"Tell Me Every Little Thing" Tea

These wonderful people had to go back to school today.  It was a little sad but mostly good.  With too much down time, sisters can really start to aggravate each other.  It will also be good to get my precocious toddler back into some sort of sensible rhythm.  She currently doesn't believe what the fairy godmother teaches about turning into a pumpkin after midnight, but I digress.

I always strive to be "Super Fun Mom" on the first day of school.  I like the set the bar high and then backslide for the rest of the school year.  Last night I decided we would have a super girly tea party after school and catch up on all of the day's happenings.  So while they were away (and Miss Toddler Pants was conveniently napping), I set the stage...

You realize, of course, that I am still a school teacher trapped in a Mama's body.  This fun new chalkboard that my sweet husband hung in the kitchen allows me to channel my inner Mrs. Griswold.  (The kids also think it's fun.)

Next I set the table with a polka-dotted bed sheet and pieces of my grandmother's china...

It turned out to be completely unnecessary, but I also made some little tea party topics on strips of paper to keep the conversation rolling.  Both girls were eager to tell me about their days, but the "topics", which were folded up and placed in a pretty box, helped keep the conversation balanced.  The girls took turns taking a topic from the box and reading it aloud.  Then they both answered the question and discussed.  Nobody got verklempt.

Did I mention that I also baked a fresh peach crumble?  The rest of my accouterments were probably inessential.  A pretty table with tea and warm fruit crumble yielded plenty of lovely discussion.

"The mere chink of cups and saucers tunes the mind to happy repose."  

~George Gissing

"A Proper Tea is much nicer than a Very Nearly Tea, which is one you forget about afterwards."  

~A.A. Milne

"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."  

~Henry James

Even our grumbly toddler could smell that something nice was happening and climbed out of bed to join the party.  "Lili have a sip!!"

Of course it needn't be the first day of school to have a girly tea party.  There is a chance I may feel "Super Fun Mom" overtake me again some day soon and surprise my girls with a "just because" after school celebration.

"If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty."  

~Japanese Proverb