Monday, August 22, 2016

New school/new sched

Today was the big kid's first day back at school. Johnny is joining the girls this year and he was super pumped. He and Mary get to be in the same class. All the kids get new teachers. We are all not feeling as shaky and newbie to this whole school thing. We all got up early enough to not be late. I made waffles and bacon for breakie. And my bathroom totally flooded from the base of the toilet with washing machine water. EXCITE!! I digress...

If you'd like a little window into our world since New Baby (Clem's official title for Francis) it's this- Kirby: wakes up at 5:00, goes to early morning boot camp down the street, gets home at 6, prays, eats a good breakfast, reads, works, showers, dresses, accomplish, accomplish, etc etc etc-----------> whispers to me that he is leaving for work around 8--------> I wake up around 9. All kids are watching cartoons, except Pete and Joe. Who are asleep. Confusing, I know.

Half of me has been relishing in this luxurious laziness, the other half of me is just feeling soooo much more like a human being than I did while I was pregnant and that human being is ready to seize all the days. I made an ideal daily plan a few weeks back and have been gearing up to implement it for the sake of all mankind but especially all my children and their heritage of tardy allthetime.

At the end of last semester, when I was v preg and v moving, they were late almost e v e r y s i n g l e d a y. And hairs were often unbrushed and etc. But this year! I resolve to start anew. I'm not pregnant, and not moving, and, you know, just need to get better a life in general, per usual. I resolve to tackle the problem spots of our school lives and fine tune our family structure. Mostly, planning and prepping for meals and getting uniforms ready way ahead of time... and getting myself out of bed.

Last night we got the kids bathed (GASP), brushed hair and clipped finger nails - how sad, that this is like something worth even mentioning in a blog post? lolol. We laid out uniforms and shoes (because how many mornings are stalled bc of shoes??! TOO MANY), said prayers and went to bed at normal times.

When I jotted down my ideal day, I simply thought of all the things I needed and wanted to accomplish, and figured out where and if they could fall into our day. I knew that in order for my kids to make it to school totally ready and relatively peacefully, it fell on me to be awake and ready for them. So, my goal is to wake up at 6 so I can get a quick jog in (fitness?? whattt??!?), drink coffee in peace, pray a teensy bit, and start breakfast. If they are up early enough and their clothes are already out then all they are responsible for is dressing, making their beds, and brushing hairs/teeth. They have a good 45 min before we have to leave for school, and I figure they can accomplish those things incl eating in that time frame... I hope -__-. The few changes I've made to their school prep mostly involves meals. This year, I decided to plan one lunch for all the kids for the whole week, prep all the ingredients, and keep them in one drawer in our fridge. I'm hoping this will lend itself to less last minute meal prep, less requests for "something else", more kids making their own lunches, and less lunches comprised of jelly and jelly sandwiches come Friday. I am also planning to hardcore meal plan our breakfasts for both health and convenience. That plus my new early riser self should really turn school mornings around over here. At least for a week or two, right? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This week's breaks:
Mon- healthyish frozen waffles and bacon (check)
Tues- leftover oat/almond meal muffins
Wed- yogurt and sausage
Thurs- leftover leftover oat/almond meal muffins
Fri- scramby eggs with cheese

This week's lunch:
pb + j, cucumber slices, raw cheddar, apples.

TODAY = SUCCESS. I even jogged/walked woot woot. (Even though as I walked past our house in the direction I never drive I spotted a Johnny dress shirt crumpled in the dirt near our street eyeroll.)

Prayers for continued successes or even semi-succeses, please! And the energy to get back on the train when I will (inevitably) fall off. Over... and over... and over... and... over.

School! What are your school hacks? Aside from Toaster Strudels...




30 comments:

  1. Absolutely love. Some serious lols from my end over here. Ive got one in school and I drag my sorry derriere out of bed at 630. Totally relate, but cant imagine doing it with more then 1 yet!

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    1. Surprisingly, more kids helps!! More people who will get into trouble if they are late.. 😬

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  2. Clipping nails is noteworthy :)

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  3. Hot tip: You can make ahead and freeze a kajillion pb&j sandwiches and then have a 100% foolproof backup lunch on hand. Also hitting up costco for granola bars, apple sauce, trail mix, greek yogurt etc has saved me a zillion trips to the grocery store/made lunches practically pack themselves.

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  4. We're doing school for the first time this year and I've got 3 weeks before I go back to work, it's madness. Hopefully we'll use the first two weeks to work out kinks before I go back to work, because I go in at 6/6:30 a.m. and Dad will have to do mornings on his own again for most of the week....eek! I'm hoping that I'll be on the ball enough to get everything organized for them before I leave in the morning (set out breakfast, clothes, find shoes and winter gear in the winter) so that all Dad has to do is manage the eating, dressing, washing and loading everyone up part in about 45 minutes. I'm so nervous about it all!

    I need to figure out good breakfasts and lunches that aren't mindnumbingly repetitive - since either me or my husband is home from work 3-4 weekdays a week I'm hoping we can get something other than cereal in the kiddo two or three times a week.

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    Replies
    1. Do you like oatmeal? I would suggest overnight oats! Equal parts oats and milk the night before. Then in the morning add toppings...peanut/almond butter, fruit, nuts, etc. Easy to make it not quite the same each day!

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  5. MAybe you are already doing this, but making the lunches the night before is key for me. I realize most people are smarter than me but I took almost a year of scrambling to figure it out. Also SHOES! Lord the shoes would kill us. We'd have everything--homework,clothes, lunches.. ready to go and they couldn't find one of the sneakers for gym day or their church shoes etc etc.. HAving the shoes are lined up by the door ready to go makes or breaks my morning sometimes. Love the breakfast plan.. I need to do this!

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  6. Love this post! And sup jealy of your 9:00ers!! Mine are all up and raring to go by 6!

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    Replies
    1. I think it was my little postpartum gift from heaven 🙏

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  7. Good gracious- the nails. I feel positively triumphant when I clip the nails of any of our kids!

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  8. I hate shoes. They arey constant undoing.

    One thing I'm doing is prepping breakfasts in bulk, si they can heat and eat in the morning (read: breakfast casserole). So far, so good!

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  9. Try not to have too much time for the kids to be free between wake up and leaving for school. Too much time means the kids wander around and deposit their homework or lunches in remote/ unlikely parts of the home and yard. Or they think they have so much time that they lose track of time and then they panic and run out to the car in their bare feet. Keeping breakfasts planned is really helpful too - cutting down on choices in the groggy hours of a school day is a must.

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  10. A big rule here is no tv until everyone is completely ready to go, and then only PBS Kids. That makes such a huge difference!

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    Replies
    1. Yes. Tv is the worst when people got a job to do 🙅

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  11. Barbara Nelson, who writes the "Positive Discipline" books was helpful for me. Here's a link to her blog re: mornings
    https://www.positivediscipline.com/articles/letting-go-morning-hassles-and-responsibility
    I don't love the style of her writing but I think she's got some good tips.
    My kids are older-9 & 11- but it's helped us. In particular, working with them to write a list of the jobs they need to do each morning has been good. That way if I see them mooching about I can say "Have you done all the things on your list?". It puts the responsiblity on them rather then me trying to think what they need to do next. I also cut a deal with them that I'd do them a hot breakfast (eggs, porridge, grilled cheese etc) if they made their own lunches. Mornings are tricky for so many of us so I'd affirm the happy revolutions you make but also give yourself grace for those mornings that end up all ArrRFGGGGGGFFFF.

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    1. Oh thanks for the link!! Looking forward to reading this. Xoxo

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  12. Omph. forgot. I'm truly glad you mentioned nails. 'Cos my kids are older enough to do their own but I still put my t-shirt over my head & run about the house triumphantly when
    a. I notice it &
    b.they get cut.
    One must celebrate the small victories methinks.

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  13. I love this honesty!
    I meal prep lunch items on Sunday for the week and put them in plastic bins in the fridge. Then I let the kids pack their own lunches for the week with the things I pre-made (ie. cut up fruits and veggies baggied, cheese, yogurts). I am in charge of the protein in the meal but they pack the rest. It's not always an easier route but it gives them responsibility. I also don't make them make their beds until after school because bed making in our house TAKE FOR-EVA!!!! And I have no idea why ;)

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    1. That's so smart (meal prep on Sunday!) copying...

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  14. Many of my kids won't eat meat so a sandwich isn't a necessary part of a lunch for us. I buy lots of options at Sams Club like small hummus, individual peanut butter, cheese sticks or greek yogurt and then they make the choice: one protein, one fruit, one veg & one "treat". Also I literally would take my children's shoes away from them when we walked in the door from church and put them in MY closet until the next time they needed to wear them. I couldn't stand seeing them wear their only pair of clean white dress shoes in the yard but every mom has her breaking point, right?

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  15. Many of my kids won't eat meat so a sandwich isn't a necessary part of a lunch for us. I buy lots of options at Sams Club like small hummus, individual peanut butter, cheese sticks or greek yogurt and then they make the choice: one protein, one fruit, one veg & one "treat". Also I literally would take my children's shoes away from them when we walked in the door from church and put them in MY closet until the next time they needed to wear them. I couldn't stand seeing them wear their only pair of clean white dress shoes in the yard but every mom has her breaking point, right?

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  16. The one with Clem. I'm dying.

    Just tried a whole wheat/oat/blueberry pancake recipe that was phu-nomenal. And the original recipe makes like 24 pancakes no joke (I hate mathing when I'm cooking so doubling the recipe is a pain in the A.) So I make like a million pancakes, freeze/fridge, toaster em up in the morn. If you want it I'll shoot you a text w the link.

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  17. I'm kind of terrified of the school lunches phase. Also, how are the days at home with your big kids gone during the day????

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  18. Everything the night before. Lunch packed, backpack loaded, clothes laid out, shoes by the door, and even as much as can be prepped for breakfast. I also used a laminated checklist when my girls were younger.
    I like to make 'egg cups' and bacon ahead to have ready to heat up. Can be just an egg cracked in a muffin tin or scrambled with fixins in muffin tin. Then I bake the bacon on a cookie sheet and egg tin at 350 for about 12-13 mins. Super easy in the morning and still good reheated.
    Btw, you have been such an inspiration to me in being a more relaxed parent and letting kids be kids. Everything in their life doesn't have to be perfectly manicured. I'm way too high-strung and worry about little stuff that doesn't matter. I love you as a momma. Keep doing what you do. And I really miss your Snapchat stories.

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  19. How do your youngest two sleep until nine? And where is new babe in the morning wake up routine? Perhaps God has more mercy once you hit a certain number of open-to-being-blessed blessings and three does not yet meet the criteria (aka all three wake up in the middle of the night for the day)??!!! Oh my gooosh you are my mothering guru right under Mama Mary. Please please keep sharing your life and thoughts and wit FOREVER

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  20. How do your youngest two sleep until nine? And where is new babe in the morning wake up routine? Perhaps God has more mercy once you hit a certain number of open-to-being-blessed blessings and three does not yet meet the criteria (aka all three wake up in the middle of the night for the day)??!!! Oh my gooosh you are my mothering guru right under Mama Mary. Please please keep sharing your life and thoughts and wit FOREVER

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  21. I just made this thing Jamie Oliver calls granola dust- it's like powdered granola with NO sugar and lots of nuts. Good with yogurt or with milk as a porridge kind of deal, but more protein than oatmeal and the recipe makes 32 servings. It's kind of strange but good and very healthy.

    http://milk-and.blogspot.com/2015/09/granola-dust.html

    I'm also a fan of making a billion waffles at once and then reheating. Or plain old wheat toast and cream cheese.

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