Back To Homeschool!

Hello! And Happy Friday, my friends. Well, Flynn and I are back to school; truthfully, we are glad. I am so thankful she enjoys the time we spend together each afternoon. Although I am struggling to comprehend how that little girl with the long curly hair who sat at a little white table and colored letters and numbers in our little preschool classroom is now a beautiful, intelligent teenager talking about PreAlgebra, Biology, and English Literature with me as a freshman, I am here for it!

My desk

And Flynn's. However, in the interest of complete transparency, I must tell you she spends more time on the comfy little couch than at that desk!

I know. I know. She is in high school, But I will never lose my love of seasonal children's books! 

We have a family tradition that goes back almost twenty-five years: Each child chooses a Back-to-School meal. Flynn is my last remaining one, so I was so happy to plan her special dinner. Her choice? Hotdogs, Kraft Spiral Macaroni and Cheese, and peas! And an easy, peasy chocolate chip snack cake for dessert. The other kids came to celebrate her first day of high school, and it was a fun night for my girl.

Superintendent Steve surprised me with these pretty flowers on the first day!

And lastly, I have to share a little about Steve's birthday dinner this week. I was so happy and proud of my children. They planned a special night out for Steve's birthday, and it was perfect. They set the date, chose the restaurant, made the reservation, and arranged for his favorite meal that wasn't on the menu; Steve loves veal chop parmigiana and has it maybe once a year. They also arranged for a special birthday surprise for dessert and even went together and paid the bill. I was so happy for Steve, who always has and always will make caring for his family his priority. That evening at dinner, we both realized how blessed we are that our children want to give us the happiness we have given them. Beautifully blessed. 

 I hope you all have a beautiful, cozy, fun weekend! Enjoy! We are halfway through this amazing month of September! Which reminds me...Here are the ways I tried to enjoy September one day at a time this week.

1. Decorated my planner for fall. 2. Enjoyed my first Pumpkin Spice Latte. 3. Read a fall magazine. 4. Helped Flynn decorate her room for fall and Halloween. 5. Ate a piece of pumpkin spice coffee cake. 5. Hung a fall wreath on my front door. 6. Noticed all the changes outside, like pinecones on the ground, leaves starting to fade, air slightly cooler, and evening coming sooner.

If you want a quick, easy snack cake, here is the recipe we use. It calls for a chocolate cake mix and chocolate instant pudding, but I used vanilla this time!

( I may have told you this before, but it is called SIn Cake because years ago, Peyton had it for dessert the night of her First Confession! )

Billie Jo