The photos above — an assortment of shots from a party last week celebrating the fall issue of D Moms + some random around the house "moments" — don't really illustrate the weekend's goings on. Given that the girlies went back to school this morning (and that we're shameless procrastinators), the past 48 hours were spent in full-blown preparation mode. We procured school supplies, first day outfits, new socks, and lunch box treats. There was carpool to organize, summer reading to (frantically) finish, calendars to sync.
And then there was the "back to school feast," an idea I shamelessly lifted from the lovely and amazing Stephanie Nielson. (Only ours was not so much a "feast" as just a "dinner," but the idea was there.) I've wanted to mark the new school year with some sort of special ritual since I first read about Stephanie's genius feast on her blog a few years ago. I mean, let's face it, for families with kiddos, the first day of school is as rife with possibility as New Year's Eve. It marks new beginnings, a chance to kick things off with a brisk(er)-air accompanied fresh slate.
So we marked the occasions with candles, a big pot of homemade tortilla soup, sparkling water in wine glasses, and some brownie and ice cream action. While we noshed, we took turns sharing what we were most excited for in the coming year (and what we were most nervous about). At the end of the meal, we each wrote down a couple of goals for the year that we hung next to our master calendar. The hope is that now when we are processing the week's jumble of homework/gymnastics/science projects/ballet/volleyball/soccer/art classes, we'll catch a glimpse of the little sheet of paper haphazardly stuck to the inside of the pantry door, pause, and be reminded that we started this whole enterprise hoping for (among other goals) more family bike rides (Audrey), more reading together (Bryan), less stuff (me), and more fun (Millie).
We'll see how it goes.
Happy school year friends!