Back to School

What are some of your back to school traditions? Quite frankly I would like to steal some :)

Our First day of school dinner tomorrow, as requested by my girls, will be The Pioneer Woman's Chicken Fried Steak, some mashed potatoes topped with the fried steak gravy, and one of my favorite salads

Fresh Spinach
Granny Smith Apple -chopped
Dried Cranberries
Almonds or Walnuts
Shredded Swiss Cheese
Poppy Seed Dressing

For Dessert we will have a very SIMPLE and awesome dessert I got from my friend Jen! Thanks Jen!!!

CHOCOLATE CHIP CHEESECAKE BARS
1 (30 oz.) package Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough (Refrigerated section, rolls of dough)
1 (16.5 oz.) package Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough (Refrigerated section, rolls of dough)
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
Spread about 25 ounces of the large roll of softened chocolate chip cookie dough into a greased 13" x 9" pan.  This is your crust.  Beat the softened cream cheese, sugar, and eggs with a mixer.  Spread over the bottom cookie layer.  Crumble the remaining 5 ounces of the first roll of cookie dough over the top of the cream cheese mixture.  Open the smaller roll of cookie dough.  Continue to crumble over the top of the cream cheese mixture.  (I usually use up about 10-12 ounces of the second roll – but top with as much as you like) Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  If using an 8 X 8 pan, half all of the above ingredients.


As far as breakfast goes we will probably send them off with their most favorite breakfast of all! (Tomorrow will definitely be a NO holding back the fat kind of eating day!) Paula Deen's Baked French Toast This is to die for!!! Seriously, deliciously amazing!

Tonight I hope to get the kids in bed and asleep nice and early so they are extra chipper for their teachers tomorrow. Good-Bye summer and mama sleeping in, time for responsibility and grown up stuff.

My Back to School prayer for my kids is this:

Dear Lord,

Please help my kids to be good influences. Help them to be leaders and not followers. Help their teachers to love them. I pray learning comes easy for them. I pray that they will work hard. I pray that they would be obedient, little rule followers. Help them to stand up for what is right no matter what. Protect them from bullies and other punk kids. Protect their ears from unwholesome talk, ungodliness, & drama and although much is inevitable help them to not be negatively influenced by punk kids. Help them to stand up for the less fortunate and advocate fairness and friendship will all kinds of kids. Bless their teachers with patience beyond all else. I pray my kids will be a blessing in their classrooms to both the students and their teachers. I pray that they will resist negative temptation and that in all they do, day in and day out, they would strive to please you. May they know you are with them always and walk with you every day of their lives.

AMEN