Our First Week Is Done!

What a week!

School started this past Monday which meant:

 

 Waking the kids up early again

   In the past I have started the school bedtime schedule a week before school starts. Just to get everyone back on track for what’s to come.I’m going to go ahead and pull out my shame card and admit that I didn’t do what I was supposed to do this time around.We were busy two weeks prior to school starting, and I simply loss track of time. Must be that BMS (Busy Mom Syndrome everyone keeps talking about 😉 ) Surprisingly enough, all my kids adjusted just fine after we sent them to bed on their regular schedule the Sunday before school started.

 

 Packing school lunches

   This is the one task that I took a break from during the summer. The kids or I made lunch daily over the summer. There was no need to pack a lunch unless we were going somewhere that required it. Now that school is back, I send the boys with lunch money for the week and I pack the girls lunches. On the weekends I sit down with the girls and discuss want they have in mind that is health to eat during the week. We discuss healthy options and plan a menu. I take the girls with me to the store and we go through the list. Sometimes we may switch one food out for another but we generally stay on track. It can get a bit tricky though. My oldest daughter doesn’t like kiwi or green grapes.She prefers the red grapes and raw cauliflower. My youngest loves kiwi and green grapes. She doesn’t like the red grapes and prefers raw mini sweet bell peppers.I’m just happy that they like to eat fruits and vegetables so I work with them to give them what they want in that area.

Some ideas of what they had for lunch:

Homemade lunchables made with Salami, crackers, and their choice of cheese

Broccoli with dressing

Pineapple and carrot muffins

Trader Joe’s fruit bar

Grapes

 

 

Tuna with crackers

Boil egg shaped with these molds

Mixed fruit

Pretzel chips

 

Turkey/Ham with kale and mayo roll up

Mini sweet bell peppers

Grapes, watermelon, and cantaloupe.

 

I used these cute little bento box fruit cutters to make shapes

 

 

Peanut Butter, Banana, Chocolate Chip Sushi Rolls

Cauliflower & carrots with dressing

Pickles

Cantaloupe

 

I used the cookie cutters to cut out shapes in sandwiches

Banana Chips

Pickles

Mixed fruit

 

Gave them a princess with her crown

 

I also added some notes here and there

     

I love using these lunch containers. I found them at my local Ross Department Store. They work well at keeping things cool when need be becuase of the removable freezer packs that snap into the top.

 

They were very happy girls that came talking about how good lunch was. As long as my kids are happy, then I am happy 😀

 

Getting back into the Morning Routine

    As you known from here , My morning routine is pretty much set. I wake up one hour to an hour and a half before the kids.Then I get the them up and get the morning started.

    One thing I must say is that I love waking up before everyone else. I wake up and prepare to get ready for the day. I feel it’s important for every parent to have some “Me” time. Whether it be eating chocolate in your room with the door closed, sitting in the bathroom just a bit longer then you need to, or going to the store alone and taking your time going up and down all of the aisles in the store. Parents need that moment to themselves.

 

 Adjusting to the First week with new classes, new teachers and new staff at the school

    It’s nice to see all the old teachers that I have grown a relationship over the years. I’ve had a child at the local elementary school for 7 years. My youngest has one more to go. Two new teachers have came in, and baby girl just so happened to have one of them.She likes her new teacher and is excited about the new year. Ready to learn is what she said. Today she got to share something that meant a lot to her with the class. She decided to wear the scrap skirt she made over the summer and her VBS shirt. She couldn’t stop giggling while she waiting in line for her class to open.

 

       My Middle schooler has had a good week. She is happy to have the boys’ old teachers. She has adjusted well with having multiple classes. She has a couple of her friends from last year in her class so making friends wasn’t a problem. She has decided to try out for track. Practice starts next week!! I’m super excited because I loved track when I was in school.

 

     The boys seem to be have enjoyed their first week at school. My junior has Photography and Digital & Graph Tools as his electives. He is stoked about both classes. This year he also has no class for one of his periods. Apparently all of the students have a no period once during their high school career. The year is different for everyone.So during that 3^rd period that he doesn’t have he has two options. Work on the campus, which the offered, or come home.   The work that he doesn’t is simple. He helps the secretaries in the office, sends papers to class, or helps out in the gym. If there is nothing for him to do then I told him he has to come home. If he stays he has to have a staff member sign in his planner when he works.

 

       My freshman has adjusted to high school with ease. Luckily he know a few folks already. He has been to the school numerous times with his brother and friends over the last couple of years. He fit right in to how the school works without a problem. He even went in to the office and requested a class change. He had Digital & Graph Tools class and a Art class. He asked if he could change his art to Spanish. He told the Dean it made more sense to have the language class that can be used later on instead of two art classes. Smart choice he made I’d say.

 

Adjusting to taking the girls to two different schools

     Now that I have my oldest daughter at middle school, her times are different for baby girl’s school hours. Before when the boys were there I didn’t have to pick them up because they walked home with the crowd of kids that all walked the same way. I felt that they were being safe and I had given them phones to be able to call me for emergency. Now that my daughter is going to the middle school, and she is at that school by herself, I can’t just let her walk home. I know they may seem like a double standard, and may not be right but it’s just different to me. The boys can walk to and from school and have been for a few years. Not my daughters’ though. I can’t seem myself letting them walk, and hubby feels the same way. I am fine with walking her and picking her up from her class everyday.By doing so I have add 30 minutes to my morning and an hour to my afternoon pick up, but I’m ok with that. It is worth it, because my girls will not be walking home.

 

      As for as my home during this past week, I have been taking my time getting back into the swing of things with my cleaning. As much as I try, it is hard to keep the house as clean as I would like during the summer. Now that the kids are back in school it’s time to start detail cleaning, reorganizing some things, and get back into decorating my home.

 

       In the Kitchen, I did manage to make some Ranch Mix and Taco Seasoning. I also made these breakfast-to-go sandwiches that are great for school mornings.

 

      How was your little one’s first week back? How about your first week with them back? Did you get anything done? Has it been hard to get back on track?