Back to School Dinner 2010

We carried on a tradition we started last year called our Back to School Dinner. We prepare a fancy meal that our kids choose the menu for. This year it was Steak, Ceasar Salad, Potatoes, Green Beans, and 7 Layer Jello for dessert, YUMMY!!

The weird thing is….this is the same food they chose last year for their fancy dinner. You can tell we don’t feed our family of 7 steak very often.

Anyway…..it is a manners meal at the Ostlers where some of the glass dishes get used rather than the normal paper products that typically adorn our table. They get some bubbly sparkling cider to drink. We focus on etiquette and spend a ton of the meal time conversation reflecting on things that have happened to the kids the past year, we talk about the upcoming school year and anything else THEY want to talk about.

We also present a new Family Theme for the year. One that we will focus on as a family in many of our discussions, FHE’s, and reminders throughout the upcoming year. This year our new theme is “Return With Honor”. So, at the dinner we present it to the kids and discuss it’s meaning to us.

After the meal, Dan takes each of the kids individually to give them a priesthood blessing.

This hasn’t always been a tradition of ours, but for the past few years it has been something we have started and so far….we love it and the kids look forward to it as the summer comes to a close.

It will happen again next year…..but hopefully we can get more creative on the menu and change it up from year to year.