Best Laid Plans Go Awry

The best meal plans for the week can go awry. Sickness, exhaustion, bad timing can make the plans go off course one or more days. I try to have backup ideas for us to eat ok, even when I'm not up to cooking dinner.

I started this week with a plan for meals for the week. I created the menu and grocery list on Friday night, and planned to shop on Saturday. However, the boys were sick and whiny Saturday, and I couldn't bring them to the store. Quick change: Pasta Pomodoro, and shopping on Sunday.

I took the boys to the park on Sunday, to burn off energy before we all went to the store. Unfortunately, Dylan fell at the park and badly cut his knees and hands. That ended the day for us - it took about an hour for Dylan's hysteria to subside, and even then the only thing that kept him calm was repeated viewings of Ben 10. By the time Dylan was calm, I was far too tired to go to the store. Progresso Chicken noodle soup and saltines were the best I could do that evening.

By 9 PM Sunday, my throat was on fire. My exhaustion was not from dealing with kid trauma, but from the proliferation of new germs and bacteria that occurs when a child starts school. I've got a bad cold that's draining me of energy - too sick and tired to get off the couch for more than 5 minutes at a stretch. Worst of all, the cold has changed my sense of taste, so that my favorite energy source, coffee, tastes like castor oil. I can't choke it down. Making it all worse, Rudy is out of town for the rest of the week. Aarghh!

So my plan for the week is in the garbage, I haven't been to the store in 10 days, and I still have to feed the kids every night? What am I going to do?

Weeks like this happen, and I try not to be hard on myself. For the most part, I try to feed my kids healthy, home-made meals, but weeks like this are why convenience foods exist. This week, the boys and I will be eating hot dogs and Hot Pockets, canned soup and frozen dinners. I got Rudy to run by Whole Foods before he left, so our fridge is stocked with fresh pre-cut fruits. I'll round out each sodium-laden, fat-filled convenience food with a ton of fruit, and hope it all balances out. I'll give myself a break and know that I did the best I could this week, and I'll try to do better next week.