Back to School Meal Plan

Well hey there, friends.  How was your weekend?

We had a really nice one here.  There was nothing on the calendar for the first time in a while, so we just puttered around at home and did some shopping errands.  Miss C was at Grandma's for the weekend so it was just five of us.

It was opening weekend at the apple orchard up the road, so we went for our first hayride of the season.  It certainly didn't feel like fall, being in the upper 80's (as it has been all summer here!) but it got us excited for fall and cooler temperatures, anyway.  Soon!

We are lucky to have such beauty a mile from our house, right?

I was remembering that last year we came up to the orchard to take a hayride around this time, and as I was 37-ish weeks pregnant a man getting off the hayride behind me commented and asked if I was trying to put myself into labor.  I remember replying that I wouldn't have minded going into labor!

It is hard to believe that this little gem is nearly a year old.

 

I mean, people say that about their kids all the time, but this time it is more true than ever.  I have no idea where a year went.  M was commenting to me that one of the farm workers said they lost a good portion of their apple blossoms in the April cold snap this spring, and my reply was "What cold snap?" This is my answer about most of the events of this past year.  My memory is extremely fuzzy.  It's like I slept through the whole year... or rather, I didn't sleep.

Once J started "sleeping through the night" (medically determined as a 6-hour stretch or longer) around 3 months old or so, she has had a consistent wake-up every night around between 3:30 and 4:30.  We had a short time for a while where she was sleeping through until 5 AM, but that seems to have stopped again.  Her body clock just seems to have this strong urge to be awake around the 4:00 hour.  Anyway, it's no surprise; I didn't expect to be sleeping well in the first year with a new baby, but it certainly does effect everything, doesn't it? and I'm ready to be getting some consistent restful sleep again.  On the nights when it does happen I feel like a different person.  I'm high on life and cheerful as can be.  I know that my other kids have endured some rather snap-ish moments in this past year, and I'm also ready to be done feeling guilty about that.  So, here's to a new year of good sleep.  We hope.  As I've mentioned before here, weaning seems to be the magic bullet to make my kids sleep through the night consistently (at least that's how it's worked for the past three), and J is already sort of doing that herself (we're down to two feedings a day now), so we shall see if that helps.

We have been doing school in these past three weeks so "back to school" is sort of old news for us.  I hope to do my curriculum posting soon; a lot of exciting ideas for this year!  It has been going really well so far and I'm excited to share with you all!

Here's the meal plan:

Sunday breakfast: eggs

Sunday lunch: blt chopped salad, with fresh tomatoes from our neighbors' garden!  (too lazy for gardening this year)

Sunday supper: leftover burgers on the grill and sweet potato fries

Monday breakfast: soaked baked oatmeal

Monday lunch: sandwiches/salads/shakes

Monday supper: loaded baked potatoes

Tuesday breakfast: leftover baked oatmeal

Tuesday lunch: sandwiches/salads/quesadillas

Tuesday supper: leftover potatoes

Wednesday breakfast: almond flour pancakes

Wednesday lunch: sandwiches/salads/quesadillas

Wednesday supper: homemade clam chowder

Thursday breakfast: leftover pancakes/cereal

Thursday lunch: sandwiches/salads/quesadillas

Thursday supper: leftover clam chowder

Friday breakfast: stove top oatmeal/cereal

Friday lunch: sandwiches/salads/quesadillas

Friday supper: veggie omelets

Enjoy the week everyone, and good luck if you're going back to school!!