Battling back to school challenges
I started the school year with a bang! New school supplies, clean clothes, a meal plan and a stocked fridge. It’s September – we all know what’s coming.
My boys’ soccer schedules mean we can only eat together after 8 pm, or we eat when we’re hungry, in shifts. Home cooking and family meals are really important to me, so I tackled a dinner meal plan, spent a few hours on Sunday shopping and cooking for the week, and coordinated car pools and a full dinner schedule. Boy was I proud of myself for surviving the first two weeks of September, including two back-to-school nights, six soccer practices and a Tae Kwon Do practice each week.
Then my brother arrived from Iceland. He tagged along to four soccer games and a party over one weekend.
So now it’s Wednesday, I have no plan, there is no schedule, I’m scrambling to put dinner on the table and we have almost nothing in the fridge. Argh! Only three weeks into the school year and my best intentions are falling away. On top of this, my kids both caught a cold and have already missed a day of school this week. Can you relate? September can get a little nutty!
I hear similar stories from all my clients – and not just ones with kids. September carries that special charge that in some ways resembles the ‘Fresh Start’ of January, but with the added pressure of getting back to crammed routines, and wanting to end the year on a high note, both personally and professionally.
(I know I’m not alone here: my friends are circulating an essential oils recipe called ‘mama is going crazy!)
So let’s just take a deep breath, and realize that September gives us an exciting chance to change things up, while also putting us to the test. This last weekend reminded me of a few tricks that could have made this week easier (if I’d thought of them last week!):
1. Plan to plan – My clients who have been with me for a while hear me talk about this all the time. This is about scheduling a time in the calendar (yes, as if it was a doctor’s appointment) to do your meal planning. You have to plan for the time to plan. Otherwise, you’ll end up like me – with vague intentions to create a great plan, only to find myself exhausted by 5 pm with no energy to do anything but pull out the leftovers.
2. Recycle last week’s meal plan when needed – Instead of fooling myself that I was gonna create a whole new meal plan this past weekend, I should have just recycled the one from the week before. Had I taken the time to think through my weekend, I would have realized now was also the time to use a great service like Instacart to have my groceries delivered from Whole Foods and Costco, or My Power Supply to have a few healthy meals delivered.
3. Make friends with your crockpot – You can take almost any stew or soup recipe and throw it in the crock pot. This saved me yesterday when, without a meal plan or much food in the house, I rummaged through my pantry and found enough ingredients to make Black Bean Soup. l knew I wouldn’t have time in the evening to make it. I chopped and sauteed the onion and garlic and tossed them in with the rest of the ingredients before heading out to soccer with a full car of energetic boys. We came home (late!) to great smelling soup and a sit down dinner right away!
In the end, we all have to remember that part of rising to the challenge of September is adjusting our expectations. We’ll all find ourselves at some point scrambling together leftovers for dinner or ordering a takeout meal. We can embrace the fresh start that September gives us, set some goals and good intentions to help our families cope, and know that eventually, we’ll wrestle things back to ‘normal’.
I’d love to continue this conversation, and help you battle the September Craziness, so next Wednesday, I’m hosting an evening cooking class on Easy & Healthy Weeknight Meals. And on Thursday, I’m offering a FREE event on Back to School with Essential Oils. I hope to see you then. And if don’t live in the area, you can still be a part of my wellness community through the 10 Day Plant Powered Autumn detox.
Until then, be well!
Linda