Who Me? Type A?

The kids and I have come up with a meal plan for our weekday breakfasts and lunches. We've been at it for less than a week, and so far it's definitely achieving all that I hoped, including fewer last-minute meals, no more nagging, back-of-mind stress all morning of "is-there-any-food-in-the-house-what-can-I-make-for-lunch-today," and most of all, most of all, no more constant arguing about what we should have, who gets their way, how long it's been since we had my favorite--you get the idea.

Generally, I tend to resist this kind of planning. It makes me feel locked in. And what if it's waffle day and we're all out of waffles? But I'm starting to realize that planning of this sort, "routinizing" if you will, actually doesn't "lock me in," but frees me not to have to worry about little stuff like this. Because now, if it's Tuesday, it's egg salad sandwiches, period. I can even cook the eggs right after breakfast, in the same pan left over from the Tuesday morning oatmeal (pretty smart, right?). Making the meal plan was a group effort, so everyone got input, and so far, it's great.

Without further ado (or do you want some MORE rambling intro?), here's the plan:

Mon. Breakfast: Cheese Omelettes
Lunch: Pasta(noodles w/cheddar, parmesan, or pesto)

Tues. Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Egg Salad Sandwiches

Wed. Breakfast: Waffles & Bacon
Lunch: Chicken Noodle Soup

Thurs. Breakfast: Cream of Wheat
Lunch: Sandwich Day

Fri. Breakfast: Fried Eggs & Toast
Lunch: Soup or Chowder

So that's it. I should do something like this with dinners too, but I'm not ready yet. It's a bit more complex when Bill's in the picture. And I just love that 4 p.m. excitement of "what can I make tonight?" It's such a great creative outlet. :)