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hvparent.com n Hudson Valley Parent 17 them while they were at school. They caught on after a few years. My kids are all grown up and out of the house now, but they still remember this first day of school tradition the same way I remember the books my mom bought for me. Celebrate with tasty treats Every year for the last 10 years, Lee Starshine has been taking her daughter Hope out for cake at the end of her first day of school. "The tradition started when she was six," says the Poughkeepsie resident. "Every year, I take her to a local bakery at the end of the first school day where she chooses from the slices of fancy cream cake, strawberry shortcake, carrot cake and chocolate fudge cake." Diane Reeder starts off the first day of school for her two children with an extra special breakfast and ends the day with a special takeout dinner. "We always make pancakes for breakfast," says Reeder, a resident of Kingston. "Each kid is a little different with the pancake toppings. Megan loves strawberries and whipped cream. Cait loves caramel. Olivia loves chocolate chips on her pancakes. I can never convince any of them to opt for my favorite, blueberries. After school, first day dinner is always takeout to decompress and talk about the day." Document the day Along with breakfast, Reeder takes an annual picture of her children. "My kids hate taking the picture more and more as they get older," laughs Reeder, but she admits that she loves it. Every year, Mary Hackett makes her children hold signs that say "first day of school" when she takes a photo of them. "It has their names, their teacher's names, the current year and a few By LISA IANNUCCI W hen I was a little girl, I would come home from the first day of school to find a new hardcover book on my bed. This tradition made the first day of school extra special and I never forgot my mother's thoughtfulness. When I had three children of my own, I wanted to make the first day of school special for them too. I came up with a game called high/ low. When they came home from their first day, we ordered pizza for dinner with their favorite toppings and they would talk about the high points and the low points of their first day of school. They loved this so much they even made me share the high and low points of my day while they were at school! Of course, my low point every single year was missing things they each like, such as their favorite colors or what they want to be when they grow up," says Hackett, a Hyde Park resident and mother of 8-year-old Grace and 6-year-old Brennan. Get something new Hackett and other mothers, like Reeder and Evelyn Masullo, have also continued the time-honored tradition of buying their children a new outfit and a pair of shoes for the first day of school too. "I take pictures of them in their outfits and give them lots of kisses," says Masullo, the mother of a teenaged daughter Leeza and 3-year-old Alexandrea. Many parents also make buying supplies on the first day of school extra special too. Your child can pick out their favorite notebook or pencil, giving the school year a great start. Lisa Iannucci's latest book "On Location: A Film and TV Lover's Travel Guide," is available online and in stores. First day of school traditions Make the first day of school extra special Diane Reeder makes a special pancake breakfast and orders takeout for dinner as a tasty tradition every year. Make signs like Mary Hackett to keep track of funny favorites and changes over the years.