thank you, martha.

 for those of you who may not know just how big of an organizational freak i actually am... this teacher binder was a process extensive in the making. as of yet, i have seen approximately 50 teacher binders. loved some, hated some, been indifferent to some. ive also checked out various "home" binders, where housewife/mother types take their organization to the house. literally. and over the past few weeks, ive downloaded more printables than i care to mention. ive been thinking about creating one since the end of this past school year and it seems like a logical place to keep all kinds of important stuff. especially for an organizational monster like myself.

finally, i was ready to get this party started. or so i thought. thank you sweet baby jesus, for sending me the most patient boyfriend in the entire history of the world. because without him, i would have been whining and pouting contemplating purchases in staples alone. i spent an ungodly amount of time in the very much overpriced but so damn cute new "martha stewart for avery" aisle. sooo many unnecessary organizational tools to choose from. and i could be wrong, but im pretty sure my boyfriend wished martha stayed her ass in prison where she could not possibly create so many mindless items for me to have an anxiety attack over. i know. im insane. but when i get in these zones, i am convinced that the world will in fact end immediately if i choose the wrong sticky labels. hey, at least im admitting this. first step, right?

anywho, that was just the beginning. because obviously this debacle was followed by the all-important decisions of: deciding on the category/title for each tab, its relevance to the specific color of said tab, which labels to use, what printables actually worked for me, how much stuff i could realistically fit in the binder, if the "off-ness" of the binder color was a good off or a bad off in comparison to my martha gear, etc etc etc. for longer than im comfortable with admitting. but finally, we have liftoff! many items still need to be added, but cant be until school begins. aka, im as ready as im going to be. the unveiling starts now. . .

inside the front cover - overpriced luxury ziploc c/o martha that holds my incredible new "binder pens" and labels. 

 and example of the cutesy tabs i bought and how i labeled. 

do. not. ask. what i spent on this coordinating calendar. but on a positive note, i am very particular about calendars (they must have big square boxes for the days with nooo lines in them). the little tidbits of lifestyle advice from martha are a little much, but whatevs. so it was a must. 

 

 found the best free printables for substitute teachers, my infamous "to do" list, and grade level/faculty meeting notes. 

part of my management tab - those drops are part of a positive interaction plan i have in the works. 

 finally - a place to keep all parent contact information in one place. just today, i found another printable for recording when/how/why i contacted parents. also good to have. 

ok ok, for anyone who isnt a teacher - you are probably bored out of your skull. and for that, i apologize. but hopefully you were at least inspired by the organization? or the super cute whimsical play on primary colors that martha used to create this collection? anyone, anyone? bueller?