Gearing up for the busyness of fall and back to school.
Can you believe it’s August already? Didn’t school just get out for the summer? For many of us, school is just a month away. The lazy days of summer will be coming to an end before we know it. Are you ready? Have you hit that point where a daily routine is well overdue?
In my house, we have pretty structured days, but summer time does afford us a few lazy days. It won’t be long and I’ll be ready for the routines that come with the beginning of the new school year. Each year is different, it seems, but as my kids get older it feels like we are busier than the year before.
Easing yourself into the routine of the school year schedule can be hard. It seems that most schools hit the ground running with this and that to take up every moment of your time, and for some reason it seems to hit you all at once. It always amazes me how many papers our kids bring home from each class on the first day of school. Feels like more homework for me than they get on an average week...all needing to be signed and returned the next day. :)
Meals can become a huge frustration when you are adjusting to the school schedule. Let’s face it, it’s still light out until quite late in the evening and it seems most afternoons and evenings are consumed with homework help and after school sports activities. When do you have time to plan a meal during all of that and get the kids bathed and ready for bed so you can do it all over again the next day?
Menu planning can be an amazingly helpful tool in combating the “dinner shock” of the back to school routine. You know what I mean, the “Oh my goodness it’s 7:30 and I haven’t even started dinner yet, what am I going to fix tonight?” moment. We all have them, usually on a night that Johnny has had 2 hours of math homework, Jenny had a half hour of reading aloud to you homework and Suzy had to get ready for tomorrows spelling bee. All needed our attention and help to complete their assigned homework and dinner was once again forgotten.
A menu plan can be as detailed or general as you need it to be. If planning that you will have tacos on Tuesday is too much structure, then make a list of meal ideas and post them on the refrigerator. You can pull something out of the freezer, put it in the refrigerator the day before and have a “plan” to go by when it’s time to start dinner.
Take it a step further and make double batches of favorite meals that freeze well. When you make your families favorite gluten-free lasagna, make two and freeze one. At the very least, make a double batch of the sauce and freeze it. All you’ll have to do is boil up some gluten-free noodles and heat up the sauce, make up a salad or heat up some green beans and your dinner will be ready.
Planning ahead is a huge time saver. It is also a good way to save on your grocery budget. No more grabbing something at the grocery store at the last minute because you will already have a plan in place and half or all of the meal ready to heat and eat.
Another great tip for busy seasons of life is to use your crock pot! You can start a pot of chili, a roast, a whole chicken or countless other meal ideas before you pick your kids up from school, or in the morning before you head out the door. Set your crock pot on the temperature you need and let it worry about dinner for you.
Enjoy the last part of your summer break, but spend a bit of time planning your meal ideas for the first weeks of school. You will be so thankful you did. Putting a few “convenience” dinners in the freezer will also help on those nights that you just can’t cook a full meal. Dinner should not be a stress, it should be a time for your family to gather and enjoy the time together. Have a chance to talk about the happenings of the day and regroup after a day going in different directions.
