Friday, August 28, 2009

Welcome to Our Room, Part 5

(This is part 5 of the series. For part 1 click here.) 


This is my desk. I got this at Ikea three years ago and I adore it. It works so well for me and is so functional. I have set it up to be perfect for doing all my Doman materials and planning, although I wish my use of it was as picture perfect as this little scene (it usually doesn't look this organized. Just so you know.)

To the left of my desk is a file cabinet. It holds flashcards exclusively, both those that are in progress (this is the majority, unfortunately) those that are ready to be used, and those that have been retired. On top of the file cabinet is a 3x5 organization system that contains addresses, passwords, to-do's, journals, and a lot of other things (I use a system similar to flylady.net, but got the original idea after reading The Happiness File, a sequel of Pam Young and Peggy Jones' first book)

Under the desk are my other files, and the pink bins contain mostly flashcard supplies (page protectors, extra folders, cardstock, and lamination roles). The top right drawer holds electronics and camera supplies.


Close-ups of desk: This is one of my favorite things about this desk - the file racks that you see to the left. The shelves are "To File", "To Do", and "Documents", and the bottom two are blank (right now they are holding various larger projects in them). I love this so much because it eliminates desk clutter (when I use it right, at least), because instead of just tossing papers on my desk, I toss them up there, and usually work on them / clean them out once a week (in theory). Under those file holders is a blank CD tub and my handy-dandy pencil-can-on-steroids, containing everything from pencils and pens to paper clips, exacto knives, rubber bands, a calculator, ruler, and any other little thing I might need. This tends to get pretty cluttered too, and would probably be a lot more magnificent if I always put my stuff away where it belongs (which I don't).

On the top shelf you will see my other "system" - binders. I haven't been using these as effectively as I would like but the binders currently are these subjects, respectively - Childcare Business, Blog, Prayer Journal, Goal Journal, Website, Wedding, Lesson Plans, "Home Journal" (menus, emergency plans, etc.), and Hunter's Ancient History Timeline. In a perfect world these binders would get their ideal use. But in all honesty, well... some of them are more along the lines of "nice idea" than functional reality. And, those little white boxes right there? Well, one of them is extra office supplies (extra ink, staples, pens, etc.) and the other one is labeled "treats". Yep. It's my secret stash of chocolates, gum, and whatever other sweet-tooth curer that finds its way there.

Directly below on the middle shelf is a little organizer for making flashcards. The top shelf holds a Newton's Cradle and some pocket foreign language dictionaries (SpanishFrenchGerman, and Sign Language). The next two shelves hold card stock and lamination rolls.

On the desk directly below are some plastic drawers with "works in progress" flashcards at different stages of development, as well as card stock scraps for making small flashcards. On top of the drawer unit is tape, a pencil sharpener, stapler, timer, and a bin for holding copy paper, notebook paper, and envelopes. To the right of the drawer unit is a stand-up vertical file organizer, which holds more works in progress (right now, President bits, and some folders with coloring pages and worksheets in them).


From the top: to the left we have some picture frames, flowers, figurines, and a plaque. I find that I work so much better when my work area is pleasant (now only to solve the inevitable clutter problem that seems to constantly sneak up on me). Hiding behind those frames is a bunch of unused jewelry (I'm not that organized!) To the left are my fancy drawing supplies - the bottom suitcase is an organized holder with lots of pencils, charcoal, fancy erasers, pastels, etc. The old tackle box harbors more supplies, and under that is a sketch book and extra-large sketch paper. I drew a lot as a child and even all the way up through high school, but amazingly enough, I haven't touched those supplies in years. But they sure look pretty.

On the middle shelf are books I reference a lot, or am currently reading. There is a mayonnaise jar filled with coins on the end to serve as a makeshift bookend. Below that are some more pictures, a mini monthly calendar, and my printer / scanner / copier / fax machine. Which mostly just gets used for scanning (as the ink price is atrocious, so I use another printer). To the left is my laptop, and behind that are some little office organizers for catching scraps of paper with notes on them. I tend to collect a lot of little mental notes on every possible subject, so this helps keep me sane.

Above is my magnetic dry erase board, another fantastic feature of this desk. It holds a calendar (which I just made, set for next month), some random notes, and a 3x5 organizer specifically for blogging notes. This tends to get cluttered a lot, too.

And... this marks the end of our little room tour. Hope you enjoyed it!

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good..." 
Micah 6:8






Hunter is 4 years, 5 months old

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