also found this handy because I have had my computers go down and having a written record meant I could still function to a degree.

Computer Contacts-Accounts and Passwords

 

I found this handy for keeping track of various accounts like web hosting, games, social networking, etc. I like that it has a date feature. I find that handy for when changes are needed. I have one account for my children that has undergone some changes over the years and this is helpful for documenting those because every now and then I have a brain freeze and try to log in with outdated information that was only good when it was in beta.

Computer Game License Record

My dh and son are very big into playing computer games. I have found this form very helpful for keeping track of discs and information especially on the games they "share" that requires the disc to be in the computer in order to play. I can't tell you how often this has come in handy because my son is looking for a missing disc only to discover that he's confused the disc count with another game and that all the dics are there after all. I also use this with the educational programs that my dc share as sometimes I have two children at different levels which means different discs will be out of the box. I got this form from the Schoolhouse Planner.

Life Book & Home Management Binder- Contacts

Contacts... We all have them to some degree or other. These are people that we must contact for some reason. Be it business, professional, personal or other reasons, we have some where a list of names and phone numbers of people that we need to be able to contact for something.

Sometimes this information is scattered about in various locations and formats such as a stack of business cards or slips of papers, in a cell phone, work computer, personal computer, a list on the fridge, or an address book that is who knows where. Sometimes the information that is needed is hiding in a drawer, box, or filing cabinet that is meant to contain the paperwork that is comprised of monthly bills, forms, notices, etc.  Often a need arises and a hunt ensues for the elusive phone number, address or other key piece of information such as an account.  

To effectively deal with this I created a section that is strictly for contacts. I have an envelope to put business cards and slips of paper in until they can be put into something more permanent. I also have a folder for those contact lists that come up from various actives and groups.

I have separated the pages of contact information into different header sections. The header sections I have are: family, friends, home utilities and services, home repair, insurance policy contact list, medical and health insurance contact list, utilities and services contacts list, neighbors, pharmacy and medical supplies, medical professional, miscellaneous, restaurant and take out, temporary contacts, specific group or function contacts, classes, sports, co-op, etc.

 On some of these pages you will see a spot to put a date. I find it helpful to write a date on each page to make sure that the information is the most current. I put the date that I made changes to the form at the top of the form either on the date line or just at the top. I have found this very helpful as our area has had a few redistricting episodes so numbers for providers have changed with each change. I also have a few friends who seem to have new contact information every few months as they relocate frequently for work, school, or spur of the moment whims.

Here's what some of the individual pages look like.

Home Repairs

Home Utilities and Services

Insurance Policy Contact List

Medical and Health Insurance Contact List

Family

Friends 

Medical Professionals

Miscellaneous

Neighbors

Pharmacy and Medical Supplies

 

Restaurant and Take Out

Classes, Sports, Co-op

Utilities and Service Contacts

Specific Groups, Functions, Clubs, Temporary Contacts

 

I'm not sure about where these pages came from. I got them from a parenting workshop that was offered locally that I took. They were part of a packet that the attendees were given.

If these are yours or you know who created these originally please  let me know so I can give credit to the creator.

Life Book & Home Management Binder- First Pages

The first pages are for quick information such as personal information.

 Again, I got this page from Lime Tree Fruits Planners

Followed by a simple list of Important Phone Numbers and Contacts:

 

The next page is a quick reference page for Important Phone Numbers & Contacts.

I got this page from the 2012-2013 Schoolhouse Planner that I purchased at The Old Schoolhouse.  It was a nice list that I thought was perfect for my binder(s). The number 9 is the page number for the planner that this form is from. It's actually my page 2.

The first line is where you put your address and home phone number, then there’s a line for  phone numbers such as: Mom’s Cell phone, Dad’s Cell phone, Dad’s work, Mom’s work, Fire Dept, Police Department, Rescue Squad, Poison Control, Hospital,  Ambulance, Family Doctor, Pediatrician, Neighbors, Friends, Relatives. 

The picture above shows the none modified blank original version. I've changed it to suit our needs a bit better. I've crossed out one of the neighbor lines and instead put our local veterinarian's phone number. For the fire and police departments I have also listed the non-emergency phone number along with the emergency number for each. Since we rent I took another of the neighbor lines and put in our landlord's phone number. Finally I used the remaining lines to cover our immediate quick contact neighbor, friends, and relatives.

The next section is pages 3-8. Pretty self explanatory.  I didn't take a picture of the pages that were for the other family members who live with me and for the other pets we have. The page is set up just as you see for the child only with the word child covered with decorative stickers. The extra pet page is the same as the picture above shows.

I'm not sure about where these pages came from. I got them from a parenting workshop that was offered locally that I took. They were part of a packet that the attendees were given.

If these are yours or you know who created these originally please  let me know so I can give credit to the creator.

Intro to my life book and home management binder.

The other day I was working on my oldest child's life book/home management binder when our former neighbor dropped by. She was very curious as to what I was doing because she saw the stacks of papers and the binders out. 

So my children told her what they thought I was doing. It was interesting to hear their take on what I was doing. My youngest described it as a family instruction guide. My oldest called it the family crisis manual for the brain impaired. Our visitor said I should tell the world about this little thing I do and then she dared me to blog about it. So here I am.

What is this life book that I speak of? It can look very different from family to family and it can be called different names but it’s basically something that holds information that is important for a family’s life. It is a hodgepodge of information in one spot that can be accessed when needed.

It contains everything that is important to know in regards to financial, medical, legal, insurance, etc. in the event of a life event, emergency or crisis happens and then some. It’s to help speed up accessing important information so that decisions can be made or the right parties contacted in a timely manner. The most important part about having one is making sure that it’s kept up to date after the initial assembly. 

I’m going to share some of what mine looks like in the series of posts because I plan on also sharing pictures. I am not a photographer so please forgive my questionable photos.

Your going to see a lot of different looks. I put together my binder from a lot of different resources so there is no uniformity because I believe in "If it's not broke, don't mess with it." Although some are not used as they were originally intended. I use a lot of different forms from different systems that I have seen over the years. Some are from programs that I was enrolled in to be taught how to be a better mother. Some are from agencies that were big on paperwork. Some are from various internet resources that I've come across over the years.

Here is the first page in my life book/home management binder.

 

Pretty isn't it? I'm so thankful for the recommendation to go to Lime Tree Fruits Planners