An Invitation to Read - Dessert Party!

In our family, we love any excuse for a party, and what better theme for a party than desserts?! As we had combined our Dessert Party with Family Literacy Day, reading together was on the docket for the evening. I hopped onto our library's website and searched keywords such as "donuts," "cake," and "ice cream." (Anyone getting peckish like me all of a sudden?) I soon had a mountainous stack of books waiting for my retrieval. Leading up to party day, we pored through a few of those books - kids dessert cookbooks - in search of the perfect recipe, but in the end, the Pineapple Poke Cake on one of my Pinterest boards was the one we decided to make. The afternoon of our dessert party, I read aloud a short chapter book about a piece of mysteriously missing cake, and a number of other books were laid out for my kids to read at their leisure to get them hyped for the evening's happenings.

Just as Grandpa was arriving for the festivities, my kiddos had fun adding a few sweet touches to the dinner table by scooping pink, pen-sprinkled paper into our "fancy" ice cream cups, with another such cup holding the offering of parmesan cheese for enjoying on top of our lasagna. Then, with the dessert finishing up in the oven, we sat to eat dinner, each of us trying to chew thoroughly, but also eat quicker than usual, so that we could get to the real meat of the party.

With the dinner cleared and the dessert cooling, I took out the books that I had laid aside for us to read out loud to each other. My reluctant reader was quick to turn down the easy reader that I'd picked for him and instead chose the one that caught his interest. He read his book aloud in such brilliant fashion, being sure to also show us the pictures as he went. I was so proud of him! And another treat was when Grandpa had his turn to read. I haven't had my Dad read to me in more than a couple decades, haha, and the kids loved how he read with such expression. This time of reading together was my favourite part of the evening by far!

Next, we had an (overly sweet) Pineapple Poke Cake to eat and a game to play. Our new card game, "Just Desserts," was the perfect way to round out our Dessert Party. (Lest it sound like bragging, I won't mention here that I won. ;) ) Having our treat and the game after the reading time made sure that the focus was still on our theme of desserts and not on the reading...even though that was the true intention behind planning this shindig. This kept the reading portion lighthearted and enjoyable, something that everyone could happily participate in together. We had such a wonderful evening!

Do you have a new dessert recipe that you've been wanting to try? A bakery up the road with irresistible treats? Why not hit up your local library for some of these sweet reads to enjoy alongside it. You'll be surprised just how special a Dessert Party can be!