New

We are trying some new things this school year, some of them are successful. Some, not so much.

1. THE BUS. Back in Ma. we lived only 2 miles from the school so it was easier for me to pick up and drop off rather than buy both kids a bus pass (which was over 100 dollars if you lived within 2 miles). This year, we are a little further away and the bus is free so we decided to give it a whirl. It was all Ace could talk about for weeks before school even started and he was so p'oed that I drove him and picked him up on the first day. So starting the second day, they were on the bus in the afternoon. And now, even though it comes at the unimaginable hour of 6:15, they insist on riding in the morning too. I have to say, not having to get all 4 up and dressed just for a 10 minute drive to and from school and not having to stop what we are doing every afternoon to go sit in a carpool lane for 45 minutes has made my life easier. And the kids are so flippin proud to ride the bus, it makes my heart melt when I see them climb on that big bus everyday. The added bonus is that they get two breakfasts. They eat here at 6 am but since the bell for classes to start isn't until close to 8 I send them with money for a school breakfast as well. The first day they got a honey bun. I think that is one reason Ace is such a committed bus rider, he'll do anything for a honey bun.

2. NAPS. The jury is still out on whether we will stick with the new enforced nap time for the little girls. They get to sleep in as long as they want now that the bus comes for the big kids and they still have to go to bed early so it isn't really necessary.  Lucy was becoming a huge tyrant from about 4pm until bedtime and we realized that if we let her throw a tantrum to it's end, she would inevitably end up asleep (once face down on the floor of the playroom, it looked like she was planking). So I tried a nap one day and she was in such a great mood after that I thought it would be good idea to do this everyday. My decision had nothing to do with the fact that I got to read 3 chapters of my book uninterrupted and eat a kit kat without sharing, of course. Some days it goes well, some days I spend an hour yelling at them to get back in bed before giving up and throwing a tantrum of my own.

3. Meal planning: This isn't so new, I've been trying to get organized for years and I have found some strategies that work. Now I'm just working on getting more organized with what I buy so that I don't have to go back to the store more than once a week. I try at least one new recipe a week and also try to make at least one meal that we can have leftovers from (this is hard with 6 people, even my biggest casseroles usually only have enough leftovers for 2 or 3 lunches).
Each day has a "theme" so I have some idea of what I want to cook before I make my shopping list. Here's our basic list:

Crockpot Sundays: I find that Sunday is worst evening for cooking because we have to get everything else ready for the week and try to get the kids back to bed early. The crockpot also means a few more lazy hours in the afternoon. My fave crockpot meals are: chili, pot roast, pork carnitas, and beef stew. I also signed up for a recipe exchange on Facebook for new ideas.

Meatless Mondays: Mondays are a common grocery shopping day for me and Saturdays we have the farmer's market so I usually have fresh vegetables. It is a good day to toss a big dinner salad (last week I topped it with leftover grilled steak so it wasn't really meatless at all). After a weekend that usually includes too much snacking and not the best food choices, it feels good to start the week off with something fresh and healthy.

Taco Tuesdays: We don't always have tacos but I love Mexican food so once a week is not too much for me. I also make quesadillas, burritos, enchiladas or the carnitas if we didn't have them Sunday. I the winter I love to make tortilla soup or black bean soup.

Wednesday: This is another day I try to fix something ahead of time. Any kind of casserole that I can make in the afternoon and then cook for an hour after school. This week we made a cheese and broccoli casserole from a recipe on the back of a pasta box. Next week I think I'll do a tuna noodle. Chicken pot pies are great too, and really easy if you use a store bought rotisserie chicken.

Thursday: No real plan for Thursdays, by this point in the week I usually need to head to the store for basics like milk and bread so it is a good day to look up a new recipe and get the ingredients. Yesterday we had Greek salad pitas from the food network website with some grapes and carrots. They were good and easy. Thursday we are already looking towards the weekend so I don't like to spend too much time in the kitchen.

Friday: Another easy day (actually that is kind of the theme of the whole week, "keep it simple") These are the best days for make your own pizzas, sloppy joes, spaghetti, etc. Spaghetti is a favorite any day here and perfect if the kids have friends over or we go out Friday afternoon and get home to late to fix anything big.

Saturdays: Something on the grill, take out, or a mix of whatever is leftover. Again, whatever is easiest. I don't mind cooking but I don't like to miss out on our weekend time together to fix something complicated.

Anyway, that is just what has been working for us lately. Or, two things that have been working. The nap seems to be a big fail today since Lucy has spent the whole time I've been typing sneaking out of her bed and trying to get to the twizzlers I hid in the pantry.