Monthy Musings August 2024: Summer's End/Back to School

 

Hey there Besties! August is winding down and so is summer. For Monthly Musings, Holly and I wanted to celebrate the end of summer and share the Best tips for back to school. Join us and the talented group of writers who link up with us every month for Monthly Musings. 

1. Do you meal plan? Any family-friendly recipes to share? 

I have always meal planned. I am not one of those people who can walk in the door after commuting from downtown (every day!) and figure out what to make for dinner. Even though it is just two of us in the house, I am still meal planning. I also think it helps with grocery shopping and cuts down on food waste. 

My taco meatballs can literally be on the table in less than 30 minutes and are something I have been making at least twice per month for years!

The parmesan chicken tenders are also super easy to make and give a healthier twist on a chicken nugget. Maybe I will make these next week! 

2. What are your back-to-school traditions?

Well, since Hockey Guy is now in college our back to school traditions look a little different this year. We always did a traditional photo in the morning and I always made a really easy dinner. I typically made something like meatballs in the crockpot so that we could spend time at dinner talking about the first day and not worrying about meal prep.

3. Where do you do your Best shopping for kids clothes and supplies?

Hockey Guy always wore a uniform, so our back-to-school shopping for clothes was always fairly easy. His elementary school always supplied the school supplies as part of the registration fee so I am no help there either! 

4. How do you transition your wardrobe for fall?

I pretty much start my fall wardrobe transition right about now. This week I am wearing all of my linen pieces for the last time and then will launder them and put them away. The rest of the transition goes slowly. In Northern Virginia the weather can be really fickle until early October. Last week it was more like September and then yesterday the heat index was pushing close to 100 degrees.

In the early fall, I like to wear blouses and pants to work because they air conditioning can still be cranking. For casual dress, I like a pair of jeans with a long-sleeve tee.

5. Any end-of-summer trips planned?

We did a little trip to Chattanooga right after college drop-off. I detailed all of the fun in part of yesterday's post. 

6. Do schools in your area start before or after Labor Day?

All the schools here start before Labor Day. When I grew up in New England, we always started after Labor Day, but if we had a bad winter, that meant we could stay in school until mid-late June. I think the latest we were in school one year was June 28th!

7. What are your Labor Day plans?

Saturday evening I am going to church and then we are going to make a Good dinner on the grill and then watch the home opener football game for Hockey Guy's college. Sunday night we are getting together with friends and I am not sure of our plans on Monday.

8. White after Labor Day? Yes or No?

I don't wear linen after Labor Day and I am typically a No on white after Labor Day with the exception of white jeans. I let the white jeans slide for a few weeks after Labor Day but with the right shirt.

9. Pumpkin Spice...as soon as it comes out or wait until fall?

Ok, I have already busted into the pumpkin spice because in July Dunkin was nice enough to send me some ground pumpkin spice coffee to review for them. Once I started, I haven't stopped.

I always say that I don't have a hard date for when I will have my first pumpkin spice latte (PSL), it is more a mood, temperature and a vibe for the right day. 

10. Best life hacks for back-to-school

I would say one of the Best life hacks for back-to-school 

is meal planning. It will just make your night go Better and especially when you have little kids who are transitioning to school and they have a lot of day. 

My other hack is to try and do at least one full load of laundry during the week. I mean a full load of laundry, including folding and putting it away. This will help cut down on the laundry over the weekend.

Be sure to visit the talented writers who join us every month. I cannot wait to hear what tips and tricks they have to share with us. Happy almost fall everyone!

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