Excited for exciting things to come
Brianna and Alex have officially finished their first week of going into school. They only go 2 days a week, but that's still one more step closer to everyday, one more step closer to all the girls getting to do what they always did. Alex was so excited to go in, to see her teacher face to face, to have conversations with her classmates, to do gym class in the school gym and eat lunch in the lunchroom. Brianna was nervous about who would be in her classes, who would be in her lunch, and who would be on her bus. At the end of the day she has classes with very few people, lunch with only one other person she knows, and gym was them walking around the gym for 20 minutes. Again it may not be exactly what she was hoping for for 6th grade but at least she gets some normal interactions again. Chloe is staying remote which is the best decision for her, and honestly helps me out if I have to go out and need someone home for when Alex gets off the bus, or someone to watch Veronica if she can't come with me. Veronica was very sad when Alex got on the bus Tuesday, as I have said before Alex is pretty much the only friend Veronica has had, and she doesn't know what to do with Alex gone.
As we continue to figure out our new schedule, our new routine, it gets a little crazy. Between Dan's work schedule, which is random and never the same 2 days in a row, Alex and Brianna's school schedule, Brianna's softball practices and lessons, Alex's dance classes, and figuring out the rest of life, grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry, and everything else, it tires me out. There are definitely days that I sit down in the morning and just don't want to do anything, so normally I don't. Then around 8pm I get a burst of energy and do all the things I needed to.
The meal planning is helping me a lot but it is an ever flowing changing process. I have meals planned out for the month of February but things change, I had planned to cook on Super bowl Sunday but instead we went to a friends house and did a nacho counter(delicious and fun), so I didn't need to make dinner that night so I moved things over, and changed things a little bit. I still am following my plans and I am only shopping once a week, instead of every other day which is so helpful to our budget. For this past week I spent less than $150 on our weekly groceries, with a little bit of extras added in. That's not to say I wont go to the store for this that or the other, the girls tend to eat the snacks I buy them way quicker than I ever imagined girls doing, but the bulk, the heavy costs, are done and over with by every Sunday/Monday. I prep and make the stuff needed to supplement Dan's lunches as well, rice, vegetables, extra chicken/meat. It is one of the best ways to take a large stressor off my mind.
Its all about taking a look at what makes you the most stressed in your day, and figuring out a way to make life a little easier. If I could I would install a laundry shoot because that would be amazing to have. We had one in my great grandmas house where I grew up and as a kid it never seemed that special but let me tell you know I would LOVE to have one. A meal plan, and a laundry shoot would make my life 10Xs easier, so I can't have a laundry shoot (at the moment) next best thing, a meal plan. You have to look at the bigger picture. Also I have fun meal planning, I have fun looking up new recipes, and working them into a schedule.
