Fancy Feast

It's Prom season and one of the most fun things about prom, in my opinion, is going to Grand March. Maybe this is just a phenomenon in our area, so in case you're not familiar...Grand March is when the kids that are going to prom all parade in front of the community in their fancy dresses and get announced, "Judy McQuaker daughter of Ed and Mary McQuaker, escorted by Bob Leads, son of Henry and Lulu Leads and Mary and Larry Ludwinski"...there's lots of clapping, smiling, and the occasional cat call by an underclassmen...all in all it's a good time.

This year I took Kiki, Finn, Leve, and a dear little friend with us. The girls got dressed up and had a blast commenting on each gown that came out, deciding which boy was the most handsome...you know, girl stuff! When it was over they asked, "Mom? What do they go and do now?" I explained that they go and have a fancy meal and then dance together until late, THEN there is a party that goes all night long that they can win prizes at. My kids' jaws dropped...it must have sounded so insane to them...stay up ALL night long AND win prizes?! As we discussed this tradition further I came to find that part that really "got" to them was the fancy meal...it seemed so cool and something to be envied...so when we got home I transformed our table into a fancy space and we ate our pizza-noodle hotdish in style.

A before shot






A during shot




I don't have an after, but let's just say its a REALLY good thing that the tablecloth was really just an old bedsheet that I threw into the wash afterwards!

The meal itself was so fun because the kids felt so special...an added bonus was working on manners and etiquette. Sure, we talk about that at regular meal times, but somehow with real china, stemware, and several forks on the table it MATTERED and the kids were MUCH more interested in what was proper...which fork DO you use first? Can you put your elbows on the table at any point in the meal? What's the rule about getting up from the table? They asked so many questions and, I hope, learned their etiquette better than ever before.

The experience brought to mind the importance of teaching our kids when they are ready to learn...to embrace those teachable moments and make learning matter. Don't we all learn better in those circumstances?

In the meantime, here's to a FANCY FEAST!