Organization

DIY Kitchen Tongs Holder (Using Paper Towel Tube)

January 16, 2016 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Part of organizing this new small place we are in now is being sure that my kitchen is organized too.

DIY Kitchen Tongs Holder (Using Paper Towel Tube)

I have encouraged you over and over that when your home needs a bit of organizing love to stop your homeschool and organize it.

Diy kitchen tongs holder (using paper towel tube) is one of the few things I have been doing this year to get my kitchen running a bit more smooth since our move back to the states.

Look at what else I have been doing and that you may want to grab.

Grab my 31 day editable menu planner with 31 dinner ideas here, look at how I made diy brads cheap and chic here and diy family calendar with free printable cover here.

It may not sound like a big deal, but it is one of the pesty things in the kitchen that kept slowing down my cooking and that is tongs sticking together.

Or, maybe it was just one of those day where I had my fill with those tiny, but hugely annoying things in the kitchen and I undertook a quick diy projects.

It was one of those days where all my cooking utensils, especially my kitchen tongs, which I use a lot kept opening up in the caddy. Again, small, but totally annoying.

So I came up with a pretty and quick way to store the humble kitchen tongs in my utensil caddy or even in the kitchen drawer.

Look at what I gathered up real quick.

You know I am into easy and quick diy fixes.

So I grabbed my washi tape, some discarded paper towel tubes, and I had a pastry brush in storage (don’t ask me what possessed me to store that long term, like I was going to use it again..ugg), and some mod podge.

It took just a few minutes to wrap each paper towel tube and I used the mod podge and pastry brush to put a layer over it to seal it.

Tiny, but annoying problem solved for me.

Hugs and love ya,

Are you following my TWO different Pinterest Accounts?

Follow Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s board Home DIY on Pinterest.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.

DIY Family Calendar (Fabulous & Frugal) + Free Calendar Cover

January 2, 2016 | 6 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

DIY Family Calendar (Fabulous & Frugal)

Because I am not sure where we will be living permanently and because life doesn’t wait, I put together a diy family calendar, which is both frugal and fabulous.

In an earlier post, I shared about how I created some beautiful diy brads for this calendar to keep it frugal.

Today, I created a quick and beautiful calendar for the new year and used those diy brads to bind the pages.

Look at how quickly I put it together with my pages that I have here.

First, I grabbed my .99 cent 2 page spread Appointment Keeper in the Dreaming color option. You can grab it below.

Then because I want this calendar cover to match my Home Management Binder cover, which I will be updating too now that we moved back to the states, I created this new cover to match.

Too, I don’t really have a place for a command center in this tiny apartment so a diy calendar is the best option for us this year.

Actually, I created TWO front covers. I created one for 2016 and one that does not have the year on it.

You can grab them both below.

Grab the calendar cover with 2016 on it here.

Grab the calendar cover that is not dated here.

Also, look what else I have here that is free to put in your diy family calendar.

After the cover, I added my free 2016 peek at the year calendar and put the free 2017 calendar in the back of my planner.

I also added my free goal sheet and free important dates for the year at the beginning of the planner.

I’m all ready for the new year and have a place that I can track our family appointments and frugal too.

Why buy an expensive store bought calendar when you can create exactly what you want?

Hugs and love ya,

If you love planners like I do, be sure you look at my Free 7 Step Homeschool Planner, my free Home Management Binder and my Free Student Planners.

Follow BOTH of my Pinterest Accounts for SUPER DUPER DIY Pins too.

Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.
Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.

How a 31 Day Menu Plan Makes You a Healthier, Better & Smarter Homeschool Mom + Free Editable Planner

January 1, 2016 | 28 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Losing weight has always been hard in my family. Besides that though, I have tried to focus on the inside person by focusing on my health. Not that I don’t try to lose weight, but a 31 day menu planner makes you a healthier, better and smarter homeschool mom for several reasons.

Take Back Your Family

Look at this list of why a 31 day menu plan is vital for busy homeschool moms.

Coping like career moms.

Whether you are new to homeschooling or not, it doesn’t take long to figure out that you have a career.

It’s true. We are working moms because a career is something that is our first importance and progress is our focus. And we have made our decision. Our family, our home and Educating the WholeHearted Child becomes our career.

It almost seems like a contradiction to think we would glance at tips for career moms since we are stay at home moms, but we do need to steal a few tips from working moms.

Working moms have to plan if they don’t want to compromise the health of their families and we need to also.

Planning meals becomes essential to success as homeschooling moms.

Eases stress.

Stress is one of the biggest reasons homeschoolers quit.

Don’t underestimate the weight of stress and not to mention guilt as moms when we just wing a dinner that is not particular tasty, let alone healthy.

Knowing just one trick like taking about 30 minutes to plan for the whole month not only lightens your load considerably, but it eases day to day stress.

For me 31 day menu planning eases evening stress.

For example, I had to take a honest examination to see where my struggle was on meal planning and find a solution to fix it.

Breakfast is easy for us. We love smoothies, oatmeal, cereal and waffles. It is not a stressful time in my household.

Lunch is the same way. My children love leftovers, sandwiches, soups and other options.

Dinner or supper, however, is quite another story.

I am tired by the end of the day. On top of that, there is not a worse feeling than to start a meal and to be shy one key ingredient on hand to finish it and get my meal on the table. Tell me that I am not the only one that has done that?

The point here is to use 31 day menu planning as a stress reliever not stress inducer. If you think you struggle with all the meals, then start there by planning all of your meals.

I know there are homeschoolers who plan every meal, but for us it just makes no sense because we basically like the same things for breakfast and lunch.

The bottom line is that 31 day menu planning should be about what your family needs. Find your weak point and fix it.

It means flexibility, saving money and being healthier. That equals smarter.

I am all about following budgets, being healthier and working smarter.

A 31 day menu plan has saved me thousands, yes thousands of dollars through the many years of homeschooling because I don’t overbuy and have things in my pantry for years that are not used.

It saves me money because I don’t throw away food in my refrigerator that does not get used up.

And meals are healthier because I have a plan before I go into the grocery and choose healthier ingredients.

Being tied to a menu planner is not my style either. But with a 31 menu planner, it’s easier to switch around my meals as life happens instead of trying to wing dinner. Give me flexibility anytime with my 31 day menu planner.

I don’t think it’s wrong to want to have it all when it comes to the health and education of our family.

Though it’s hard to lose weight in my family, I never want to use that as an excuse to stop trying. On top of that, I want to model for my sons the example of making healthy food choices.

I don’t like complicating healthy choices or taking an all or nothing approach to food.

We love ice cream in our family and swing by and grab ice cream sometimes in our family outings.

Knowing that our evening meals are stress free, relaxing and that I have healthy options with organic ingredients has only added to the fulfilling career I have chosen as a homeschool mom.

For You – Free 31 Day Menu Planner & Editable – To Ease Your Stress!

Grab my free 31 day menu planner.

I have made it editable for you. I used it when I started homeschooling. I made it editable too since you’re planning several meals.

DOWNLOAD HERE FREE 31 DAY MENU PLANNER . To plan 3 meals a day and it is editable!

Now, I have created a second one, which is for dinners only because that is the area I want help with the most.

Download here Free 31 Day Menu Planner for Dinners Only.

Plan just what you need and don’t organize something you don’t struggle with. Save time and plan the meals you need help with the most. If it’s breakfast, plan only for breakfast.

If you struggle with all meals, then be determined to make your homeschool journey less stressful by planning all the meals. I promise planning doesn’t take as long as you may think.

Let me help you. Grab my 31 day dinner only plan for January.

Grab my 31 days of dinners for this month.

My 31 day dinner plan reflects my family’s like and dislikes.

Where possible, I linked to recipes for you that can be found on the internet and the other recipes are ones I have cooked for years.

I included this picture below so that you can see how I organized the planner. Use it over and over each month.

Fill in the month, add the week day and the grocery list right sidebar coordinates to that week’s list of items needed for those 7 days.

I will continue to struggle with the rotundness that runs in my family, but I am celebrating the fact that for many years I have been limiting as many unhealthy ingredients as possible.

What do you struggle with most when it comes to menu planning? And what are you celebrating?

Hugs and love ya,

Guess what? I don’t have enough to do, so I have a SECOND Pinterest Account. It too is full of organizational Pins. Follow Me!

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.

For more tips that work, look at Homeschool Organization: Are you Collecting Recipes or Cook Books?

11 Tried and True Ways to Tame the Home When You Homeschool

August 28, 2015 | 3 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

With the new school year comes different grade levels for kids. It may mean more relief for mom or it could mean more work when adding in younger children to the day.

Add a few preschoolers that need naps in the afternoons and a newborn baby and I was left many days wondering how I was going to fit in grocery buying, cleaning the house, menu planning and running errands.

It didn’t take too long into the school year before I was behind on cleaning the house and preparing for meals.

Tips and Tricks for Making a Messy House Clean

Though I thrived with schedules, my do-a-little-each-day method to cleaning wasn’t working.

Stepping back to examine even my method of cleaning, I want to share these sanity-saving tips that I used through the years.

If your kids are real young and you are outnumbered, make your shopping day Saturday or when Dad is off work.

For a few years, I took my oldest to the store while my husband took care of the youngest boys. It just had to be or otherwise my whole day was wasted getting only a small portion of what we needed.

As the boys got a bit bigger, I joined a local co-op in my neighborhood where I get could get fresh fruits and vegetables.

That was awfully convenient and I didn’t really need much preparation when they showed up in the neighborhood.

Also, the Mr. didn’t mind a bit stopping by the store after work and grabbing a few things.

So I would go about once every two weeks for the big items and the Mr. would grab perishable items if we ran out.

Limit your days to the grocery store. You only have so many days in the week.

It’s exhausting to not plan meals and go to the grocery store every other day.

I never wanted to do that and didn’t. When I could, I went once every two weeks, but sometimes I had to go weekly but not every day or every other day.

Then as the boys grew older and entered middle school, I was able to go to the store weekly and more on a schedule, but it had to wait until after school or about 2:00 or so.

This still gave me time to shop and get back before dinner.

As the boys approached high school, I made sure my grocery list was organized by aisles so that when Mr. Senior 2013 learned to drive, he could take over the grocery shopping.

There was no guessing what items or brands we liked because he had been shopping with me for many years since he was little.

Now, just organize your grocery list and let your highschooler do it.

Another tip that saved me countless of hours was investing in more than one crock-pot.

I would have 3 crock-pots going at one time.

Sometimes it would be two meals and one side dish and then sometimes it would be 3 meals and one of them a breakfast for the next day.

There is no such rule that you have to have only one crock-pot.

Our lives are very different from most families and we need to think outside of the box.

Did I mention that I even ordered once in a while from the Schwan’s delivery grocery? They have a few great tasting dishes.
Nowadays, you can even shop at Walmart and with free delivery, things can be delivered straight to your door.

My sister does this all the time. It’s a great way to shop with no stress and everything comes to your door.

As far as cleaning, I learned to have less products to clean with so that I could do all of the rooms in the house quicker instead of a different cleaner for each room.

I had to change the way I liked doing laundry too.

I tried to do a one day laundry day and get a majority of it over with.

I saved back things like linen and towels, which could be washed and dried, but could wait on being folded.

Those kinds of clothes I did while we did school and of course the baby’s clothes were washed just about every day.

I learned that by washing a bulk of them on one day, I made a dent for the week and could focus on school.

Those are just a few quick tips that saved me during the time school booted back up and during the year when I felt like I was getting behind.

What do you do to get it all in for the day?

Hugs and love ya,

Also, look at:
Inspiring Your Homeschooled Kids to Do Chores
Should You Switch to a 4 day Homeschool Schedule?

Get Organized – Rev Up for the New Homeschool Year

July 17, 2015 | 11 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

The secret to getting organized for the new homeschool year in next to no time is preparation.

Thinking now about long and short term storage options, you can set up a simple system that will save you precious time during the hectic pace of the new homeschool year.

Get Organized - Rev Up for the New Homeschool Year @Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Long Term Homeschool Storage Options

1. Free cloud storage and portable devices.

You may think it goes without saying, but storing as much as possible on free cloud storage or portable storage devices is a great reminder.

Print off the list of your e books or what is in the cloud and keep it in your planner. Having the list of your materials at your finger tips will help you avoid constantly accessing on line free storage or plugging in your portable devices when lesson planning.

If you have been homeschooling for a while, it may take some time to scan paperwork onto your computer. However, it is well worth the time instead of digging through boxes.

You are the only one to know whether you want to save an original piece of artwork or that creative essay that you thought would never happen.

2. Tubby mom.

Whether you are new to homeschooling or in my case last year when I was getting ready for a big move overseas and didn’t know my storage options, huge plastic tubs or totes are perfectly acceptable for storage.

If you are new to homeschooling, it is hard to know what you want to save and what to pitch in the beginning.

Keep all the paperwork and pieces of arts and crafts in large tubs and when you have a system, then pitch what you don’t want.

Try to avoid throwing all the school work together in the tub in the beginning.

A simple system for organizing within a tub like using notebooks, binders or even small boxes does not create mounds of work to sort later if you change your storage system.

3. Over sized 3 Ring Binders. (5 inch)

If you have the space for it, over sized 3 ring binders are one of my favorite organizing tools.

Though they can be expensive, the binders I purchased have held up well through the years.

Using 3 ring binders to organize for homeschool @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

I have not only used them to store paperwork long term, but I use them for my huge recipe book.

Adding page protectors to the binder to keep precious keep sake paperwork in prevents it from being dog eared and over handled.

It takes time to add the page protectors, but I also like to be able to flip through the pages when I want without handling the kids school work too much through the years.

4. In the box options.

Depending on how much you have to store, you may be able to use shoe boxes and huge diaper boxes that were meant for the trash.

It doesn’t take much work to make the boxes pop with some color by covering them with beautiful bright colored fabric and you have some swoon worthy storage.

If you are not feeling too crafty then store bought options overflow too.

Short Term Homeschool Storage Options

Teaching your children from the beginning to put away their books and paperwork each day will not only lighten your workload, but it is an important organizing skill to teach your kids.

1. Humble Plastic Drawer – Not So Humble

Plastic drawers are some of my favorite ways for the boys to be sure they put away their supplies.

Each year, I measure my biggest or longest book, which normally is a high school book and make sure the drawers fit.

I have had good success with well made drawers at the Container Store though they are more expensive.

2. Slim 3 Ring Binders & Folders.

Slim color coordinating binders or folders for each kid or color coordinating by subject gives them a tool that is not too hard to handle.

Having tools that are handy and within arm’s reach will help your child to be organized on a daily basis.

3. Hanging Up Storage.

Take advantage of walls, closets and doors to add more hanging store.

I used hanging storage for games, flashcards, crafts and things used on a daily like supplies and headsets.

I love the beginning of the new school year because it means I can ~~hoard~~ get all new organizing tools that I am excited about and that are swoon worthy too. It makes me feel like I can justify the cost too because I normally can use the organizing tools longer than a year.

Do you have anything new you are adding to your learning space this year?

Hugs and love ya,

Want some more organized homeschooling ideas to drool over? Check out:
DIY Homeschool Organizing with Duct Tape
Homeschool Organization – {Storage, Spaces, & Learning Places}

Organization

DIY Kitchen Tongs Holder (Using Paper Towel Tube)

DIY Kitchen Tongs Holder (Using Paper Towel Tube)

DIY Family Calendar (Fabulous & Frugal) + Free Calendar Cover

DIY Family Calendar (Fabulous & Frugal)

Grab the calendar cover with 2016 on it here.

Grab the calendar cover that is not dated here.

Follow BOTH of my Pinterest Accounts for SUPER DUPER DIY Pins too.

How a 31 Day Menu Plan Makes You a Healthier, Better & Smarter Homeschool Mom + Free Editable Planner

Take Back Your Family

For You – Free 31 Day Menu Planner & Editable – To Ease Your Stress!

DOWNLOAD HERE FREE 31 DAY MENU PLANNER . To plan 3 meals a day and it is editable!

Download here Free 31 Day Menu Planner for Dinners Only.

Grab my 31 days of dinners for this month.

11 Tried and True Ways to Tame the Home When You Homeschool

Tips and Tricks for Making a Messy House Clean

Get Organized – Rev Up for the New Homeschool Year

Long Term Homeschool Storage Options

Short Term Homeschool Storage Options

Categories

Archives

Organization

DIY Kitchen Tongs Holder (Using Paper Towel Tube)

DIY Family Calendar (Fabulous & Frugal)

Grab the calendar cover with 2016 on it here.

Grab the calendar cover that is not dated here.

Follow BOTH of my Pinterest Accounts for SUPER DUPER DIY Pins too.

Take Back Your Family

For You – Free 31 Day Menu Planner & Editable – To Ease Your Stress!

DOWNLOAD HERE FREE 31 DAY MENU PLANNER . To plan 3 meals a day and it is editable!

Download here Free 31 Day Menu Planner for Dinners Only.

Grab my 31 days of dinners for this month.

Tips and Tricks for Making a Messy House Clean

Long Term Homeschool Storage Options

Short Term Homeschool Storage Options

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