Savory Greek Pastry on a Thursday Afternoon

I have come to a shocking realization:

Each day continues to have only 24 hours in it. This means that each week insists on holding steady at 168 hours.

So schedule cuts have been made this school year. (Wait, really? We have been busy every single night this week.)

The sad news is that none of my kids are taking music lessons this fall. For the past 8 years, there has almost always been one kid or another learning piano or violin (or both). But it is not the passion these days, and something had to go.

In effort both to enrich the upper elementary grades with practical extra-curriculars as well as to get cheap help in the kitchen, we have implemented a rotating lunch prep schedule. My older kids have been cooking lunches and snacks for themselves for quite a while, but there is a caveat this semester. One person fixes lunch each day for everyone, instead of each person choosing his or her own culinary adventure. This can be anything from leftovers to boxed mac-n-cheese to homemade spanakopita—cook's choice.

It's working pretty well so far.