September!

September 1st already... Crazy times for my two music schools. Late August and early September is always moving way too slowly for my eager impulse to confirm everything with everyone. People never return my calls fast enough. The thing is... it's still summer vacation for pretty much everyone else! So I just have to chill and wait. Fine. sigh

I interviewed another teacher today, and it will be a difficult decision... which I have to make by tomorrow. yikes.

I was supposed to fly to Quebec this morning, and spend a few days at the cottage with my mom and my sisters. I just cancelled that... never did this before. It was way too stressful to leave so much unfinished business, and quite honestly my emotions are completely upside down when it comes to my siblings. It feels like I barely processed my last trip there, and going back is not on my top ten list right now... it might not be for awhile.

On a brighter note, the boys are happy and healthy, ready for school. Dylan is making a big move to middle school, and he is very excited to begin this new phase. Léo is also looking forward to seeing his school friends, and we will make efforts to nurture his social circle this year. As the little brother, he always had a tendency to hang out with Dylan's friends. Now that Dylan is moving on to a new school, Léo will gain some independence. Should be interesting!

With that I am preparing a bunch of lunches ahead of time - freezer friendly home made favorites. Chicken burritos, filled with refried black beans, rice, chicken, salsa and a little cheese. I also made some mini beef pies, filled with a 'stew' made with ground beef, diced onions and potatoes, and ground tomatoes (from fresh tomatoes). A little origano, a little garlic... and I simply wrapped a scoop of this mixture in pie crust which I cut with a big round pastrie cutter, and fold in half. The result is a bunch of half moon pies, perfect for the lunch box. I also made pulled pork, and froze it in zip-locks in quantities just enough for 2 or 3 sandwiches. It's a good start, but I will also prepare some hearty soups for the thermos, a great way to incorporate lots of veggies!

I will gather some lunch recipes and make it my next post. Stay tuned!