Back to School Traditions, Part 3

When I was a kid, my mom had this awesome red plate. The border of the plate said in white letters: "You Are Special Today!" She looked for every opporutnity to use the plate. I found it at my place on my birthday, half-birthday, days when I was receiving an award of some sort, and sometimes the morning after I had done something unusually kind or helpful. It was a great way to make an ordinary day more special, and it built my sister's and my self esteem every time we found that plate at our place. When my mom died, I took the plate to live with me. A few years later, my dad gave my another identical plate. Now I have one for each child!

Each year on the first day of school, I pull out the red plate and serve Snapper's breakfast on it. This is the fourth year for her, and Pepper's first year! Yesterday Matt made waffles and served them to the kids on their red plates. Another fun, special tradition that the kiddos love. The lighting in my dining room is horrible at 6 in the morning, so please forgive the quality of my pictures. Oh, and in case you're wondering, Pepper is wearing a "penglin mathk" (penguin mask) on his head in his picture. Attempting to remove it would have resulted in chaos, and no picture. When you have a feisty 3-year-old, you have to pick your battles, and that one wasn't worth fighting. I'd rather have the "mathk" in the picture than have a picture of a screaming boy...