October Traditions - Tasting Party

I LOVE LOVE LOVE fall!

It is my absolute favorite time of year! 

I love the colors! I love the weather! And I LOVE the traditions and holiday anticipation that accompany fall!

Today's tradition idea comes from a fun tradition we've had in my family for baby showers...

a tasting party! 

A tasting party is where you get together with friends and family and sample various food items that usually fall into a category or theme. Everyone either buys or bakes an item from the theme, then you gather together one night and sample all the food and exchange recipes if necessary!
Some great foods for autumn would be:

*Hot Chocolate!- Have everyone bring their favorite hot chocolate and encourage creativity! White hot chocolate, nutella hot chocolate, spicy hot chocolate... the possibilities are endless!

*Bread- There's nothing like home made bread around the holidays! It's the perfect companion to soup and other cold weather food staples making it a great item for a tasting party.

*Cookies- Need I explain this one? Who doesn't love sampling cookies and getting new cookie recipes?!

*Soup- Another autumn food staple. I got THE best ever clam chowder recipe at a soup tasting party... and I don't normally even like clam chowder!

This tradition is a fun one to invite extended family, neighbors, and friends to participate in. It would also make a great girls night!

October Traditions- Halloween Breakfast!

How many of you have stopped to think about how important traditions are? 

Traditions make a family stronger. 

They help build trust 

They create a sense of security.

They build memories

They help us create an identity

They build family unity

So much in our lives these days is temporary, yet regardless of what may happen, your traditions will not change. Family traditions provide something for every person to hold on to and to rely upon. 

My family is HUGE on traditions! 

I once read that you should have at least 1 tradition a month. (bday's count fyi) 

so if you live by that advice, a great idea is to take a piece of paper and label the 12 months. Then write down the traditions you already have established under each month. This will give you a good idea of any large gaps you may have that could use some new traditions. 

When I did this I found a huge gap from March clear until July! That's 5 months!

sooo... to aid you in your quest for traditions I'm starting a "Tuesday Traditions" blog post that I'll post every Tuesday until I decide to quit :)

Today's Tradition Idea:

Halloween Breakfast!

 source

How fun would it be to wake up to THIS Halloween morning?!?! 

Click Here to see it all put together along with a cute poem

Or if you're not big on sugar for breakfast... you could always make some 

pumpkin pancakes!!

source

A themed breakfast or meal is such a "small" tradition in terms of preparation and delivery, yet you can bet that the anticipation and excitement from the kids is going to be equally as grande! And something they will surely look forward to remember for years to come!

Happy Parenting!