Well, I am thoroughly exhausted after the first week of school. WHY was it so exhausting? I mean, I was shuttling Carla to and from things every day (although my husband took her to her music lesson). But when she is at extracurriculars, I’m just… sitting there? I did go to two social events, which, as we all know, wipes me OUT. But… I was really careful about those. The first one was a one-on-one with a parent I really like, so it wasn’t as stressful/draining. The second social event was with more people, but it was mainly people I know and feel comfortable around, plus I set a timer and stayed for exactly 30 minutes and then skeedaddled.
By Thursday, though, I was A MESS. Cranky and tired all day. I even tried to take a nap, TWICE, which is a luxury I never allow myself. Of course I was unable to sleep, so then I was even more cranky about “wasting time.” (I tried to repeat Nicole’s mantra that even if I wasn’t sleeping, I was still resting, but I have a long way to go before I achieve Nicole-level Zen. HI NICOLE.)
The dinner thing, though, is going to have be scaled WAY back. I read all of your advice on my last dinner post with RAPT attention, and the core takeaway was make things as easy as possible. I am interpreting this in two ways:
1. I went to Trader Joe’s and spent an obscene amount of money on Throw Together Meals that are now waiting patiently in my freezer.
I also really, really want to make leftovers work. I LIKE making dinner, and I don’t want to sacrifice things I WANT to eat just because this is a particularly hectic season of my life. So I am also…
2. Leaning into easy meals that produce leftovers. (This is tricky-ish, because my husband and I are big eaters and often have very little in the way of leftovers… and if we DO have them, I eat them for lunch. So we’ll see how this aspect plays out.)
To recap, the name of the game this week is freezer helpers and easy leftovers meals. Oh. But then there’s the long weekend, and I really REALLY want to make a street corn salad again. So we will have to have Something Fun on the list as well.
Dinners for the Week of August 29 – September 4
- Chickpea Bowls: I can double this up and force it to become leftovers, I know I can.
- Trader Joe’s Sweet Corn, Burrata, & Basil Ravioli with Baked Shrimp: The shrimp isn’t, technically, from Trader Joe’s; it’s from my local grocery store and it has little pats of herb butter in the package. It’s super easy though: thaw and bake. My basil plant is extremely voluminous at the moment, so I will add fresh basil and some lemon zest to the ravs.
- Crock Pot BBQ Pork with Coleslaw: An old standby. I like to dump my pork on a baked potato, my husband prefers a BBQ pork sandwich on a King’s Hawaiian bun. I think I can make this stretch to two nights.
- Trader Joe’s Mushroom and Spinach Quiche with Some Sort of Green Side: I don’t really know what possessed me to pick these up? Will my husband eat one? Will he consider it enough to count as dinner? Time will tell. It sounded good, it looks easy. Protein, green veggies.
- Something Grilled and Mexican Street Corn Salad: Here is where I reveal that my in-laws are staying with us for an undetermined amount of time, and have been around for three weeks already (but not staying with us). So perhaps that also adds to the feeling of exhaustion? Not because I dislike having them around, but because it’s two extra people to try to accommodate? Although they are being EXTREMELY kind about stepping back, especially during the first week of school, to let us do our thing. ANYWAY, I don’t know what the “something grilled” will be, because I want them to have a say. Burgers and hot dogs? Ribs? Chicken? We will just go with the flow on this one. I may also try to make another plum torte before the plum season bypasses us.
What are you doing for the long weekend, if you are in the US? Wherever you are, what’s your favorite BBQ/picnic food?
HI SUZANNE.
Three weeks already and an undetermined amount of time – I hope that doesn’t mean your MIL is unwell again, or if she is, I hope that she is having treatment that is helping her be well. I hope all is okay, is what I’m saying. My in-laws would never stay with us (no guest room) but instead would stay at a hotel, and that helps, but is also still Work To Have People Around.
Your week sounds very exhausting, but the meals sound good. I have been meaning to try that chickpea bowl, since you posted it before, so I should take it as a sign to make it!
It is so good, Nicole! And you are so sweet – they are both well and healthy. My MIL had her one year scans and there is no sign of recurrence so that is VERY happy news indeed!
We have no particular plans for Labor Day weekend, other than our usual backyard picnic dinner. I was wondering if we should go to the movies or the pool or something but I haven’t even gotten as far as suggesting it to anyone.
Best of luck to your MIL in her treatment.
Pool and movie sound like great options!
What you are feeling is real. Hustling to get a tiny human to an activity on time and then sitting around doing nothing while they do their activity is legit draining. Hang in there!
WHY is it so draining 😆?
Labor Day is my husband’s family’s big reunion, so we’ll be out of town for days and days and then come back and get right back to work and I find the whole thing stressful, but it’s fun at the time, so maybe I’ll just try to focus on the fun.
I’m glad to hear Carla’s having a great time at school and that you’re surviving, too! Everyone will be fed something, even if it’s just PB&J and scrambled eggs (can you tell what my go tos are?)!
No plans for Labor Day–just as well since there are usually crowds everywhere. Trader Joes has great frozen food. I love quiche and their mac and cheese is gourmet!
It is draining to ‘host’ guests for a long and undetermined amount of time, whether they stay with you or not. Well done, you, for managing that AND the first week of school! I’m tired for you. I think your menu looks perfect! And yummy! Let us know how it goes. 🙂
I’m going to be in FL with my parents for Labor Day, so I’ll get to have my Aunt and Uncle’s traditional holiday BBQ which includes a LOT of my favorites. One I’ll mention is my uncle usually grills up a bunch of smoked sausage with BBQ sauce or some other delicious marinade, and serves it as a little appetizer, bite-size with toothpicks. I love it.
I recall the first week back to school was always draining; I think it’s the sudden shift in routine. And to have guests on top of that?! I get it. But am glad to hear that your mother in law is doing so well.
No plans for Labor Day yet. Most likely, at some point, we will meet up with our friends for dinner; at least, that’s what we usually do.
And yes for now, make it easy on yourself regarding dinner. There is no point in making yourself crazy now. As the season goes along, things will smooth out.
Uncertainty is the worst for me, so having people that could stop by at any time would be hard for me. I need defined plans so I can incorporate that into meal planning. Admittedly I am not a flexible or go with the flow kind of person!!
And changes in schedules are really hard for everyone. I was really tired when I went back into the office for the first time in March. I was getting up slightly earlier but not enough to cause such exhaustion!
It’s a fairly quiet Labor Day weekend for us. We have a friend’s kid’s bday party on Saturday, on Sunday we’ll go to my MIL’s after nap and then on Sunday we are planning to go to the zoo. Hopefully the weather is nice so we can take be outside lots and maybe take the 4yo to a splash pad as they close after this weekend. I wish Will liked them, but he doesn’t so it’s best for one parent to take Paul to a splash pad while the other does something with Will.
I love the setting routines in early fall. After the chaos of kids at home while working from a home office all summer, its nice to get back to a schedule. There’s that adjustment period, though, and figuring how the logistics of who needs to be where and when is draining. Hope you find your rhythm soon!
I read your menu and I am once again reminded that I wish we lived near a Trader Joe’s, but alas we don’t. I understand your difficulty about schedule changes. I know that I can adapt but I don’t like the awkward feeling of doing so.
Sorry to be so late here. My daycare is in full swing and I’m packed to the gills until some of them start preschool. Translation: no down time.
I think it is exhausting to have a schedule to attend to after a nice break. Out of town guests, whether they are staying with you or not, that takes a toll.
We are going to our friends’ lake house from Sat afternoon till late Sunday afternoon. I’m brining lunch. I think a breakfast casserole would have been easier. One dish – done. I’m doing homemade potato salad, fruit salad, chocolate chip banana bread, choc chip cookies, oh – and croissants and artisan rolls with lunch meat and cheese, etc. I’m also brining 7 layer dip. I’m tailgating at Notre Dame next weekend and I get to see Mini. I will be repeating much of what I made today. Otherwise, we have chicken taco meat in the crockpot that we can eat as leftover next week. Coach grilled chicken tonight so that we could pair it with a veggie/potato leftover thing we had.
It sounds like finding your groove with the start of a new school year is always hard, but then to have company (for an undetermined amount of time, regardless of how sweet and low-key they are) makes for an exhausting week for sure!