I was sure I had created and posted a menu but I did not! I will keep this short and sweet!
Friday - Roast and Noodles
Saturday - A family gathering at my father-in-laws. I made sloppy joes and Mexican dip.
Sunday - chili and Fritos
Monday - left over sloppy joes
Tuesday - tacos!
Wednesday - Stromboli and Salad
Thursday - BBQ cups and fries
Yes, we started school last week and had some appointments like hair cuts and dental appointments, we didn't start the "stuff". That all starts this week which means I do a lot more driving places and sitting in the car. Neither of which I mind. I get time to read and plan; I also have great chats with my kids and we laugh a lot. I really enjoy these times and don't take them for granted. Precious moments for sure.
With the schedule ramping up, it also means I have to plan meals a little differently. More crock pot meals and meals we can eat in "shifts". Also, Fridays have to be planned well or we just eat out. By the time we are done with our homeschool day and I unpack everything once we are home, the last thing I want to do is cook. So, it is to already be in the crock pot, already made, or it is time to order pizza HA!
Friday - While our Co-Op doesn't start today, we had our open house followed by my leadership team meeting. I'm keeping it easy making pancakes, sausage balls, and blueberry coffee cake.
Saturday - A busy day! I am attending a ladies seminar in the morning while Darryl takes Josh to stay with my in-laws for a few days. Then Darryl and I are attending my choir dinner in the evening.
Sunday - I think we will just hit Taco Bell.
Monday - Nate has TKD and I have choir. A favorite on Mondays is simply tacos. :-) Everyone can eat in shifts.
Tuesday - Since Joshua is gone this week, we are going to take Nate out to dinner - his choice - but I am guessing some McDonald's will be in our future.
Wednesday - This is the first week of Youth Group at our church but this year they aren’t feeding than. Ahhhhhh! 🤣 Hosh is coming from his grandparents so Nate, Darryl, and I will just have sandwiches
Thursday - This is usually the one night we are all home with no where to go! I try to "protect" this day when I can (it doesn't always work) to give us a full day of school and then an evening at home Dinner tonight will be Spaghetti Carbanara (a favorite) and French Bread.
This is our last official week of summer. This was one of those "pop-up" weeks where we started the week with not much on the plan but then things "popped up".
Monday - My brother, Kel, came into town so we had dinner at my mom's and played a game.
Tuesday - Kel and I got to meet for coffee at our favorite coffee place and "catch up" for a bit.
Wednesday - My teens and I headed to my mom's early for breakfast before my brother took off. Then we had an afternoon of fun with games with our homeschool co-op. That was followed by Josh and Nate hanging out with friends
Thursday - Nothing! Actually Nate had his back to school call with his on-line teacher. Otherwise, we had nothing :-)
Friday - Outside of Josh's last PT appointment for now, we enjoyed the start of the holiday weekend. I worked on school plans for next week too.
Saturday - we attended a concert!
Sunday - we had a quiet day at home.
While we all know that summer really doesn't end until mid-September when Fall officially starts, Labor Day weekend is the unofficial end to summer as Schools jump back into full swing and life returns to a different pace and schedule. We officially start school this coming week, all be it slowly, and then all of the "stuff" starts the following week. This summer felt more busy than it has in the past and, because of that, it has kind of flown by.
Our menu took a fast right turn this last week when our area got hit with storms, tornados, and straight line winds last Thursday evening. While we had no ill effects from the storm, just a 1/2 mile from us there was damage and power outages that lasted for days. That meant I did not actually do grocery shopping until Saturday evening so I switched my menu to accommodate what I had on hand. Then, my oldest brother made a quick trip back to my mom's so we had dinner with them one evening. Finally, on Tuesday, a friend of mine who owns a catering business texted me and said, "Don't cook dinner! We have tons of food left over from an event this weekend and I'm bringing you dinner". Not only did she bring enjoy for Tuesday, we had enough for dinner on Wednesday too. What a true blessing that was!
With all of that said, here's the plan for the coming week.
Friday: Homemade Chicken Pot Pie and a Salad
Saturday - Our plans are up in the air at the writing of this. We might head towards the Lakeshore for a concert and if not, maybe we will actually have a bonfire and roast some things over the fire.
Sunday - Beef Acini Soup and French Bread
Monday - Labor Day! We are heading to my moms.
Tuesday - I am going to a Ladies Dine Out. I plan to leave stuff for BBQ cups and chips for the guys.
Wednesday - meatloaf and crash potatoes
Thursday- stuffed shells and salad
We are still enjoying summer. Our friends have returned to school and we have two full weeks that we call "we don't have to go to school" weeks. HA! I try to throw in a few things to do but really, we all enjoy two weeks of sleeping in, no school, and no activities! After Labor Day everything starts again and we get busier!
Monday - Friday - we enjoyed a quiet week.
Saturday - We all headed to my FIL's for his birthday.
Sunday - Sunday evening I headed to a celebration for a long time Pastor Friend of mine. It was great seeing him honoroed and seeing so many friends.
I've tried a few new recipes from Tastes Better From Scratch and have been pleasantly surprised. I've find them to be tasty, easy to make and budget friendly. I'm looking ahead at this coming week and am following the inspiration of this weeks menu plan.
Friday - French toast, sausage and bacon, and crash potatoes
Saturday - Originally today we were going to a wedding reception for a friend from church but then my Father-in-law asked us to come over to celebrate his birthday before he heads out of town for a few weeks. My FIL turns 83 in another week and has had a few health struggles this year so we decided that celebrating him was pretty important. I'm not sure what we are doing with him for a meal yet. In the past we have picked up KFC (chicken only) and then brought along sides so maybe we will do that.
Sunday - The past few weeks we have had sandwiches and have enjoyed this easy after church meal. I usually pick Hawaiian rolls or wraps for bread and then have extra topping. Plus a summer salad and chips and salsa round it all out.
Monday - Beef and Acini soup and French bread
Tuesday - stuffed Shells and garlic bread
Wednesday- Chuck-fil-a nuggets and fries
Thursday - Mini Meatloaves, crash potatoes, and Salad. I have several great meat loaf recipes (we really like meatloaf in the winter - it is such a great comfort food on a cold evening) but this one cooks in a muffin tin and has a shorter baking time making it easier to cook up in the summer!
Officially, we have two weeks left of "summer". Our friends go back to school today so we will enjoy our extra two weeks off - the perks of homeschooling! Last week was oddly full of things to do!
Monday - We all headed to my in-laws for the afternoon. The kids enjoyed putting together the "nearly impossible puzzle" and playing yard chess. Then, I left Nate for the week and the rest of us headed home.
Tuesday - Josh had physical therepy but otherwise this was the quiet day.
Wednesday - Joshua got to attend a baseball game with some friends.
Thursday - Joshua headed to a friends house for the afternoon and then worked at a Community Dinner. Nate had some fun with kayaks.
Friday - The kdis and I enjoyed brunch at my mom's house with my brother and sister-in-law. Then, Joshua, Darryl and I met up in Grand Rapids for dinner. This is something Joshua had been looking forward to for awhile.
Saturday - Today we had a family birthday party to attend.
Sunday - I attended my in-laws church to see some college friends. Then, in the evening, Nate, Darryl and I headed to a concert while Josh attended a Praise service at our church with my mom.
