Back-to-School Brinner

Happy Wednesday, friends!  We made it through the first day of school - tired but excited!

Monday night we had our annual Back-to-School Brinner and I want to share because it's seriously so easy and one of our family's very favorite traditions.

Essentially, it's a special breakfast for dinner (brinner) on the night before school.  It started because I saw other people posting about special first day of school breakfasts and literally couldn't get it together enough in the morning so I moved it to the night before :)  

 We talk about what we're excited about for the year, take some time to pray over our teachers, classmates and school and set some goals for the year.  The menu is SUPER simple and I tried to change it up this year and was met with SO MUCH resistance which I feel just proves that it doesn't have to be anything fancy.

Back to School Decor

We have had a FANTASTIC summer full of fun and have made some incredible memories but we've been out since May and I start back this Thursday (meetings, professional development, etc.) so we've been gradually switching over from summer-mode to back-to-school mode :)  I'm not going to lie... the last couple of weeks of summer can easily take on the "Sunday Scaries" vibe... where you really focus on how little time left you have left BUT I try to combat that with making back-to-school as much fun and as exciting as I can. 

On  the console table I put out a few sunflowers from the grocery store,  this candle and  this caddy filled with art supplies.  I also used an old globe on the lower shelf.

Back to School Brinner

Yesterday we spent our day recovering from our first week of school - we cleaned, organized, filled in calendars, registered for Fall sports and worked on our first set of spelling words :)  But LAST Sunday was a little bit more relaxed and we spent some sweet time together at our "Back to School Brinner".  We have to leave our house around 7 a.m. on the first day of school so doing a special breakfast the morning of really isn't an option for us so we do our family meal the night before school starts. 

Back to School Interviews

Well... the day is here!  We're back at school and running on a mix of sugar, adrenaline and caffeine :)

I thought it would be fun to ask the kids a few questions as we start the school year and record them so I can see how much they change between now and the end of the year.  I think we'll love having this to look back on!

Happy back-to-school if you're on the same calendar as us and if not Happy Monday... hope you have big plans enjoying summer today!

Back-To-School Season

Well... August is here which means that back-to-school ads are airing, pool water temperatures are rising and Fall decorations are starting to appear in stores (unless you're Hobby Lobby in which case you've had Christmas decor out for a month!).

We got out before Memorial Day which means that we go back earlier than a lot of other schools - but I'm ready and excited!  Today I thought I'd share all things back-to-school in the hopes of maybe getting some of y'all excited right along with me :)

Back to School Brinner

As I mentioned yesterday, our school mornings are pretty early (we leave by 7 am) and so the prospect of a fun, special breakfast on the first day of school was out of the question.  Instead, I opted to put together a little "Back to School Brinner" (breakfast for dinner) on the night before the first day :)

I wasn't planning on decorations or anything like that until I was at the grocery store and saw the folders on sale for 15 cents.

I laid them open on the table, wrote everyones names in the corner and called it a day.  

The folder was even a cute little pocket to hold our napkins and silverware.

I kept the menu simple and easy.  I made Shay's sausage balls, set out some fruit and yogurt and picked up some cinnamon rolls from the grocery store.

EASY and Luke dubbed it "the fanciest dinner we've ever eaten" ;) hahaha

We prayed for Luke and Mason, their teachers, classmates and the school.  We talked about what they were excited and nervous about and what they hope to learn this year.

Luke told Mason ALL about what happens in Kindergarten and Mason ate up all of the advice ;)

It was such a sweet way to usher in the school year without the pressure of having to do it the morning of.

If I had been on my "a-game" I would have made this printable, framed it and set it out on the table... I wasn't prepared, but you could be ;) hahaha  

You can right click on either of the images below (the breakfast one is for all of you who have time to actually do a first day breakfast), save it and then print it yourself or upload it to a photo printing service (like Walgreens or Sams) and have it printed. 

Enjoy, friends!!! And I'd love for you to send me a picture of your sign in action if you end up using it :)    Happy Wednesday!!!

Back To School Decorating

Happy Wednesday, Friends!  Today I thought I'd share a little bit about some of the back to school "touches" I have around our house.  Summer is awesome and going back to school/work isn't always the most appealing idea :) and so Dave and I hype it up by being super positive, talking about how new and fun it's going to be and building some excitement with a few decorations.  It's as much for the kids as it is for me. ;)

Here's what I put together for the table...

It's no secret that I love these bowls from Anthropologie and I paired them with this chalkboard sign, some fresh hydrangeas and a globe from a thrift store.  The tray I found at Home Goods.  

I've picked up the bowls over the last couple of years, but you can find a set on sale HERE.

On the kitchen counter I have another stack of the bowls and another chalkboard sign (this was in our laundry room, so I just moved it in here).  I snapped these pics on Monday and I was making cookies for Dave's birthday :)

And some festive sunflowers by the sink window...

On the console table I added another globe, switched out the Vine and Branches sign and added a jar of pencils.  Easy!

And then on the mantle I put up a banner I made for Luke's first year of school as well as a garland.

I added a few little globes, faux apples, pencils and paper airplanes (courtesy of Luke!) to make it a little less Fall and a little more back to school :)

I grabbed the globes at HomeGoods...

... and the faux apples from Hobby Lobby.

In the dining room I filled the apothecary jars with faux apples, pencils and crayons and did another garland.

I've been missing the jars being filled and love having them all festive again :)

The chalkboard sign I found at Target and then I wrote the Mandela quote on there and put the whole thing on a little easel stand.

On the top shelf I switched out the pictures for a couple from the boys first days of school - LOVE!

I know it's hard to say goodbye to summer, but if we HAVE to go back to school we should make the most of it :)

Happy Wednesday, Friends!!!

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