We've Left The Pre-School Years Behind

Our life is "quiet" right now.  We're well into the school routine, which is going more smoothly than I had imagined it would.  The ballet lessons have been going on for a few weeks, with the girls shuffling around classes so get to the right "levels" for their ages and skill levels.  And I've even made time for baking and cooking a little more often.  Check out my first attempt at making bread!

I feel like the girls are suddenly more mature (most days!) and able to get along without me now.  Okay, not without me, but they know how to amuse themselves.  Some days I even find them reading - quietly on their own, or to each other.  They play with toys, usually together, and then tidy them up when they're done - often without more that one suggestion to do so.  I am eternally grateful for these little things.

The eating in our house is changing now too.  Emma is a little more willing to try new things.  The key, some days, is to let her help out (even just stirring) so she's more interested in the foods.  I made potato soup and after explaining to her what was in it: bacon, potatoes, and whipping cream, she still had no desire to eat it.  After she watched me cook up the bacon, stir in the bits and the milk and cream she wanted to taste it.  Then she ate about half of what I gave her in a bowl - potatoes and all!

Rose's eating (and entire evenings) are much worse right now than I've experienced from her in a while.  She's tired.  School is wearing her out like crazy!  The dinner table is a battlefield, but once you tell her it's time for bed she's happy-go-lucky and bedtime is (usually) a breeze.

The modelling life is quiet now too.  Our "agent" has a rule where she won't submit Emma for anything in Toronto that doesn't pay enough to cover the loss of time (from work) and travel for us here in Kingston.  We peruse the acting submission website occasionally ourselves to make sure we aren't missing anything fun, but a lot of stuff really is not worth the time.  I think we're going to enrol Emma in some community theatre stuff this coming summer and she what she thinks of that.

Overall, life is good.  At the beginning of this post I said our life is "quiet" right now.  I only mean that we don't have a lot of events coming up.  Thanksgiving is our next family function and then we're throwing a Halloween party for Emma's friends since we missed her birthday with the Fashion Show at the mall.  And then, of course, actual Halloween.  Watch for my post about the party and Halloween as the month rolls on!

The busyness I feel right now comes from working, school stuff (like homework that we only have about an hour a night to work on, usually while I'm making dinner), dance stuff, outdoor clean-ups - now that the weather is getting cooler - and the need to get my gardens to bed.  And, I'm trying to make more food instead of buying insta-foods.  That's going ok, but I don't have as much time as I'd like to try more new things!

Readers, are your lives settling into routines now that it's October?  Or do you feel busier during the school year than the summer?  Comment below to let me know how your days are going.  Also I'd love easy recipes for dinners or baking that I can make and share with my family and other readers.  Thanks for visiting!