Creating an Afterschool Happy Hour
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more details, please see our disclosure policy.
As a Sara Lee MOMent Maker, this post is part of a series on making family moments. Sara Lee has provided me with compensation and coupons in return for this post. Participation in this program is voluntary; all opinions are my own.
Want to save this post?
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, I'll send you time- and money-saving tips every week!
On a good day at our house, school wraps up by about 3 o’clock. The house is quiet. The girls are napping (hopefully). The boys are finishing their independent work. We do a quick pick up to signal the end of lessons and the transition to afternoon activities.
One fun thing to make that transition fun — and delicious — is to share an afterschool “happy hour.” You could call it a coffee break, an afterschool snack or tea time.
The important thing is that we take a moment to unwind, share a snack, and reconnect.
We do this at the end of our homeschool day, but I imagine that families who school outside the home would enjoy this just as much. It’s a great chance to catch up, share funny stories, and refuel for afternoon activities.
Take a moment to unwind
I find that school days can be full days. My kids have chores and school lessons to do. I have to hit the ground running just to keep up. While each child may not be busy the entire day, my minutes are filled, transitioning my attention from child to child and tackling home tasks.
Taking a break can be so refreshing — for me and the kids.
Share a snack
On a good day at our house, meals are planned in advance. The kids have had a good breakfast; we eat sack lunches. Dinner is scheduled for about six pm. Lunch seems hours ago, and it’s still too early to eat dinner.
So, it’s nice to have a snack to hold us over.
Some snacks we like:
- Apples and maple cream
- Cheese and crackers
- Graham crackers and applesauce
- Popcorn with butter
- Cake and hot cocoa
- Cookies and milk
Sharing Sara Lee
Recently, our happy hour featured pound cake from Sara Lee. This dessert is a sweet memory from my childhood. My mom often bought one for me and my four siblings.
I love the convenience of having this snack in the freezer. It’s a great last minute treat, especially since it thaws so quickly. I prefer it cold.
Drizzle it with an orange glaze, and it’s even better!
Orange Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 – 2 Tablespoons orange juiceCombine all ingredients in a small bowl, adding enough juice to create the consistency you desire. Drizzle over slices of pound cake and serve.
Reconnect
Even though I spend all day every day with my kids, there are still times when I feel a disconnect. If I’ve been busy cleaning or we’ve had company, I feel like I’ve been away from them. I miss them when we haven’t had a chance to talk.
Snack time is a good way for us to reconnect.
Looking at good days
The reality is that “good days” are hard to come by. At least in the “everything-is-going-as-I-planned” kind of good day.
The house might be a wreck. Tears might have been shed over math problems or phonics reading. Piles of laundry may be waiting in all corners of the house. FishChick 2 might have gotten into who-knows what.
But, hanging with my kids? Reconnecting after a hard day? Enjoying a little pick-me-up together?
That can make every day a good day.
I love to sit in the recliner in my Daughters room and read to her…just her and I. It’s so peaceful and she recites the words and will often brush my hair with her hands and tell me she loves me. I just love it!
Our favorite way to reconnect is to talk about each other’s day, but usually not first thing when he comes in from school. He needs to transition from school mode to home, so I let him play and unwind, before we start playing, what did you have for snack, who did you talk to today, what did you read, etc. Its a nice back and forth conversation with each other, which allows both of us to share.
We like to have after-school picnics-snacks on a blanket in the back yard while we talk about the day.
We snuggle up on the couch and read a book together!
I have some Sara Lee in my freezer right now and never even thought of serving it as a snack! Why do I always try to “save” things for when guests come rather than spend them on my own family? I’m going to work on that…
Some ways that we reconnect:
Eat dinner as a family at the table,
We pile on my “big” bed and read together, Have family movie nights where we eat popcorn and snacks and watch a family friendly movie together and
Play board or video games all together.
My favorite way to connect is sitting down right after school for snacks and homework. With us sitting there with her through her work, she knows that we value her education and she should too:-)
I like to reconnect with my kids by just eating supper together. As a working, single mom, this time is precious to me
In the evenings we snuggle up for a devotion and a read a loud book.
I like to reconnect with my kids by taking the week old bread to the pond down the road and feeding the ducks. It’s amazing how much they enjoy that.
I don’t connect with my kids as much as I should. If one has an event after school, I’ll pick them up and give them a snack of some kind. (They prefer McD’s ice cream cones… ) They like to be read to and play games. I have not done that like I should. A good reminder for me to think about and add to my thoughts on a more daily basis.