Last night we had a celebration dinner in honor of SugarBean finishing Hooked on Phonics Level One! Since reading Lorrie Flems book, Welcome Home Daddy, I plan on having more celebration dinners. It made my little girl feel so special and we all had fun. I highly recommend Lorries book - it is very encouraging and full of practical ideas.
We ate a turkey roast, mashed potatoes and carrots. The highlight of the meal was jello cups. We NEVER eat jello, so it was a real thrill! Im not joking, she was jumping up and down.
Her place was set with a place mat and some flowers tied with raffia. She helped me make a nice center piece with some pine cones and we lit a candle for atmosphere. We even broke open the sparkling apple cider - but it tasted terrible so that was not the delicious drink we hoped it would be. No one cared though (no one drank it either!)
She has worked very hard learning to read and it has been wonderful to watch her grow. I cant believe my baby can read! There is still a lot to learn but she knows so much more than she did a year ago. We went to Wal-Mart yesterday and she told me the sign said, "We sell for less" 
My mother-in-law is going to make a special "celebration plate" (she is an awesome potter) for occasions such as this. I thought it could be fun to have a special place mat too.
We presented the guest of honor with a certificate that we can put in her scrapbook. I made it on http://www.dltk-cards.com/award/ . You can also find lots of printable awards on http://www.billybear4kids.com/show/awards/certificates.html
It was not much trouble to do this special dinner and it was worth any effort - she felt special and important and knew that she had really achieved something by working hard.
If you have any special traditions for celebrating your childrens achievements, I would love to hear about them.
Have a great day,
Stacy | 
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