About Me: Tina Robertson  101 Things About Me.

→What I Blog About←

Having homeschooled from the beginning but having a momentarily lapse of feeling unsure, I sent my oldest son, Mr. Senior 2013 to public school for almost one year in Kindergarten.

I blog about my experience learned through many years of homeschooling. Along the way I have  created and sell a program, New Bee Homeschooler that has helped hundreds and hundreds of  new and struggling homeschoolers, and a unit study planner and so I offer practical advice on a wide variety of  homeschooling topics from homeschooling toddlers to highschoolers.

My roots are a classical approach but I am a unit study history lover.

Creating free printables for my 7 Step DIY Curriculum Planner, my Home Management Binder, my free lapbooks and other printables I need along the way, I share free printables with my loyal blog followers.  When you follow, you have them first.

Having a natural bent toward organizing, I share my organizational projects in between homeschooling.

How do you say “I am a girl who loves lapbooking, notebooking, history, doing anything hands-on when it comes to learning, organizing all I can anytime whether it’s school, my home, or one drawer, creating my own printables, leading workshops and talking about every possible and conceivable subject that has to do with homeschooling and let’s not forget while I am at that I have a soft place in my heart for new homeschoolers and in between that I conjure up new color schemes and projects for decorating that one day I may be able to use in my home”?

It is has never been easy for me to reduce all the ideas and projects that are reeling around in my head to a few eloquent sounding sentences. Instead of worrying about all of that, I just added “PLUS” to my blog name so now you know.

Having graduated one son in 2013, I will still be in the trenches with you homeschooling my younger two sons. You can read about all the planning and partying we did when he graduated here.

 

Changing and sharing a wide range of topics is the dynamic that keeps me going as I add in free printables, lapbooks, and always doing unit studies along with sprinkling in my heart for new homeschoolers.

I blog about a wide variety of topics because my blessings and experience overflows.

 →101 Random Things About Me←

1. Hail from the south United States.  A true Texas native.  Yes that means I luv sweet tea but probably shouldn’t drink it.

2.  A must wearer of huge jewelry with my favorite stones of amber, coral, turquoise and any natural product. Oh yes, natural includes diamonds but more fond of the fake jewelry.

3. In my element when public speaking because I have taught workshops for new homeschoolers since my very early days of homeschoooling.

4. History and geography are the only subjects we cover.  Are there any more we are missing in our homeschool journey?

5. Fast talker and that means the hands are moving even when I talk on the phone. I came weird “wired”.

 

6. Survivor of teaching one teen to drive with minimal claw marks on the doors.

7. Creating free printables is from my heart and I savor sharing with you.

8. Married to another true native Texan. He grew up with a granddad and dad that did rodeos. His luv now is for our sons but misses time spent growing up with horses. Me? My side of the family rides, I watch. My sons want to ride.

9. Does organizing count as a hobby? I love to organize and hope one day to feed that hobby more even though I manage to work some of it now between homeschooling. I didn’t give up a love of organizing when I started homeschooling.

10. Love to read a lot of non-fiction history  books and especially a lover of the wonderful book, the Bible.

11. Being a house full of males, I crave more shopping time, jewelry time and shoe time with my sister who also homeschools and has a house full of girls.

12.  As many times as I have tried I do not like beets.

13. Spa treatments, weekend getaways with my hubby and room service I am always in a mood for.

14. One day I will have a vendor who asks me my kids to review his company product of  chocolate. I will be wimpy in my negotiations as my knees cave for milk chocolate.

15. Working with many different homeschooling leaders and even helping on the by-laws of a new homeschool group has allowed  my homeschooling journey thus far to be blessed by some amazing friends and talent around me.

16. My slogan should read “never dreamed I’d be blogging” because writing was not my favorite subject in school though I loved my teacher. Sorry Ms. Clayton. When I think about writing to you though then I get all giddy and shine up my vocabulary.

17.  I have learned the secret to homeschooling joy. It is contentment not comparisons to others because each set of parents I feel have God given talents that are needed to raise their own unique children.

18. All my children play the piano and another instrument and are musically inclined, but you do not want me to sing for you.

19. I knew I wanted to homeschool from the beginning because my mom homeschooled my younger sister but I had a momentary lapse when I started and sent my son for one year of public school. I came back to homeschoooling full of more vim and vigor and set out to create the ever growing program for New Homeschoolers.

20. Traveling to other countries is another luv of mine and it didn’t stop when I got married.  I prefer the Caribbean Sea and blue skies anytime, anywhere.

21. At my engagement, my husband  proposed to me by freezing my engagement ring in a ice cube and slipping that in my champagne glass as he made a path of red roses and rose petals that lead to the spot overlooking the ocean as he proposed. It is a night I will never forget!

22. Growing up, my mother was a midwife and I witnessed more live footage of births than I ever dreamed of.  Then again, I love any discussion about babies and family.

23.  I know I have mentioned my sister but I didn’t mention my life-long friend Kelley who is the other creator of New Bee Homeschooler. I can’t hardly blog and not talk about her from time to time because we had planned field trips for our co-op together.  Growing up together, being pregnant at the same time and even getting married to great guys about the same time and starting our homeschool journey at the same time has made us life-long friends. I am blessed.

24. I menu plan for 30 days at a time.

25. I do love Mexican, Seafood and Thai Food but anything home made I heart. Yep my southern roots show because I love beans, cornbread, turnip greens, black eye peas and chicken dumplings.  I can do veggies anytime anywhere. My pallet is wide and when I menu plan for my family I try to include a new recipe for the month.

26. My view of  lapbooks have substantially changed throughout the years. They are not just for young children. I remember having to do presentations in school mostly in the older grades and so I used my lapbooks as enrichment.  The emphasis on my lapbooks is on enjoyment not how much they can cut and color.  Because of my desire to move away from boxed and canned curriculum because I schooled like a Nazi Momma, I created the site Dynamic 2 Moms for free lapbooks and changed it to Tinas Dynamic Homeschool and then merged it with my blog here.  It was born out of my desire to be more of a creative teacher for my sons.

 

27. Kelley and I have worked many homeschool conventions together and talking to other homeschoolers and helping them has been a sweet part of enjoying my journey.

28. Though I love to organize and plan I live with a man who luvs to plan with a shoot from his hip method. Sometimes that means I go on unplanned trips. Wow, I never knew life could be so wild.

29. One day I would love to take photography lessons but accept kid friendly pictures during my journey so I at least have some.

30. My Free 7 Step DIY Customized Curriculum Planner has taken years and years to create and change and it is my way of giving back to the homeschooling community.

31. When we first moved to the Houston area, we lived in a 800 square foot log cabin that I luv.

32. Homeschooling from a 800 square foot cabin to our 3000 square foot house now, I have many perspectives on how to use a homeschooling space effectively.

33.  LBK {Life before kids} I worked in a wonderful small law office where I received so much training on civil law and finished a course at the local university for a paralegal. That is where  I got my first love for fine tuning details.

34. Having been several times to Belize before it was modern instilled a love for adventure . I took trips on horseback in the jungle and discovered out of the way caves and waterfalls.

35. I love all colors and don’t have a favorite one but like yellow and brown a little less unless it’s a history sheet I am making.

36. Working on updating my house to more color but love the neutral colors in a home too.

37.  I was told when I started homeschooling that a dedicated school room would go to waste. I have learned now that learning happens best when part of the day is spent in an organized area and the rest of  it is spent elsewhere in the house. But I have always had a dedicated room for homeschooling.

38. I view all the hundreds and hundreds of new homeschoolers that have gone through my program as “family” and only wished I had start blogging when I started my program but then again would I have been able to do both?

39. Though I don’t let on much, I do have a bit of a geeky side. I love Star Trek (even the old seasons), Star Wars and watch Doctor Who with my boys.

40. Coffee is my friend and I can make some delish home made concoctions for my morning tonic.

41. The best time of the day for me is early in the morning before the sun comes up. I cherish my quiet mornings.

42. Though I have been using my treadmill, I am getting serious about losing my baby fat. My baby is 12.

43.  My father is Mexican and my mother is Irish and my upbringing  from two totally different cultures equalled an amazing childhood.

44. I grew up close to the Gulf Coast and going to the beach was part of what we  enjoyed as a family.

45.  I took Spanish in college and can understand it better than speak it.

46. My husband and I spent 3 months in Costa Rica volunteering for some church work.

47. You won’t find me ever with a small purse unless I am sick. The bigger the handbag the better. It goes along with my big earrings and luv of  big rings. I try not to have big hair, but my hair is naturally curly so it just goes there.

48.  I have never been in a car wreck.

49.  I love to chew gum and pop it too. Ewww, I know that aggravates my husband but I can do it really good!!!

50.  I moved only twice in my childhood and one of those times was when I was too young to know. My husband moved almost every couple of years growing up. He is an expert mover when we had to move as we have been married.

51. I bought my first new car right after high school because I already had good credit rating.

52. My husband and I waited almost 7 years before we had our first son and savored all of our time together so we could welcome him.

53.  My favorite subject in high school was history and I won the Queen nomination for the medieval fair. I was Queen for a day.

54. My high school years I filled up with taking courses on learning how to run an office. I had no desire to learn anything about home economics.

55. We had a small pool at our house in Texas and during the summer all of us will take a quick  early dip in the morning before school starts.  It is utterly the most refreshing thing to do instead of  jogging in the heat. I wish that would translate to losing more weight but then again after that I cook.

56. I cook many traditional Mexican food recipes learned through my father’s family and many traditional Southern recipes learned through my mother.

57. Me and my siblings recently hosted my parents 50th anniversary party. A true blessing to be married that long and a model for my marriage.

58.  My husband and I had a motorcycle when we got married until I burned my leg on it.

59.  My kids want pets but now that we live closer in to town its too hard to have them in a smaller yard space.

60.  A simple chocolate milkshake serves fine as a dessert for me.

61. My husband and I took a small jet to a remote island and stayed in huts without much amenities.

62. Traveling in LBK {life before kids} me and my sister would take off to New York or any other state we could drive to. My dad said that is why he is bald now. He lost all his hair worrying about his mini travelers.

63. Growing up in the South, I always come back to Blue Bell ice cream from the little creamery in Brenham, Texas. I can’t believe folks on the east coast have only heard of Caravel or Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

64. I took swimming lessons along with my siblings when I was in elementary school. They graduated to be lifeguard status, I never learned how to swim.  I do swim or should I say figure some way how to stay above water though its not pretty. Of course it never affected me wanting to be around the beach.

65. I am still trying to figure out why digging in the dirt in my yard is not very satisfying for me when I could be inside organizing something or rearranging furniture.

66. I prefer to use a cell phone as just a cell phone. I love my Blackberry Bold. I have a Kindle and iPad for going portable so I prefer just  a phone to be used as a cell phone.  I love the security that Blackberry offers. Not my husband, he is an Android based fan all the way.

67. I carry a big thing of water with me for the day that is not so pretty. One of my fabulous kids gets the honor of making my Bubba Keg for the day and then I don’t have to worry about drinking my water for the day.  It holds 72 ounces. Though I  would loved to have a more glammed up water bottle, this works for me because I carry it every day and everywhere.  I could get it in pink. I normally am not a pink person if its too light,  but since they offer one that is more fuchsia, I would go for that.

68. We moved in September, 2014 to Cuenca, Ecuador to savor the lifestyle of living and homeschooling overseas.  We are currently still living here.

69. I never dreamed I could combine all of my life into two suitcases when we moved to Ecuador, but I did.

70. I have never cared for floral patterns when dressing up. I prefer solid colors and love black in the winter, spring, summer and fall.

71. Don’t leave when I tell you this next thing about me because I know I have a lot of pet lovers here but I never cared for or needed a pet. Oh, I don’t mind a dog or cat but they are outside pets for the kids. My sister is so opposite of me.

72. I have no sense of direction. I kid you not.  If I come out of a building, I will almost always turn the opposite way.  Don’t even attempt to tell me where North is unless you define it by a building, a tree or a restaurant. Is that way I love geography so much?

73. I love any book that has a mystery or talks about the law. I never read any of those romance novels growing up and still don’t care for them.

74. At 9 years old is the only time I ever had short, short hair. Short hair won’t ever happen as long as the Mr. has his say about it.

75. When I first started creating printables it took hours and hours to learn to make a few simple one. I never appreciate the finesse of how to make a printable until I tried it myself.

76. When I first married my husband, we made milkshakes EVERY day in the evening during the first few months of our marriage. I gained 12 lbs then decided I better not be so “happy” anymore.

77. While I am telling you about my marriage, did you know that we fed about 500 people at our reception? It was a real Texas hoe down. We had beans, rice and brisket with home made bar b que sauce.

78.  Shortly after we were married, my husband’s father had a heart attack and we didn’t have enough money for us both to fly.  He went, I stayed home and never felt more alone in our new apartment.

79. I love to dance and my sister and I were always off dancing at some party hosted by friends. I can dance to Mexican music or I should say I did it a lot when I was single.

80. When my husband and I were newly married, I got a $1,000.00 bonus and this was a lot of money for us as we started out our marriage. My husband and I talked about it and I divided it with him so we could both get what we wanted. I bought a washer and dryer for our new apartment. My husband bough a motorcycle for us him.

81. Before I married my husband, I had never lived in the country, miles away from civilization.  I learned about rabbits, bobcats and field mice.  After having Tiny when living in the country, I would not trade anything for the time I have had living in the country.

82. Each year growing up, my family was devout about taking family trips. We drove to places like the Grand Canyon and Durango, Colorado all the while sleeping in the back of the truck. Though we weren’t rich by any means, because of my parents we were well traveled around the states.

83. My dad is more easy going and relaxed. My mom? Well she loves to talk, read and is way more keyed up than my dad.  I take after my mom.

84. I have one brother. He is the oldest. I am the oldest girl.

85. I drove more than an hour to paralegal school in Houston several time a week. It was one of the most scariest times of life as a single woman because at 10:30 at night driving home from the big city of Houston to the small outlying cities, it was pitch dark on the long open stretch of Texas highway. Then again, those nights alone driving as a single person gave me much time to contemplate under the starry heavens how I wanted my life to turn out. Every bit of it has come true and more.

86. I remember moving from Houston to Angleton as my dad got a job in Dow in Lake Jackson. I was too small to appreciate that my parents didn’t want to raise their kids in a big city. I am grateful now for small town living.

87. Besides milkshakes, I love banana splits and homemade banana pudding.

88. I have never admitted that I jumped head first into working out and attending body building contests as an attendee.  I loved working out so much more when I was younger than I do now.

89. I had to wear glasses from the time I was in 6th grade. When I got my very first paycheck, I bought contact lenses and wore them for years.  Now, I am back to glasses and actually love them because they have so many frames to choose from.

90. I love soup – A LOT. I could literally live on soup and guacamole.  Especially now that we are living here in Ecuador, the capitol in Latin America for soups, I am in paradise. I have never had so many delicious tasting soups that I had never heard of.  By the way, between the soups and walking, it is great on my weight loss.

91. We don’t drink soft drinks at our house. I should say we only drink them on special occasions or going out to a restaurant. But you know my love for tea and between that, water and juice we hardly drink soft drinks. Here in Ecuador that has changed a bit because the Coke does not taste like it does in the states. It is still served in a glass bottle and occasionally an iced coke with ice in the bottle is sooooooo good.

92. I love fruit a lot too, but don’t care much for pineapple. It is too sweet for me and also too strong. Guess what Ecuadorians like to use as the major filling for most desserts? Yep, pineapple. Though they have apples here I have yet to find an apple filled turnover.  Again though I love a mango or two each day along with the cherries and fruit I am still learning about here in Ecuador.

93. Planning the second graduation for Mr. Awesome, I feel more prepared and organized.

94. I wanted one more child, but we decided that we better stop at 3 boys because I wasn’t getting a girl.

95. I have a wonderful relationship with my mother in law and we love visiting with her each year.

96. I have had my original personal email for about 15 years. The same one.

97. Even when I was little, I didn’t like heavy coats for the winter. During real cold weather like when we visit my mother in law in North Texas where they have snow, I would rather wear layers of clothing than a huge coat. Sometimes it’s not possible because it’s so cold there, but I go from good mood to bad when I have to wear heavy clothing.

98. My choice of shoes for spring and summer is NONE. I am country as they come when I can be and always prefer bare feet but wear sandals and open toe shoes when I need to.

99. I prefer to be dressed up and wear makeup even when I go comfortable. I just love it.

100. I LOVE BOOTS! Any kind of boots, short, flat, mid-calf, knee length, leather, cowboy, cowgirl, fake, expensive or cheap. I love them all!

101. My youngest sister is way into genealogy and she has traced back both sides of our family a good ways back. That is one reason I knew to include some of my family in our American Civil War unit study and she has traced back to even earlier. I love learning and reading as much of her research as I can.