organizedhomeschool

The Perfect Personal Planner: 5 Questions to Ask (before you buy)

December 20, 2016 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Life is full of seasons of change and for the first time this year I will be using two different planners. One planner will be the one I always use each year, which is my 7 Step Homeschool Planner and the other one is a new personal planner.

My homeschool planner is considerably thinner now that I am down to homeschooling one son and my personal life after school (taking care of aging parents, guiding young adults on career and education and keeping up with my husband’s new career) is considerably fuller.

Choosing a personal planner can be just as overwhelming as choosing as a homeschool planner.

Because I had used a personal planner in my LBK (life before kids) when I was ~~important~~ busy working in a law office, I had some previous experience using one prior to switching to exclusively using a homeschool planner. Life comes full circle for sure.

Personal Planners that Fits a Homeschooling Lifestyle (or don’t)

I’m sure my personal planner will be a journey like my 7 Step Homeschool Planner has been, but there are few questions I had to answer before I chose one.

I thought you could benefit from my brainstorming questions.

One/ How big do you want it? Size matters.

One reason for choosing a personal planner is because I still want this baby to fit in my purse. This is the hardest part for me because by nature, I tend to like large size planners, which give me a lot of room to write.

But I’m sucking it up and going tighter and smaller to keep my personal planner fitting in my purse because I need to be able to not carrying too much in my hands as I take my mother in law back and forth to the doctor for her appointments. Besides my other hand is for more important things like coffee or iced tea.

Pointer: Remember if you use a smaller planner, you may need to only keep half the year in your planner for the daily pages. I’m keeping the glance at a view for the whole year, but scaled back my daily pages to only 6 months because I want journal pages to write notes in. I’ll see how I survive.

Two/ Do you want to reuse a binder or choose one already spiral bound?

I know that I will be using my binder a lot and so I wanted one with rings and chose a faux leather one to refill. If I stick with this method, I think I would be willing to cough up the bucks for a leather one that will last.

But that also leads me to my next question.

Three/ What type of refillable calendar pages do you want?

Knowing that I want as much room to write on my journal pages and daily pages, I chose a one-page-per-day layout.

Four/ What type of journal pages do you want?

I chose simple colored pages because I’m still waffling about how I want to make my lists and take notes, so I chose Filofax ruled and plain personal size pages to keep it simple.

Five/ What kind of extras (i.e. glam) do you want to add to your planner?

Then my favorite part is choosing all the pretty stuff to go in it. I do like some of it, but I’m not into turning my planner into a scrapbook. Who has time for that while homeschooling? Inspiration and enhancing yes, but dawdling and idling no.

Having inspiration in my planner is important to me as I use it everyday. Like my 7 Step Homeschool Planner, I have to add a few smokin’ hot things I love.

Here is what I’ve added so far.

Posh bookmarks.
Michaels carries a lot of the Recollections brand, which I like for my planner.

Planner Charm (everybody needs one or two)

Here is the planner charm I using right now which is the Creative Year Sky Blue Tassel & Feather Planner Charm.

Then you never want to leave home without having an accessory pouch and well if it’s gold, it just makes things better! ha.

Not only can you include in the pouch a few mentionables like paper clips, small tube of lip balm and a rubber band, but any small unmentionable you want to as well. (wink).

I got my gold accessory pouch from Michaels and used it this year and I think I can get another years use out of it.

And then I love having more than one way to spot sections in my planner, so I have been using these Creative Year Blush Magnetic Bookmarks too.

Will you be using two planners this next year too?

It has been a longggggg time since I have and I’m so giddy to jump into using it and I’m sure I will have some pros and cons next year after I start using it and I won’t forget to share them with you

Hugs and love ya,

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

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.

Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

2018 Two Page Per Month Calendar For Your Homeschool Planner

November 3, 2016 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Rolling out my first color choice, which is glamorous for the 2018 two page per month calendar, I’m excited to have it out so early.

If you’re like me, you want to have calendars for at least two years in your planner.

Curriculum Pages for Planner

Too, keep in mind all of the options for the two page per month calendars are kept here at Step. 2. Choose Calendars/Appointment Keepers.

Today, though I have what I call the glamorous 2 page calendar. It’s glamorous and beautiful, which is how I like all my forms.

Look at these details to see what you get.

Two Pages Per Month.

25 pages.
Like my academic year 2 page spread calendars, you get a full year with this download.
You can use this calendar to add to your home management binder, my forever blog planner or to your 7 Step Homeschool Planner.
12 months. Begins January 2018 and Ends December, 2018.
Color Calendar
Digital .pdf download, you print.
Boxes are bigger on a 2 page per month spread so that you have more room to write important appointments for both school and home.
Purchase one this color and purchase one another color for your second planner.

TOS

Important: READ THIS FIRST.
Before you email me asking where your download link is or tell me that it is not working, read this to ensure that you get your pretties timely and that you don’t pay for something and not get it.

• All my products are digital. You will not receive a physical product for anything in my store. A digital physical year calendar does not mean a physical product or calendar.
• Downloads are INSTANT. When you pay, you will receive an email with a download link INSTANTLY. Depending on your internet connection, the email could be just 30 seconds or so, or a bit longer. The point is it will be soon, not a week later,etc.
• The email with the download link will go to the email you used for paypal. If you used your husband’s paypal, your downloads will go to that email. Please check that email and your spam before emailing me telling me you can’t find it.
• Please put my email tina @ tinasdynamichomeschoolplus dot com (of course substitute the right symbol for dot) in your address/contact list so that your product does not go to spam.

MY GUARANTEE: To treat you like I want to be treated which means I know at times technical problems may cause glitches, so I will do everything possible to make your experience here pleasant. I value your business and value you as a follower. I stand behind my products because they are actual products I use and benefit from too. Though I cannot refund purchases after you have been given access to them, I will do what I can to be sure you are a pleased customer.

You can grab it today for .99.

Hugs and love ya,

If you want to see the other options for the two page per month calendars, then go to STEP 2.

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.

Homeschool Organization – Why You’re Still Drowning in Clutter

October 31, 2016 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Getting rid of the kids is one option for homeschool decluttering. (okay, okay). Today, I’m sharing homeschool organization – why you’re still drowning in clutter because understanding why we save things helps us to part with them.

The Big Four Barriers to Homeschool Decluttering

Telling you that I have a regular routine to declutter and why you should too won’t have one ounce of meaning or motivation to you unless you understand why we all keep clutter.

On top of that, homeschooling just adds another layer of stuff to what we already have in our home.

Before we can address workable solutions, we need to conquer our fears, which are the barriers to homeschool decluttering.

Look at these four reasons why you can’t let go of clutter.

ONE// The one day thinking.

It for sure is the most crippling mindset, which is one day I will need it.

TWO// It may be worth something one day.

This is especially hard for us as homeschoolers because a lot of us by nature are frugal or thrifty, but can that be misguided thriftiness?

THREE// My ________ (insert family relative here) saved it for me all these years or gave it to me.

My mom and I are real close, but unlike me she saves everything. She had things from my high school and elementary years which were sentimental to us both.

However, she didn’t just have a few things, but tubs and tubs of them. I have no room to store them, but I am thankful for technology today because I am able to capture numerous photos of them.

FOUR// It’s worth too much to just throw away.

The somebody, somewhere in the world will be able to use it that can’t afford nice things is another mindset setback for decluttering.

You and I both know as teachers that before we can correct negative behavior with children or find a solution to their problem we have to understand and identify the behavior first. Decluttering our homeschool is similar.

Confession time. Which one are you or do you want to silently stalk here? That is okay too because I will be addressing each of these barriers in upcoming articles with solutions and tips.

You won’t have to wait too long for some help, look at these articles right now.
5 Homeschool Things to Toss By the End of Summer, Top 10 Tips for Maximizing Space in (Really) Tiny Homeschool Spaces and How a 31 Day Menu Plan Makes You a Healthier, Better & Smarter Homeschool Mom + Free Editable Planner.

Hugs and love ya,

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.

Homeschool Organization Motivation – 11 Gadgets To Get You Going

August 15, 2016 | 159 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Homeschool Organization Motivation

Today, I am sharing a few pretty things that I love and have used. It’s the little pretty things that motivate me for the new homeschool year and hopefully they’ll get you giddy for the new year too.

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.

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.

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. Then I just flip over color and the Bando highlighters in neon color I think you’ll luv.

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.

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

Then I couldn’t resist a few more pretties like the plain (okay plain but pretty) mini notes and then this gold charger cable is to die for with style.

Then the last last item to move your to organize are these ampersand bookends that I just flipped over.

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 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,

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

August 4, 2016 | 19 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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,

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.