Back at it!

After two days off, we are headed back to school tomorrow.  Molly can't wait to get back into the swing of things.  She is one of those kids who really likes school.  We didn't have school Monday or Tuesday because of parent/teacher conferences.  I went in today and I was so pleased with what I heard.  Molly has been struggling a little bit with reading but she really is giving it her all and it has been recognized by her teacher.  The teacher gave us some great tips on helping Molly at home and included web-sites and games to try.  We are so blessed that Molly has such an incredible First Grade teacher who really cares about her students.  Teachers don't usually get the recognition that they deserve so I just want to put it out there; thank you to all current, former and future teachers, you are so important to the future of our world and we very much appreciate you.

Our main entrée is not the average pb&j.  We've decided to mix it up a little and use Trader Joe's Cranberry Apple Butter instead of jelly.  This tart and sweet condiment is definitely a favorite at our house.  We use it on sandwiches with cream cheese, we use it on turkey and now on peanut butter.  Trader Joe's only sells it for a short time so if you have the opportunity, give it a try.  We used a cat shaped cookie cutter for the large sandwich and the heart micro cookie cutters for the little sandwiches.  Molly loves cats!

Our vegetable side is seedless cucumbers.  We peeled and cut the cucumbers into sticks.  Most cucumbers are cut in circles but the sticks seem to go over a little better with Molly.  We also figured that the cucumbers would be a good palate cleanser since we are serving peanut butter.

Our fruit side is strawberries.  We keep finding these little gems and they honestly taste great.  Molly says that strawberries are like dessert because they are so sweet and juicy, just like ice cream.  Plus, they remind us of summer.  Since it was in the 30's here in Pittsburgh this morning, we need all the reminding we can get. ☺

Finally, for dessert, we have Peanut M&M's fresh from the Trick or Treat bag.  We usually don't do candy unless it's Fun Friday but we've made an exception because of the plethora of candy at our house.  Plus, Molly has been very good and exceptionally helpful over this small break from school so she deserves a little reward.