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31 Days of Dinner Ideas for November With Linked Recipes for Busy Homeschool Nights

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November 31 days of dinner ideas internet linked recipes. Grab these awesome and easy dinner ideas for those busy homeschool nights @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

You know that big sigh of relief you have when you know you’re coming to the end of a long-term goal? Well, you can just about exhale because we have almost made it to the end of the year in our year long menu planning.

My goal this year was to share with you one year’s worth of dinner ideas with recipes internet linked to  show you how 31 day menu planning is superior to any other planning and especially because we are homeschooling.

I use to stress about planning for the month but I stuck it out many years because I knew once I planned for that many dinner ideas for the month, I could concentrate on our school.

And well, it just took over and has been the BEST thing to do for my family because I didn’t want to give up good home made meals.

Besides that, I do love to cook, but not when I’m stressed all the time. So 31 day menu planning has been the solution many years for me.

By doing it this year with you, I hope to give you the boost you need to keep on going.

Look at my tips that  I follow now for 31 day menu planning.

  • Forget looking ahead to see what is all planned for the month. Things change, so don’t worry about trying to match the dinner idea to the day. It’s easy to find one dinner idea that will match up for the day when you have 31 ideas that your family likes.
  • This list is NOT about matching dinner ideas to  a date.  It’s about having 31 days of dinner ideas to choose from. Some months, I renumber my dinners to match dates and other months, I just follow my ideas straight through.
  • When menu planning, mix and match crockpot ideas, salads and easy dinners with dinners that take a bit more time. This way you can choose one of the crockpot dinner ideas if you do have a field trip or two planned for the month.

By the time we finish, we will have more than 365 recipes for the year. Boo-yah!

Then think about the return, next year we will have ALL of our menu planning DONE! And the BEST part is that hardly any recipe repeats. Yes, that’s what I’m talking about.

Oh for sure you can repeat your favorite, but variety keeps the family loving every precious moment you spend making them delicious food.

 Download here November 31 Days of Dinner Ideas

Grab the other months here:

January dinner ideas along with an editable menu planner
February dinner ideas
March dinner ideas
April dinner ideas
May dinner ideas
June dinner ideas
July dinner ideas
August dinner ideas
September dinner ideas
October dinner ideas

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

31 Days of Dinner Ideas for October With Linked Recipes for Busy Homeschool Nights

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October 31 Days of dinner ideas for October for busy homeschool nights which can mean just about every night - sometimes. @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Continuing on in my series for 31 Days of Dinner Ideas, I have the 31 days of dinner ideas for October with linked recipes ready.

Did you know by the time we finish doing this together we will have over 365 meal ideas to put in our recipe book?

I will be making a new recipe book at the end of the year that I can’t wait to show you.

31 Dinner Ideas Rocks Your Homeschool

Remember too that 31 days menu planning is wayyyyyyyyy easier than a 7 day meal plan which sneaks up on you pretty quickly.

Taking an extra few minutes in the month to plan for longer periods of time gives me more breathing room.

Too, if you noticed I don’t feel in the days of the week on my 31 ideas. That is because I don’t use them one right after the other.

The point is to have 31 days of dinner ideas regardless of which days I decide to cook on and not trying to cook them one right after the other.

A support system is about using what you need from it and discarding the rest. So don’t try to take so much time planning.

Simply grab 31 ideas, list them and use them at your discretion.

Too, dinner ideas should reflect your family’s needs and tastes. For example, all of my family loves chicken and don’t mind having it several nights in row.

If your crew has low tolerance for that, then mix the recipes around.

I only have 2 more months to go to have a whole year of linked recipe ideas for you and me.

Are you still with me?

Download here October 31 Days of Dinner Ideas

Grab the other months here:

January dinner ideas along with an editable menu planner
February dinner ideas
March dinner ideas
April dinner ideas
May dinner ideas
June dinner ideas
July dinner ideas
August dinner ideas
September dinner ideas

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

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Homeschool Organization Motivation – 11 Gadgets To Get You Going

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Homeschool organization motivation means finding the little pretty things that motivate me for the new homeschool year.

Hopefully they’ll get you giddy for the new year too.

Homeschool Organization Motivation - 11 Gadgets To Get You Going | Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Jonathan Adler Seasons Pouch11

I love anything Jonathan Adler and I have a smokin’ hot accessory pouch for you.

Then I have the lightweight light I use at night for reading when the Mr. is ready for bed, but I’m still reading my latest book.

book light11

Organizing Learning Spaces

I got this when we were on the road to South America and just love the fact that it’s light and not bulky.

Besides, a lot of my homeschool reading how-to I do at night.

desk monitor11

This next item is a screen shelf which I also found when we traveled because it added a bit of extra storage when I was limited on space. 

Anything Bando I love because all their supplies and organizing tools are fun and colorful.

markers11

Then, add a bit of some fun things to your learning surface whether you have a table or nook.

I love anything that keeps me motivated.

sticky notes11

Then, I’m a sticky note junkie because they can, well – stick anywhere and I’m loving these sticky notes with the days of the weeks and then these Pride and Prejudice page flags are a recent find and so adorable.

book tabs11

Then this adorable mini easel with Carpe Diem is a bit of motivation for the day to get going and seize the day.

carpe diem11
office tools11

And I just love my little micro office tool box because it is SO cute.

Okay, okay, it has so much packed into a small container like scissors, tape and the most adorable mini stapler, which is great to have by your 7 Step Free DIY Homeschool Planner.

pad11
USB charger11


Then I couldn’t resist a few more pretties

ampersand


Then the last last item to move your to organize are these ampersand bookends that I just flipped over. I found some that just offered black and others which offered color.

Stuff like this gets my going for the new homeschool year. Why shouldn’t we homeschool with a bit of style?

Over the Top Homeschool Organization Tools!

Don’t forget the other things I have to help you get this homeschool year off to a great start.

If you’re new to homeschool, you’ll love my book.

It is UNIQUE in that it’s not another book written by a homeschool mom, but a program based on my years ACTUALLY helping new homeschoolers.

Also, besides all the free and paid pages to upgrade your free 7 Step DIY Free Homeschool Planner, don’t forget I have the Ultimate Glam it Up Planner and and the fabulous Unit Study Planner. (click on the links to see more pictures).

Glam It Up Package 300 Tina Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

This blog hop is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutual beneficial projects.

5 Homeschool Things to Toss By the End of Summer

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

5 Homeschool Things to Toss By the End of Summer @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

If I lived in the perfect world of just organization, I would ideally label one box give away, another box labeled to keep and another one to throw away or recycle. But I don’t live in that world because I need to homeschool too.

Homeschool organization is quite different than having all day long to organize, which of course I would love but it won’t happen as long as I homeschool.

Why Homeschooling Simply is of Lasting Value?

Because my time is limited, tossing has always been my go to option. Unless something will bless a homeschool family right away and in a large way, clutter multiplies if you don’t get rid of it soon.

Too, because we are sharing living and learning spaces, a lot of the things I do at the end of summer spills over into my home organizing.

I find that back to school or the beginning of a school year, after I have chosen my curriculum is a great time to take a peek at my home to see what I need to toss.

Look at 5 homeschool things to toss by the end of summer…

ONE. Toss old food, containers and items from your pantry. Mark containers clearly.

Toss old spices and food items @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

toss old containers

When I need to make room for food that my family will eat because their likes and dislikes have changed, I find that cleaning out my pantry for the new homeschool year gets me ready.

It’s hard to cook well when there is a mess to begin with. Take time to toss what you won’t eat this next year or take it to the food pantry for others to be blessed by.

Then, get rid of containers that make it hard to see what you have on hand when ready to cook. I love see through containers and I mark them clearly (no corny pun intended) so I know what I’m grabbing when time is rushed.

TWO. Toss recipes that you do not use.

You know I have mentioned before that though many apps exists for recipes, I like to put my recipes in a 5 inch binder.

Homeschool-Organization-Are-you-Collecting-Cookbooks-or-Recipes_thumb.png

I don’t like my hands touching my devices while I’m cooking. And with page protectors I can turn the pages easily in my binders and wipe them off to sanitize them.

It’s the way I roll and so I always try to go back through my 365 recipes for the year and toss ones that just don’t make top marks with my family.

THREE. Art projects. Do you have some of these lying around the house?

Perish the thought that I don’t keep every crafty piece of art that my sons have done, but I don’t. I would be living under a suffocating pile of heap-o-junk.

A long while back I had to have a reckoning with Tina Day. I was in homeschooling for the long run, which meant I had to make some hard and fast decisions about art projects to keep and which ones to not keep.

toss old art projects by the end of summer @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

I do cherish each one and take several pictures of each project.

How to be Happily Homeschool With What You Have and not With What You Don’t Have

And though I do love free cloud storage, I prefer to use a huge external hard drive because I don’t want to rely on free cloud storage that may come or go.

I use the Toshiba 1TB portable external hard drive because it has tons of storage (1TB) is slim and I can travel with it. I take lots of pictures of our projects through the years and store them on the hard drive.

FOUR. Sorry, but I don’t pass on nasty broken crayons or map colors to the younger siblings.

Unless I have a preschooler in the house, which chunky crayons are for, each kid gets brand new crayons or map colored pencils.

Even younger kids are smart enough to know that they are getting second hand crayons and they don’t want those old nasty things.

I guess you could have a party with the crayons and melt them all to make an art piece but then you’re back to needing to store that project.

FIVE. Toss or tear down old science projects. Recycle if you can.

I say toss loosely here because sometimes we can use the same parts over when we have built something previously.

Toss or recycle old science projects @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

We have loved every contraption and gadget we have made through the year but the end of the summer is a great time to part with them and make room for new creations.

We break them down and keep only the parts that look like we may be able to use again.

Those are just a few of the things that I am happily sorting through.

What about you? What do you toss or recycle by the end of summer?

Also, look at my article, How Can I Achieve Simple Homeschooling and Get Organized – Rev Up for the New Homeschool Year.

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

 

Top 10 Tips for Maximizing Space in (Really) Tiny Homeschool Spaces

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have 10 awesome tips for maximizing space in really tiny homeschool spaces. Also, you’ll love How to Turn a House Into a Homeschool Space Part 1.

Improvising and finding inspiration when setting up a learning area in cramped quarters doesn’t mean you have to give up style too.

I have not always had such large homeschool spaces to have my boys learn in, but I’m always up for new and creative ideas to expand on what I have already used.

Does that resonate with you too?

Top 10 Tips for Maximizing Space in (Really) Tiny Homeschool Spaces @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Look at these top 10 tips for maximizing space in really tiny homeschool spaces.

Maximizing Storage

First, I love any idea which maximizes spaces and there are some creative ones here.

10 Tips for Maximizing Space in Tiny Homeschool Spaces

Creating more storage from smaller spaces is not easy to do. But I have gathered some great ideas for your homeschool area.

Photo Credit: www.hgtv.com

Short on Space? Turn a Closet Into a Homeschool Station

I love this area and whether you need a place to store your curriculum, or your teen needs a quiet place away from siblings, this is a great idea when limited on space.

Photo Credit: www.twotwentyone.net

2. Use for Laundry Bag

Store puzzle pieces, school supplies and even books in them.

Use a S hook and hang the bags on the wall. Looking at a row of clear mesh bags, it’s easy for you to take down what you need.

Your children can bring one or two bags down and put them away when not in use.

3. Height Adjustable Dining Table

Have you seen dining room tables, which lowers and raises?

When it’s lowered, it can be used for younger children or do double duty as a coffee table.

4. Crystal Clear Over The Door Hanging Shoe Organizer, Turquoise

An over-the-door organizer is one of the most versatile and inexpensive ways to add instant storage.

Sure, it can be a shoe organizer, but an over the door organizer can come with different size pockets.

Just be sure to label each pocket so that your children know what belongs in each one.

Photo Credit: www.lushome.com

5. Keep your books underfoot.

Books are always challenging to store in small spaces. Don’t forget floor spaces under furniture.

If you have the room to create a drawer, that is best.

Photo Credit: hiphomeschoolmoms.com

6. Homeschool Bookshelves on Small Wall Space

The small wall area between the bottom of a widow and the floor may seem like wasted space.

Create DIY shelves to fit the exact niche by using inexpensive repurposed wood or sturdier industrial looking pipes.

Photo Credit: lalymom.com

7. Use a baby gate as an alphabet wall or sight word wall.

Many years, I used several baby gates in my home. That too is valuable ‘wall space’ that is just waiting to be used.

I love this idea from Lalymom. Create an activity center for your preschooler by creating the wall with soft fabric.

Adding pockets for a preschooler to sort letters or numbers in makes this a great learning area.

Not only does it make for a pretty cover for your gate, it doubles as an activity center. When the baby is up, put away the small pieces, like letters or numbers that fit in the pockets.

Photo Credit: www.alwaysneverdone.com

8. Sofa Table Tutorial

Then I just couldn’t pass up sharing this next genius spacing saving hack.

Can you say, oh let me add some more books there? And the best part is that not only can you do this skinny minny table yourself, but it’s inexpensive.

I would, however, measure my books and use the one that has the largest depth to use as the width of the table.

Look at the tutorial over at Always Never Done.

9. Free up precious wall space. Use the middle of the floor.

When the boys were preteens, I bought a large oversized craft table and put it in the middle of the floor to free up valuable wall space.

Our wall space was also limited because one wall had all windows.

The added bookshelves under the table was a welcomed storage space.

Photo Credit: www.pinterest.com

10. Curtain rods are not just for curtains but for hanging storage.

Use magnetic curtain rods. And though you can put them on your walls, hang them on your refrigerator for extra storage.

In addition, you can add two or three stylish curtain rods at eye level on a wall. Add and use drapery clips to hold clear storage bags.

The storage uses for a humble curtain rod are endless. It can corral paper clutter, school supplies and even a book. The best thing is that when you hang clear bags, you can see what is inside.

Pin by Lanell Proffitt on Back to school | Teaching organization, Classroom fun, Teaching classroom

paintaninteriordoorwithchalkboardpaintforhomeofficehomeschoolroombathroomkidsroombedroom

toy-storage

(Credit: Two Twenty One)

For younger kids, use storage folding lap desks, which can be folded and tucked away behind a sofa or in the closet.

homeschooling in tiny homeschool areas


When my boys were younger and we were limited on homeschool space, they sat on the floor and set up lap desks on the floor for our science activities.

Homeschool Learning Spaces Without Limits

under bed storage

(Credit: Lushome)

bookshelve to fix an exact niche
homeschoolbookshelves-copy

(Credit: Hip Homeschool Moms)

curtain rod

Homeschool Hacks

DIY-Baby-Gate-Cover-Alphabet-Chart-from-Lalymom

(Credit: Lalymom)

sofa-table-Always-Never-Done-23-400x600

(Credit: Always Never Done)

More Tiny Homeschool Spaces Ideas

Taking a homeschool space from drab to fab is worth it especially when you’re homeschooling because of how much time we spend in an area.

What tiny space hacks are you going to try or have used?

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.