We're halfway there!

Several people, including the children, think that perhaps one week each of grocery shopping is enough of an opportunity to learn some valuable lessons. I'll admit, I'm pretty tired of the project at this point, but am looking forward to some renewed energy (and some updated ground rules) as we start the cycle again. They will all be taking another turn, because I really do believe they need to make changes to their own systems while they can still remember the first time around.

So, what have I learned so far?

I've learned that grocery shopping and planning is overwhelming, annoying and time consuming no matter who is doing it. That just demonstrating the process week after week to the children is not enough to give them the skills they need to hit the ground running themselves. And that, given opportunity and guidance, teens can take on a large project and be successful, even if the measure of that success is different for each of them.

Each one of them has taken on the project willingly and stuck with it all week -- Caroline's brief desire to quit notwithstanding. While there was a range of success with the planning and the level of balance with each meal, they did make a plan and kept slogging through the daily grind. I do think they could all have been kinder to each other when the larder was not as full of choices as they wanted, but hopefully that is an area that will improve the second time through.

There are some days I think starting this project was craziness, and other days it seems like a stroke of brilliance. Today feels pretty good, but we'll have to see what tomorrow brings -- you never know what Tim's grocery cart will look like!