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Today, Madeline had her Kindergarten orientation. Met her teacher. Took a short bus ride. Checked out her classroom. Met the other students in her class.
And, let me tell you, I am so not ready.
Not ready for either of them to grow up anymore than they already have.
And so not ready to put her on the bus come Monday morning.
I know she will be fine. It will be fine. All will be fine.
But I guarantee I will still be a mess.
She’s growing up, with or without my consent.
And that bus next week? It’s going to come awful early. And Nick’s? Even earlier still.
Like before 7 am early.
Talk about a reality check.
And so this week, in our last week of summer vacation, we’re getting ourselves ready.
Buying the last of the school supplies.
Buying that “first day” outfit.
Meal planning ahead for easy dinners when weeknights aren’t our own anymore.
And figuring out breakfast.
Because these kids of mine? Are not fans of eating before school. Nor an early morning alarm clock.
And so I have grown accustomed to showing something in their hand on our way out the door, hovering that line between doing my job to nourish them, but not nagging them to infinite levels.
Because breakfast? It’s still considered the most important meal of the day.
And who am I to stand in the way of that?
So I will have bags of cereal that they can grab and munch on (sans milk, of course).
Healthy granola bars (some homemade).
These banana muffins that both of them love (make a batch or two on a less busy weekend and stash them in the freezer; take a few out the night before, and they’ll be perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast).
And when they need something slightly heartier and more filling, these sandwiches.
Like the banana muffins, I make a bunch ahead of time, individually wrap them, and freeze them. In the morning, I toast the muffin portion, microwave the egg portion, put it back together, rewrap, and they’re on their way. By having a stash in the freezer already, it makes for a filling breakfast that they can take with them on their way out the door. My conscious is clear, and I’ve done my job.
I use pre-cooked sausages from Farmland. Cheddar cheese from Cabot (my favorite). Eggs (and sometimes just egg whites). A little sprinkle of Mrs. Dash. Perfection. And since I assemble them ahead of time, it means I can also individualize them. Nick likes eggs, Madeline doesn’t (yet), so I can easily mix and match what goes inside the sandwich for each of them. When I wrap them up in foil, I just mark the outside with their initials, and I’m set.
Because anything to make the am routine go a little smoother, and allow for a few more minutes of shut-eye, is a movement I can totally get behind.
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