She was wide awake before 6:15! Carleigh said all summer she wasn't ready for school to start, but I think she really was. This is the first year she has to take the Texas standardized test, whatever it's called now, and she is quite nervous about it. Every time someone would ask her if she was excited about third grade she would say no because of the test. Standardized tests are ridiculous, and it's even more ridiculous that our children are stressing out about the test even one or two years before they have to take them. That's another topic for another day though. Today she was excited about going. She even started making her own lunch this morning!
I am glad we are starting a new school year, but it's hard for me to say good-bye to summer. I love not having to wake up early, lounging around the house, no real schedules to follow. I love that the kids can play all day in their swimsuits or pjs and it really doesn't matter. I love going swimming, boating, to the lake and river, seeing friends and playing at the beach. But, it will be nice to have somewhat of a routine now. I'm hoping to get in gear and lose the 15ish pounds that have found their way to my rear end. Kelvin and I are signing up for quite a few races coming up this fall and winter. We also have big plans for Emma's Hugs to be involved as well. Stay tuned to another post for all of that, or visit Emma's Hugs on Facebook. I'll be working at least part-time with Emma's Hugs as well, so things are ramping up to be buzzing around this little house in the hot, humid rice fields. (I wish we were on a cool prairie somewhere, but we're not. The temp should reach 100 degrees today, with a heat index of 110 degrees! Holy Toledo, Batman!)
With a new school year comes a new and, I might add, welcomed routine. So, I plan on getting back into the groove of cooking. I use a recipe subscription thingy called the Six O' Clock Scramble, have friends like Jackie and Lesley and others on Facebook who are very creative, and also love tons of the recipes in my Southern Living and Coastal Living magazines, so I shouldn't have any trouble coming up with at least 5 days worth of meals each week, right? We'll see, but a girl can have a goal! So here's what's on the menu at our place this week...
Monday - Grilled chicken with zucchini marinated with my friend Susan's yummy recipe
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup corn oil (or canola or olive)
1/4 cup sugar (or about 1/2 of that will work fine)
4 teaspoons lemon/lime juice
1 teaspoon meat tenderizer
2 cloves garlic, minced
Tuesday- Crispy Baked Taquitos
Wednesday - Oven Chicken Risotto
Thursday - Steak with Soy-Lime Marinade
Friday- Tex-Mex Beef and Bean Chopped Salad
Well, are you ready for school and the routine that comes along with it? What's on the menu at your house this week? Hope it's good!
