School supplies purchased – Check.
First-day outfit (or uniform) all set. Check.
Lunch packed. Check.
Ready to take on a new school year? Check.

Whether you like it or not, a new school year is here. And like a brand new box of crayons, everything feels fresh, colorful, exciting. There’s a lot of hope in the air about what’s to come in the months ahead.

Perhaps this is a transition year for your family. Maybe you have a child about to start kindergarten and he or she will board the bus for the first time, spend a full day away from home learning and growing and trying new things on his or her own.

Perhaps you have a child transitioning to middle school, caught in that space where they feel too big for elementary school but not quite mature enough for high school. It can be a time of great joy as they become more independent and grow into themselves but it can also be a time of great angst, too.

You may have one starting high school, too, that wonderful, difficult, fun, hard four years of schooling that provides as much learning outside the classroom as what is learned within four walls.

Or maybe the transition is the fact that you don’t have any children starting school this year at any level because your children are grown and graduated. Perhaps you feel a tug at your heart as you remember those busy years. Where did they go?

A new school year means new possibilities, new opportunities, new friendships. All of these are things to be celebrated — and we want to help! We love being able to help you celebrate life deliciously- big moments and small — and a new school year is the perfect time to do just that.

Pick up a dozen doughnuts and start the morning off right. What better way to begin the first day than with a favorite breakfast treat of fresh doughnuts on the table? You’re guaranteed to get a few smiles in the early hours. In fact, your kids may forget to be grumpy about getting up to an early alarm. Plus, you know they’ll have at least something in their stomachs to fuel their brains for the day ahead.

Stop by and pick up a dozen cookies – either a variety pack or your students’ favorites – and tuck a few in lunch boxes for the first few days of school. We know students will love opening their lunches and finding a surprise. There’s nothing like a sweet touch from mom (or dad!) to feel special, cared about and loved. It’s a simple thing but we all know it’s often the simplest things that mean the most.

If you don’t have a first-day dinner tradition, start one! Celebrate a successful (or perhaps not so successful) first day – either way, the day can be acknowledged. Enjoy a family dinner together and then enjoy a delicious cake, cupcakes or favorite pie from Ashley’s for dessert. Ask about new teachers and new friends over a decadent dessert and you may find your student is willing to spill more details.

Yes, the first day of school comes every year, but it’s a special day and is a fun one to celebrate. It doesn’t take much effort, but it’ll create loving memories for your family for years to come.

Here’s wishing everyone a great school year!