Recently, at a group gathering, I was offered a sample of a homemade item. A person in the group pointed out, “But that has sugar in it.” Yup, even this self-proclaimed “Doesn’t eat a lot of sugar” person, still enjoys the occasional treat.
All that to say, it may be quite a shock to see the items in my latest grocery purchase. The haul does include many items that are highly convenient and, if I am being very honest, not the best for anyone to consume on a regular basis. Yet, in this season of life, it feels very necessary!
Let me explain…. The summer months are a different pace than the rest of the year. Of course, we are newer to taking a full, traditional summer break from homeschooling. (You can read more about that HERE.) One may think having two- or three-months break from the busyness of the school year may allow for much slower days. But even with mirroring a traditional brick-and-mortar school’s yearly schedule, our months spent not doing school are possibly even more busy. Well, at least for my kids, anyway.
I have spent many weeks of this summer, sitting at home, lounging by our pool, relaxing and of course doing plenty of reading! My kids are currently at camp number two of three, and in state number two of four (or more?!) They are traveling throughout the US to attend church camps, Civil Air Patrol activities and to visit extended family–all without me! Naturally, any teenager would be excited at the prospect of spending weeks away from their mom, but for my teens who spend nearly all day, every day, year-round with me, they are beyond thrilled for a bit of a break. (Okay, maybe I am a bit thrilled about a little break too….)
With all of the coming and going, and my hubby and I transporting the kids to drop-off and pick-up locations, we needed to pause on many of the homemade items I typically cook up throughout the school year. Like I often say, “It’s hard to make food from scratch, if I’m not at home.” Plus, I wanted some easy-to-grab items for the days that my kids are home, spending hours in our backyard pool with friends. Having our garage “pantry” filled with quick-grab snacks make the hours pass much easier (& prevent my kitchen from being drenched in pool water!)
Check out the full video below: https://youtu.be/tNAkCrIcRBI?feature=shared
