thoughts for thursday.

tucker starts kindergarten next week.  i'm SO excited for him, but at the same time i'm freaking out a bit.  i want to make sure he gets a good nights rest, wakes up like a spring chicken ... and also eats a good breakfast before heading out the door.  i'm looking for ideas, advice ... or any thoughts on what makes 'going back to school' easy in your house.

for instance:

• what time do you start your bedtime routine?  we have been starting ours between 8-830 and it usually takes a half hour to brush the teeth, go to the bathroom, read the books, etc.  i'm thinking i should move this to 730-8. 
• what are your kids 'go to' breakfast foods?  tucker is kind of picky and usually isn't starving in the morning.  i plan to have muffins, yogurt, waffles, fruit and cereal ... as well as pre-making pancakes and sausage so that i can toss it in the microwave.  any other fun/fast ideas?

i swear i had more questions, but maybe not.  i think my mind is just all over the place with things i want to have done before school starts.  it really shouldn't be a huge change for anyone except for tucker really.  i'll still drop him off for school and matt will still pick him up (just like for daycare or preschool).  he is SO excited to go to school so that takes a lot of the worry out of it. 

i'm going to have a kindergartener next week.  blows my mind.

Comments

[Leah]

We are early risers around here. My youngest is end bed with lights off by 7:30 and the oldest by 8. We're up at 6:10 during the school year.
Luckily for me, my kids can handle eating that early and their food choices range from waffles to oatmeal to yogurt to cereal to an occasional pop-tart.
Best of luck to you and the whole kindgergarten thing! :)

[heather]

protein pancake recipe:
http://ourowngongshow.blogspot.com/2011/01/protein-pancakes.html

[Juli P]

check out
www.thislunchrox.com
there's some great breakfast and lunch ideas on there.
heather, would you share the recipe for the protein pancakes?
My thing about the breakfast and lunch is trying to use as little packaged/prepared foods as possible....
and Jenny, one thing we learned last year while getting ready for school, don't turn the TV on in the morning, it just makes everything take longer!

[Alison]

Try some of those breakfast drinks, like pediasure. Tristen will usually drink those even when she won't eat much & theyre packed with vitamins. Good luck!

[heather]

I can't believe Tucker's going to kindergarten either! I can hardly wrap my head around the fact that Sawyer is and for some reason it's blowing my mind to think of all these "little boys" I know all over blogland are going too. Crazy!

We're early bedders around here... we start bedtime by 7 at the latest, with Sawyer's lights off before 7:30. Savannah reads until 8. I still have to wake Sawyer up almost every morning by 7 (our bus comes at 7:25). Being at school all day wears him out! He had full day preschool (2x a week) last year, but kindergarten is so much more stuff... he's exhausted. Especially by Friday!

Sawyer's not a big breakfast boy either... he does love nutella though, so more often than not he will humor me with a waffle/nutella sandwich and a maybe a banana or yogurt if I'm lucky. He likes the protein pancakes I make, so I just gotta get on the ball and have those ready ahead of time.

Lunch ideas are where I get stuck... Sawyer doesn't really do sandwiches and I've only come up with so many cold lunch ideas. Especially since he's not a huge fruit or veggie eater either. Yogurt is the only sure bet with him. Or leftover pizza.
I made some "veggie" muffins this week I'm hoping go over well... sent them today with cubed ham, a cheese stick and grapes. We'll see what he comes home with!

Good luck next week!

[JuliP]

We've been winding back the clock in preparation for school around here too....we're shooting to be in bed, lights out at 7:30. They're going to be wiped out after a full day of school. Sleep is good.
Breakfast...we have a protein loaded breakfast. Sometimes we have a waffle with peanut butter and bananas on it, pancakes with sausage and a scrambled egg, egg sandwiches and everyday starts with a glass of Carnation Instant Breakfast. There's an oat cereal that's low sugar and high protein we have too.
Yogurt, I switched their morning yogurt to Chobani, high protein Greek style.
)