• Home
  • About
  • Advertising/PR
  • Contact
  • Login
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Meet Penny

Raising a family with sense on cents

  • Family
  • Finance
  • Fun
  • Work at Home
  • Giving & Serving
  • Shop

in Reviews

5 Apps for Busy Homeschooling Moms

Share & Help Me Grow

Homeschooling mothers are some of the busiest people I know, especially those who multitask by blogging or running a business from home. I do not like to compare schedules or talk about how busy I am with others, but I often get asked about the resources that help me get more done in less time.

5 apps perfect for busy homeschool moms

Most recently, I have worked to utilize my iPad Mini and the apps available. Here are a few of my favorites:

My Fitness Pal

This year, I plan to spend more time focusing on my… ahem… weight. I might be battling Hashimoto’s Disease but I knowing that someone with an autoimmune disorder can gain 10% or more of their body weight each year, I have to pay more attention to what I eat.

With My Fitness Pal, I can track what I eat along with how much exercise I am getting. The calories are tracked when I enter a new food (I use Calorie King for iOS to help find the caloric intake) and select them for a meal. I can even track my nutrition if I want to put in that additional information.

My Fitness Pal is available for iOS (Apple devices) or Android for FREE.

Ziplist

Since most foodie blogs – like mine at Frugal Family Favorites – use Ziplist to display their recipes, you can use the Ziplist app to save recipes to a free account. I personally use Ziplist to keep track of the recipes I find that I want to remember when I am in the kitchen later. For me, it is easier to find a recipe with the Ziplist app instead of having to comb through my Pinterest boards.

Ziplist is available for iOS and Android devices for FREE.

Emeals

If you are looking for an affordable meal planning service, check into using eMeals.com. You can choose from over 50 plans, including menus for families with dietary issues like gluten intolerance or those wanting a low-carb diet, have the menus emailed to you with a shopping list or access your account through the free eMeals app.

Emeals is a FREE app for iOS devices but a paid subscription is needed to use the service.

Cozi Family Organizer

Cozi Family Organizer is an amazing app for keeping the family calendar and shopping list synced together. Each family member can access the app and add to the calendar and lists. You can even set reminders for garbage day, birthdays, and more.

Cozi Family Organizer is available for iOS devices and Android operating systems for FREE.

But, my absolute favorite app for homeschooling moms…

Homeschool Helper!

Homeschool Helper is an amazing application that allows you to batch plan lessons, track attendance and grades, plan your activity calendar and more.

>> Generating lesson plans using the “batch” function is super simple:

  1. Choose your starting day and how many lessons are in the curriculum.
  2. Select which days of the week you want to have lessons and choose whether or not to exclude holidays.
  3. Adjust any lesson settings or use a set number of pages for each lesson.
  4. Make any notes (like which workbook you are using) and set the average duration for the lessons.
  5. Click to generate.

If something happens and you need to push your lessons back a few days, you can use the “bump” function and adjust the rest of the lessons.

>> Tracking a reading list for each child takes two clicks:

  1. Enter the title of the book and the date to start reading.
  2. Click to save.

When they have finished the book, you can edit the book to show it as read.

>> Making reports for lesson plans, attendance, report cards, reading lists… everything you might need to track records for yourself or state… is readily available inside the app and can be emailed to your computer for easy printing.

The Homeschool Helper app is not free but is worth the small $4.99. Available at iTunes for iOS (iPad and iPhone) and Amazon for Android devices (Kindle Fire).

Filed Under: Reviews

About Tabitha

Hi! I'm Tabitha! But, I bet you expected someone named "Penny." Long story made short, Penny is the coupon binder I started in 2010 when we were totally broke... as in BANKRUPT. Now, as a mom of five, I make 6-figures a year working at home and share ways to help you move from penny to profit while you raise a family with sense on cents.

« My Homeschool School Room Wishlist Tour
Recognizing the No Payments No Interest Credit Card Trap »

Comments

  1. Cheryl says

    August 14, 2013 at 9:21 am

    I use ziplist. I have been reading about the homeschool helper. I am getting back to homeschooling this year with three of my children. The app looks interesting, for sure.

    Reply
    • Cheryl says

      August 14, 2013 at 9:25 am

      And for favorite app. That depends on the theme. But one app I do use a lot is iAllowance for our chore system. I don’t due money as an allowance and this allows me to use whatever I want as rewards–currently, they earn “screen time” but could use it to earn other rewards. It’s flexible. I use it for multiple children. It has been a motivator for my kids to stay on track.

      Reply
      • Penny says

        August 14, 2013 at 9:29 pm

        I need to take a look at that one. I love that the kids can earn screen time. That would definitely work for us!

        Reply
  2. Jessica W says

    August 14, 2013 at 3:09 pm

    I love the Cozi app for its calendar and shopping list capabilities!

    Reply
  3. Danielle says

    August 14, 2013 at 3:52 pm

    Honestly, one of my favorite Apps to have is my Kindle App. I like being able to have it both on my iPad and iPhone so where ever I am and have a moment I can pick up my book where I left off and continue to read! I would never have any time at all for personal reading otherwise!

    Reply
  4. Rebecca R. says

    August 14, 2013 at 4:40 pm

    One of the apps I use sometimes for picture editing is Photogene…great for quick picture edits before ordering prints!

    Reply
  5. Jacqui says

    August 14, 2013 at 5:23 pm

    My favorite app is the You Version bible app. It allows me to keep up with daily bible reading and I love the extra reading plans that help you keep up with the extra reading and also allow you to “catch up” if you get behind. Would love to win a copy of the Homeschool Helper. Definitely something we need right now. Thanks for the opportunity!

    Reply
  6. Elizabeth says

    August 14, 2013 at 5:33 pm

    I have a few favorite apps. I use the Olive Tree Bible App and HomeRoutines most frequently.

    Reply
  7. Sasha says

    August 14, 2013 at 7:19 pm

    I think my favorite app right now is grocery pal! I love being able to put my grocery list in and then calculate how much I’m spending. It really helps me stay on budget.

    Reply
  8. Sonja A. says

    August 14, 2013 at 9:37 pm

    I like this app for Classical Conversations called “Writing Tools”. I’m teaching the Essentials class this year and it will help me soo much! 🙂

    Reply
  9. Damsel says

    August 14, 2013 at 10:04 pm

    I love the gmail app much better than the native iOS email app!

    Reply
  10. Sharon says

    August 15, 2013 at 6:23 am

    My favorite app is the netflix app and the EZ PDF Reader on my Nook.

    Reply
  11. Kate says

    August 16, 2013 at 12:31 am

    Yes! I love all my apps! I keep a simple photo blog, lastly for all the out of town family, and the WordPress app is great for the quick updates from the day!

    Reply
  12. Sarah says

    August 17, 2013 at 9:34 am

    I just found you … what a great blessing your blog is!! (and what a great amount of time I’m spending here, getting so many fantastic ideas … if only now I will implement them all! ha!)
    Favorite phone app ~ hmm … ugh, I’m dull. Probably Pinterest … but usually only because I have many of my favorite recipes there in one place. I know, I need to branch out more. 🙂

    Reply
  13. Stacey says

    August 18, 2013 at 5:52 pm

    My favorite app is Words with Friends, but that doesn’t do a thing for time management. I am excited to try some of these.

    Reply
  14. Mindy at Grateful for Grace says

    August 18, 2013 at 6:16 pm

    My favorite app is My Period Tracker. 🙂

    Reply
  15. Kelli A. says

    August 18, 2013 at 6:55 pm

    My favorite app would be my Bible app. It is so convenient to have full access to my Bible in my small Kindle.

    Reply
  16. Elizabeth M says

    August 18, 2013 at 10:31 pm

    I have several Math apps that have games/flash cards that the kids like to use to practice their math. They would much rather use a tablet than actual flashcards! We also like Factbook for geography/world studies; it has lots of good info about every country in the world! My kids enjoy comparing the populations and land area of different countries. It really puts things into perspective!

    Reply
  17. Christine says

    August 19, 2013 at 9:28 am

    I love the InsaniApp. It helps track my 60-day Insanity workout, but also tracks other workouts of Shaun T’s. It’s been great to just log in and check off the workout, add in my fitness test results, and track my progress. It’s a great encouragement!

    Reply
  18. Erika Anderson says

    August 20, 2013 at 12:58 pm

    I was so glad you mentioned Cozi! It was a pain in the butt for my family to log appointments, my college classes, homeschool due dates, etc…My husband would write on one calendar, me on two others. When I found this, it was a lifesaver! Now I don’t have to carry the small calendar with me at all times as everything is on this. Their website is even my Homepage on the school computer. Great minds think alike!

    Reply
  19. Sarah L says

    August 20, 2013 at 8:08 pm

    I do like the cozi app as I can color code my kids and know who exactly needs to be doing what.

    Reply
  20. Kadonna says

    August 21, 2013 at 12:50 am

    I love my weather app because it brings out my inner geek. 😉

    Reply
  21. Alice B. says

    August 21, 2013 at 3:35 pm

    Thanks Penny for this post!
    I have been using News-O-Matic with my kids for a few weeks now and they really love it. It’s pretty much a daily newspaper for 3rd and 4th graders, with articles on world news and also science, sports etc. I use the app to get them to read a little everyday and it works! It’s good for Moms who have reluctant readers at home 🙂

    Reply
  22. Kate says

    August 26, 2013 at 11:29 am

    Any winners chosen?? 😀

    Reply
    • Penny says

      September 4, 2013 at 4:35 pm

      The winner was chosen and notified. 😉

      Reply
  23. Michelle says

    June 16, 2014 at 4:17 pm

    I use all those apps except the Cozi family organizer and I agree. I love the Homeschool Helper app.

    Reply
  24. Demetria says

    July 20, 2014 at 3:53 pm

    Thanks- these are great apps! I like cozi and will click out the emeals.

    Reply
  25. Anne Gregor says

    December 1, 2014 at 4:50 am

    Great resource. Will definitely try this apps.

    Do you have a question about how to homeschool or about which homeschool curriculum is best for you? They might help – http://HomeschoolingOption.com/

    Anne

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Homeschool Attendance and Grades Printable - Meet Penny says:
    August 9, 2015 at 11:05 am

    […] 5 apps for busy homeschooling moms […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recent Posts

  • Jelly Bean Gospel – An Object Lesson on Salvation
  • Financial Goals for Teens
  • Paper Mache Cone Angel Craft
  • Replacing the Lies (Self Esteem Object Lesson)
  • What Is God’s Will Object Lesson for Teens
  • Basic Money Management for Teens
  • Back to School
  • Homeschool
  • Homeschool Curriculum

Have you met Penny?

Hi! I'm Tabitha. Yes, I know that you expected someone named "Penny," but there is a bit of a story … [READ MORE]

As an Amazon Associate I make a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. You can read more about my affiliate relationships in my Disclosure Policy.
Advertising/PR | Privacy Policy | Disclosure | Terms | Affiliates | Contact

Copyright © 2025 · Market theme by Restored 316