Back to School Feast

The day before school started for Brooke, we decided to do a back to school feast. I made a fancier meal than I normally would for a Monday and then we talked about our theme for the evening which was ‘letting your light shine’. Brooke completely set the table and did a great job with arranging candles, assigning seats and writing out name cards.

Seriously though! I love her writing and her thoughtfulness in every detail…did you notice the bendy straws?!

It was even her idea to give Blake a paper towel instead of a nicer fabric napkin!

For dinner, I made a big tray of roasted veggies {red onion, zucchini, carrot, yellow squash and asparagus},

my Famous Butter Rice recipe

and some Salmon with a Parmesan Herb Crust {recipe from a Spicy Perspective}.

I was amazed at how easy and delicious this salmon recipe was! Even my kids snarfed it down with Brooke calling is “yummy chicken”.

Brooke is going into 1st grade and so ‘being a light’ {a kind, loving example} to those around her was something that we talked about after dinner. We talked about how people are naturally drawn to bright things, especially in a dark world, so being a kind person would draw people and new friends to her. We gave her examples of how she could help those students around her, ways she could be an example, and strategies for getting and keeping friends.

Since this shin dig happened weeks ago, I’m happy to report that Brooke loves school and has already made many new friends {something she was extremely worried about.} In fact, we went to a ‘meet the teacher night’ yesterday and it’s fascinating to hear her teacher describe Brooke’s hard work ethic, her reading skills, her ability to focus for long periods of time and the good example she is to those around her. And school started only last week! I was amazed and impressed that her teacher was able to describe all of that in detail after having  literally 9 days with our daughter. We are so grateful for our sweet and tender, kind and thoughtful Brooke in our family! And great teachers who understand what my child needs to thrive.

Happy school year, everyone!