On Feeding Highschoolers

It’s taken me a while to get into the swing of public school … six years exactly ☺️Before that we were a crazy, weird homeschool family. Just kidding. I loved every minute of spending that time with my kids when they were young, all the field trips and hands on learning. Then we moved and entered a new school system without the benefit of the kindergarten on up learning curve. My youngest of five was kindergarten, the others were 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 5th grade and middle school. I have stumbled along the way since then, with figuring out everything from the bus schedule to sports signup (and remembering to get the paperwork at the annual physical!) to lunch and everything in between.

Not to jinx it but this year with my three highschoolers, one of whom drives the others, it has been easy breezy so far, one month in, knock on the proverbial wood!

This is how we do it. I try to wake up a little before them, by 5:30 or 5:45. Their start time is 7:10 and we live just a few minutes down the road from the school. My freshman daughter always wakes herself up right around then. The boys take a bit more effort but I go in for the first time at 6:00.

Once I’m dressed in my work out clothes and have my “eyes” in and teeth brushed I go downstairs, give treats to our pets, and start the coffee but some days I get the breakfast and lunches made without taking my first sip, I don’t know how!

I have found it helps tremendously to have a plan. Rocket science, I know!

Forget everything you’ve learned about making them independent. By high school they are fiercely independent and fairly responsible themselves so what they’ll let you do for them take full advantage. Two of mine let me make their breakfast and lunch. Everyday I make the same breakfast for all with some modification based on their known preferences. By example my “menu” (using the term loosely since it is really just my notes chalked up on our fridge white board) this week included breakfast burritos, pumpkin oatmeal and waffles. But some days it is cereal or smoothies. This helps me get on track and right down to work (remember I said the coffee hasn’t finished brewing yet?!). I serve the breakfast whole waiting for them to finish their various degrees of readying (as you can imagine this varies vastly from the boys to the girl!). And I start on the lunches. For these I don’t have a pre planned “menu” like breakfast and dinner but I have stocked the fridges with a variety of lunch meat, sandwich bread, fruit and other lunch items. I make my kids m the same sandwich as one another each day. So today was PB&J for both. Yesterday was turkey and swiss. I throw in a fruit, chips and always include some extra snacks for their after school sports practice.

And then they’re off. And good thing I got the hang of it before they’re actually off (to college!) next year for my senior and soon thereafter for the others.

And when they’re gone it’s time for exercise, walking the dog & coffee. Lots of coffee please! ☕️