One Friday morning, I put a fresh coat of wax on my kitchen table. I kept hoping it would be usable quickly, but dinnertime rolled around and it was still soft; the smallest movement would cause a scratch. So, I pulled out one of my white tablecloths and threw it on there before we ate.
Georgia walked into the kitchen, saw the very wrinkled, boring white tablecloth and was thrilled. “Mom, it is gorgeous!!!!” (Leave it to children to find the beauty in everything.) I decided to roll with it and let her set the table with cloth napkins and napkin rings. Somehow that turned into a conversation about the fun of setting a tabletop.
Of course, she then wanted to get dressed up for the now “fancy dinner.” Briggs decided he needed to sport a bow tie as well. David came home and looked at us like we were all crazy. Fancy Friday was born. We discussed manners at the table (putting a napkin in your lap, etc.) and the kids had so much fun doing it.
The following Friday, Briggs said “Mom! It’s Fancy Friday! What are we doing today?” I quickly came up with how to properly make a toast at a dinner party. (David and I were cracking up-it just happened to be the first thing that popped into my head, so I kind of just rolled with it.) Now, every Friday, they wait for a new “lesson.” It really is adorable, but the best part is that it reminds me to stay on top of teaching them etiquette lessons they will need throughout life. Now, I just make sure I think about it ahead of time so that I don’t come up with something like “giving a toast” again.