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Personal: Children’s Documents

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Are you ready to complete the second category in organizing our documents? I thought you might be ready to reach a milestone.

Thus far, we have filed our important personal documents in the accordion file slots: four, five, and six.

Today, we commence the final slot in this category . . . my children’s documents housed in the seventh opening from the front of file box 1.

Though my three children are young (all ages 6 and under), they have still acquired a few personal documents. Here are the documents contained in this file slot:

Child #1:

  • Newborn Hearing Screen Results
  • Hearing Screen Certificate
  • Born to Learn Certificate from public school system
  • Build-A-Bear Birth Certificate (received from relatives)
  • Kindergarten diploma 🙂

Child #2:

  • Newborn Hearing Screen Results
  • Hearing Screen Certificate

Child #3:

  • Newborn Hearing Screen Results
  • Hearing Screen Certificate

As I obtain other certifications, transcripts, scores, and other personal documents for my children, I will probably need to expand this file. Eventually, each child will get his or her own file slot. Until that time, I keep the documents in the order of their birth in one file slot.

Yea! The personal documents category is now complete. I’m celebrating with you as you continue this journey to organize your family’s important documents. Come back next week for a checkup. Happy organizing!

Personal: Own Documents

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Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Having completed the fifth file slot in Box 1 of the accordion filing system, let’s proceed to the sixth file opening under the second category of Personal documents. (Are you following my organizational system? To help those of you who are visual learners, like me, a pictorial overview of my accordion file will be posted next week.)

With my husband’s personal documents stored in the fifth slot, I have placed these personal documents of mine in the sixth gap of the accordion file:

  1. LSAT Score. Before we had children, I toyed with the idea of going to law school. Though that endeavor did not materialize, I took the test, and I keep those documents in this file.
  2. Teaching Certificate. Though it is expired and states my maiden name, I keep my professional teaching certificate from the South Carolina Board of Education with my personal documents. Unlike my LSAT score, I actually needed my certificate in 1997, when I taught high school speech, drama, and 10th grade English in the public school system.
  3. Transcripts. Copies or student-issued, unofficial originals of my 5 transcripts are kept in this file.
  • Partial records for 9th -11th grades from one school.
  • Complete high school record from school from which I graduated.
  • Community college records for 3 classes took during summer sessions.
  • Undergraduate records.
  • Graduate transcript.

This file has been purged of SAT and ACT scores (college entrance exams), EEE and Praxis II scores (teaching certificate tests), and my GRE score (graduate school entrance exam).  Since I have already benefited from these tests and could request the information from the official boards, I have chosen to rid them from my file. If you have these documents and will be using them in the future, then please keep them. For me, I have exhausted the uses for these scores, so I choose not to have them clutter up my file. However, I have kept the LSAT scores since I may still profit from them.

If I obtain other certifications, degrees, scores, or other personal documents pertaining only to me, I will add those documents to this sixth file slot. At present, this file is complete. Next week, instead of continuing with the seventh file slot, I will show you my file box. The visual explanation may be more valuable than my written description. In the meantime, happy organizing!

Personal: Spouse’s Documents

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Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

How is your document organization going? Are you getting energized or overwhelmed? Hopefully, the step-by-step explanations of each category, file, and item is a help to you as you use your time wisely and get organized.

Last week, I completed the fourth file slot housing some of our personal documents in Box 1 of the filing system. Today, let’s progress to the fifth file slot in the accordion folder. In this slot, I have placed the following personal documents pertaining to my husband:

  1. Computer certifications. All Paul’s computer certification documents with scores, certificates, and contact information are organized by the date completed. When he needs his identification numbers for work, program upgrades, etc., I can easily access the information since I have all the paperwork filed together.
  2. Transcripts. Copies of his undergraduate and graduate transcripts are housed in this file. Since most employers do not require transcripts, I have not obtained certified copies or his high school transcript. If I hear that one of the schools is closing or if he needs certified copies, then I will contact the appropriate school and pay for the transcripts.
  3. Letters of Recommendation. When Paul was job searching and interviewing, he included letters of recommendation with his resume. The remaining copies of those letters are housed in this file, just in case he needs them.

When Paul obtains other rewards, recommendations, or certifications, I will add those documents to this fifth file slot. Currently, this file is complete.

Next week, I will continue the personal documents category and share the contents of my sixth file slot. In the meantime, keep energized and happy organizing!

Personal: Other Certificates

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Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

As we complete the fourth file slot in our first accordion-style filing system, I hope you are getting energized. Organizing your personal documents will save you money, energy, and time when accessing those documents.

In this fourth slot, I have our birth certificates, driver’s licenses, passports, marriage license, voter’s registration cards, and our other certifications: child abuse history clearance and CPR cards and copies.

CHILD ABUSE HISTORY CLEARANCE: When Paul and I lived in Pennsylvania, Paul taught elementary through high school, and I occasionally substitute taught. As part of the school’s requirements for each teacher and substitute teacher, we filled out paperwork to obtain our clearance to teach. When we received our official clearance, I kept the originals and have placed them in this file.

HEARTSAVER CPR: During our first pregnancy, Paul and I took advantage of all the prenatal classes offered through the hospital systems in our area. The CPR class resulted in our certifications. Even though these certifications are now expired, I still keep our certification documents for the date we decide to renew.  In additional to the certification cards, I keep a copy of the cards in this file. When we renew, I will have copies of our prior certification to submit with our registration.

This concludes the items I have in the fourth file slot under the second category of Personal Important Documents. If you have completed organizing these documents, then celebrate! You are doing a great job getting these piles of paperwork sorted and organized for easy retrieval later. Next week, I’ll reveal what is housed in the fifth file slot under the Personal Important Documents category. Congratulations on staying organized!

Personal: Voter’s Registration Cards

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Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

How are you doing with your organization? If you feel that you are being pulled in every direction and cannot get to your document organization at this time, then do what is important and use your time wisely. This category of Important Personal Documents is comprised of many quick-to-file items once you have the documents in your hand. Finding the document may take some time, but you might find a few of these items at once when you get to this project.

Continuing with Box 1 and the fourth file slot in the accordion filing system, I have our Personal Important documents. After our marriage license with copies, I have copies of our voter’s registration cards. Paul and I carry our official cards in our wallets, but I keep copies of the entire form/card that is mailed to us. The card has limited information whereas the form specifies our Congressional district, Senate, House, County Council, and Water Shed numbers.

I have referred to the full form when I hear of an election coming to one or more districts in our area. To find our district numbers, I open up Box 1, go to the fourth file slot, and get our voter registration copies. I can then find our district numbers and determine if I need to arrange my schedule to go vote.

The copies will be handy if our wallets are stolen or if our cards become illegible. If I need to obtain another card, I can quickly find our local office address and can supply the registration number for quick replacement.

Keeping the Voter’s Registration copies together with your other personal documents will help you access that information. Spend time getting organized. In the long run, you will save yourself money, energy, and time. Next week, I will group together the rest of the items I have in this file slot. Happy organizing!