It has begun.....

Well, school has started for all the boys now.  I think they were ready to get back to some kind of a routine. We have 2 in high school, 1 starting middle school, and 1 in college.  He hasn't actually started yet but will be this week.  Back to school... do you love it or dread it?  It signifies the end of the summer although really there are still several weeks left of the season.  No more lazy days with no homework, science projects, book reports, and speeches.  For this reason alone, I dread the start of school.  When you finish school and get out into the "real" world and have a job you think (thankfully) ahhh my days of homework are over!  I have found this absolutely to NOT be the case since I have children.  Sometimes I feel like I am back in school myself and it causes me stress!  I know, I know.... I shouldn't be doing the homework too but the Type A controlling side of me MUST CHECK THE HOMEWORK......  I am trying to be better and let this go.  Even though I threaten the boys that I will move in with them at college if I have to (much to their horror) I know they will be responsible for taking care of their studies when they get there.  The sooner I learn to let go the better we will all be for it.
It also seems that with the start of school the activity level ramps up and everyone has to be somewhere different at a different time.  Sometimes the logistics of this are a nightmare.  This past weekend we had a football game, a soccer game, play auditions, and a wedding all on the same day.  We ended up having to split the responsibilities of the day up to get everything covered which wasn't necessarily our original plan but we got everything done.
During these times it is so important for me to have a plan in place.  A schedule to follow of who has to be where when, and also a meal plan.  Without some kind of meal plan and a cooler I would be hitting the drive thru, the convenience store, and every taco stand in town.  A little prep work really does go a long way on days like that.  Here is an example of a meal plan that I use, this just happens to  be for this week.

I also try and pre-prep some items for snacks and lunch to get me going.  Any salads that I plan to have for the week I put together on Sunday with everything except the dressing.  This keeps them from getting soggy and in the morning before work I just add the dressing, throw it in my cooler and go.  I also make yogurts for the week.  I get a big tub of plain nonfat or Greek yogurt, portion it out into half cup servings and add my own fruit and maybe a little honey.  Not only is this better for me, but it is easier on the wallet.  I keep sliced and whole almonds in my desk at work to add to the yogurt or eat with my apples.  I also peel, slice, and chop any veggies for the week that I will use as a snack with hummus.  This big tupperware container of veggies goes with me to work too.  I keep a jar of natural peanut butter at work and a few natural "bars" like Lara bars there as well.  For the crazy weekends I always make sure I have some almonds at home (sometimes I just keep packs in my car too) as well as fruit that is portable and easy to eat.  When we are on the go, yogurt and hummus aren't always an option, but whole fruits, nuts, string cheese, and the bars are always with us.  

Once wrestling season starts this will be especially important.  I don't know if you are familiar with how wrestling competitions work, but they are all day affairs.  We are talking from sun up to sun down, and the concession stands are full of tempting foods all day long.  Pancakes and donuts in the morning and pizza, BBQ sandwiches, and usually a lot of home baked goodies from the afternoon until the evening.  I know, nothing like donuts, pizza, and brownies to fuel your wrestler!  I plan to pack my cooler full of healthy choices for all the boys and for me - it is a $5 charge to bring in a cooler, but I think it is worth it to have the foods I want.  Besides, $5 doesn't go a long way at the concession stand anyway!  I'm planning on having my prep work down to a science by the time the season rolls around and we will be like a well oiled machine when it comes to packing for these tournaments.

Do you have games, sporting events, or other weekend plans that you would benefit from having a meal plan or snack plan in place?  What types of go to snacks do you or your kids like?  Can any of them be made convenient and/or portable for travel?