Five On Friday: So Long, August Edition

Week 2 of elementary school is in the books! And how are we saying good-bye to August already?! The weeks definitely go faster now that school is in session. Here's a quick review of what we were up to this week before we hit the road:

[ONE].

Last weekend, Banks was all about some football. As in, he had his first official flag football practice and then was invited to go to the Panther's game with one of his best buddies that night. He had a blast! Meanwhile, we had a little 3-year-old slumber par-tay with Raleigh and the twins of one of my college BFFs (little Harrison was just along for the ride). ;) Across the state, my hub was having a ball with his ol' college roomies, and even got to sneak over to visit with our brand new nephew, Wilson. It was an awesome weekend for all for sure!

[TWO].

Earlier this week, we headed to the preschool to meet Raleigh's new teachers. We ADORE them! Raleigh tends to be really shy and reserved in new situations and around new people, but her warm and caring teachers seem like the perfect fit for our girl. We fully intend to enjoy her last week of "summer" before she starts school just after Labor Day...

[THREE].

It is no secret 'round these parts that I do NOT enjoy cooking: the meal planning, the grocery shopping, the prepping, etc. It is just not my thing. HOWEVER. I have consistently produced the best, homemade meals I have ever created in my entire life over the last few weeks (ask my hub--he'll confirm!). And we're talking, delicious, made-from-scratch meals. How, you ask? Magic, you ask? Nope. Enter emeals.com. This absolutely amazing site has changed our dinner menus. I started with a two-week trial, but now I am HOOKED. You get to specify what type of meal plan you'd like (e.g., budget family; low calorie; clean eating; 30-minute meals; kid friendly; etc.) and then every week, you are emailed a list of recipes. You can pick and choose which you would like to use (and then save those that were hits with your family to your own "recipe box"), and, here's the best part: it creates a grocery list for you, which is separated into the section of the grocery store from which each item can be found (e.g., produce; deli; etc.) as well as the expected cost. I am telling you, it has been AMAZING. Just a few of the made-from-scratch meals I've made over the last few weeks are shown below, with many others (e.g., Grilled Pineapple-Jasmine Chicken; Italian Sausage Spaghetti; BBQ Chicken Macaroni and Cheese) not pictured:

 Peachy Pork Chops With Steamed Rice and Lemon-Garlic Broccoli

 Broiled Fish With Fruit Salsa With Almond Rice Pilaf and Butter Green Beans

Roasted Pesto Chicken With Pear Feta Salad and Hot Peas

[FOUR].  

We are closing out Week 2 of kindergarten and things have been absolutely GREAT so far! I pray every day that Banks' love of school will not wane. He is just so excited to go each and every morning. I miss him like crazy but also love hearing about every detail of his day as soon as he gets home. I always look forward to 2:45 pm, when he gets off the bus and we can just chat and enjoy an afternoon snack together. I've been trying to show him how excited I am for him for this new academic adventure, by doing little things for him, like putting notes in his lunch box each day and creating a new message in the driveway that greets him as soon as he gets home. So far, kindergarten rocks!

[FIVE]. 

This Fall is already proving to be a busy one (and Fall hasn't even officially started yet!) as our weekends are filling up with out-of-town trips and football games. Case in point: We are headed to Georgia in just a couple hours to spend the weekend with one of my sisters, her hubby, and my adorable niece and nephew. I.cannot.wait.!!! Although we had a little health scare with Raleigh earlier this week (herpangina--ever heard of it?), we are well enough to still make the trip. So, to Carrollton we go!

And with that, the week comes to a close. Have an awesome weekend! Be back soon!