Tuesday, May 10, 2011
MARVELOUS MANNERS RULES FOR CHILDREN
Looking for a quick cheat sheet on how what manners to teach your children? Here is a great list to start you off. Remember children will follow your lead. Don't forget to set a good example. Soon your children will possess a kindness of spirit that will make you beam with pride!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
ONE SUCCESSFUL DINNER PARTY – ADD A DASH OF MUSIC
How many of us think that preparing dinner is like a science project? We have to use specific ingredients and exact measurements to get the required taste (although I will admit a pinch here and a dash there is more artsy). We have to know how the different spices and herbs interact with each other to create a wonderful aroma that will whet our appetite with anticipation and help us create an appealing visual (again this does give way to more of an artsy flare!) so our appetite is again tempted.
Is this not science? Being exact, demanding, intent on having a positive outcome to our experiment? Yes it is. We are altering the flavor of a food, the volume and texture as we add this and that, and yet we have an image in our heads of what the finished product will look like and taste like. This is not worked out on paper but through our senses – smell, sight, taste, feel and we can hear the adulation in our head? Oh, what a wonderful dinner party this will be, yes it will!
The next question is, what can I do to make this evening a success for my guests who all have different personalities and have had different events in their day? Music. Yes, music will guide them into the mood of the evening, which will be restful, interesting and quite relaxing. I will choose music that represents the mood I want at the end of the dinner.
Again, I turn to science. Music, science you say? And I say, yes. Music is like my dinner recipe. It has all the same elements, specific needs and demand exact implementation of all the ingredients. Music reflects the environment. The one thing science cannot do is duplicate the emotions and feeling that music gives to one’s soul. Call it what you want, but I call it a dinner party’s most important helping hand. Music is to the soul as good food is to the body. I am partial to instrumental music, without lyrics so conversation is easier to focus on. One should consider the menu you are presenting; if it is culturally-based then music with an associated ethical flare works very well. I will also recommend taking into consideration the ages/generation of your guests. Music by itself can evoke fond memories.
Choose music that is in the mood you want to be in at the end of your meal!
Posted by Esther for MaryCatherine.
Is this not science? Being exact, demanding, intent on having a positive outcome to our experiment? Yes it is. We are altering the flavor of a food, the volume and texture as we add this and that, and yet we have an image in our heads of what the finished product will look like and taste like. This is not worked out on paper but through our senses – smell, sight, taste, feel and we can hear the adulation in our head? Oh, what a wonderful dinner party this will be, yes it will!
The next question is, what can I do to make this evening a success for my guests who all have different personalities and have had different events in their day? Music. Yes, music will guide them into the mood of the evening, which will be restful, interesting and quite relaxing. I will choose music that represents the mood I want at the end of the dinner.
Again, I turn to science. Music, science you say? And I say, yes. Music is like my dinner recipe. It has all the same elements, specific needs and demand exact implementation of all the ingredients. Music reflects the environment. The one thing science cannot do is duplicate the emotions and feeling that music gives to one’s soul. Call it what you want, but I call it a dinner party’s most important helping hand. Music is to the soul as good food is to the body. I am partial to instrumental music, without lyrics so conversation is easier to focus on. One should consider the menu you are presenting; if it is culturally-based then music with an associated ethical flare works very well. I will also recommend taking into consideration the ages/generation of your guests. Music by itself can evoke fond memories.
Choose music that is in the mood you want to be in at the end of your meal!
Posted by Esther for MaryCatherine.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
NEED SOME SELF-ESTEEM? PRACTICE MARVELOUS MANNERS.
How do manners allow us as individuals to achieve our dreams and develop a wonderfully marvelous life? We know that there will always be people who are cruel and gossip just to make themselves feel good. But those people are complete losers in the game of life. We want to be on the winning team in this game. So surround yourself with positive people and a positive environment ... a place where we do not derive artificial and fleeting pleasure at the expense of others.
We should always be kind and dream big. We should look at ourselves as the amazing beings that we are who have gifts, talents and the ability to practice amazing kindnesses toward others.
We will always be on the road of self discovery. This road will create an amazing life while at the same time enabling us to make the world a kinder, gentler place for all of us.
We have to remember, it is not just present day life that give us a sense of self-esteem but also the ability to see where we have come from and how our experiences have caused us to grow as real people. People persevere through challenges but not at the expense of others. We practice the first rule of manners, treat others like you want to be treated.
We should always be looking forward and focus on all the wonderful possibilities that lie ahead.
There will always be ups and down in our lives but knowing the rules of the road (etiquette) make life easier to navigate; adhering to manners will make our journeys much easier, more fun and more successful.
Be kind to your neighbor and you will be rewarded, what a pure and simple statement.
Posted by Esther for MaryCatherine
We should always be kind and dream big. We should look at ourselves as the amazing beings that we are who have gifts, talents and the ability to practice amazing kindnesses toward others.
We will always be on the road of self discovery. This road will create an amazing life while at the same time enabling us to make the world a kinder, gentler place for all of us.
We have to remember, it is not just present day life that give us a sense of self-esteem but also the ability to see where we have come from and how our experiences have caused us to grow as real people. People persevere through challenges but not at the expense of others. We practice the first rule of manners, treat others like you want to be treated.
We should always be looking forward and focus on all the wonderful possibilities that lie ahead.
There will always be ups and down in our lives but knowing the rules of the road (etiquette) make life easier to navigate; adhering to manners will make our journeys much easier, more fun and more successful.
Be kind to your neighbor and you will be rewarded, what a pure and simple statement.
Posted by Esther for MaryCatherine
Friday, April 1, 2011
LET'S PLAY BALL
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| Image Source - and to get tickets (Nationals) |
This occurs when someone asks for something to be passed to them (for example, the bread basket) and the person who begins to pass the requested item, or others along the way, use the requested item on its way around the table. Bad form.
So, if someone asks you for the breadbasket, you should not take a roll for yourself before you have the basket begin its journey around the table. And if you are one of the people passing the bread basket along the route, you should not take a roll as you pass it along. This is not nice. Do not do it. It is considered rude.
So what do you when someone's request for the breadbasket sparks your interest in a dinner roll? Be marvelously well-mannered and politely ask for the breadbasket back.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Healthy and Kind Life Lessons Missed
Some parents in the Orlando, Florida’s Edgewater school district are blowing a great opportunity to teach good manners and empathy.
The Golden rule is, treat other as you would like to be treated. One should try to put others first. Empathy, I believe is a taught skill, not a cognitive skill. Many of the parents in this school district are ignoring these two basic life skills and teaching their children the mantra “me first, me first, I do not care what you need, I want what I want.” This appears to me to be a good foundation for developing a bullying point of view in their children, how darn right selfish.
For those of you that have missed the story, a little girl with severe peanut allergies needs and requires a peanut free environment, and the school district had been requiring her classmates to rinse their mouths twice a day with water and to wash their hands and faces at school to avoid introducing nut residue into the classrooms. It is a life and death situation, not about hurt feelings. If it were your child, what would you want?
This child has the same rights as every child that has a disability. A child that needs a working dog; a child that needs wheelchair accessibility; a child that needs special education; a child that needs an interpreter. These are their rights because they belong to the community where it is law.
We as a society do alter our lives for others that require it because it is the right thing to do. We live in communities that should help and enrich all our lives not just the vocal unfeeling individuals.
Remember Hilary Clinton’s book, “It Takes a Village”? Why don’t these uncaring parents read it? Remember the old proverb, what go around, comes around? I wish no one, child or adult, harm and hardship but I do say have a kind heart.
Are these parents even thinking about the good that these simple requests will give their own children? It is healthy to wash your hand before and after eating; after using the powder room and several times during the day at random.
I would like to see every child be required to brush their teeth after lunch but since this will not happen in the schools around the country, learning to regularly rinse their mouth with water will add to their dental hygiene.
Both of these are healthy, personal habits to get into and will become lifelong habits that will serve them well. Moreover, empathy is a skill that will enrich their lives as they enter adulthood. To be able to teach two healthy physical habits and to teach some emotional growth seems like a winning combination to me.
See what happens when children do not know how to care for their teeth: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/163856/child_dies_for_lack_of_dental_care.html
Can you imagine the guilt these parents would carry around for the rest of their lives if this child died because they did not want their child to have rise their mouth and wash their hands; and when their children get older and realizes that they were part of this problem, they could be crippled emotionally for life. There is nothing as punishing as a guilty conscience.
This is one time that people must be marvelously well-mannered. It is not just a social issue but a life and death issue for a living, breathing human being who deserves the best that people can offer.
Let this community be the cream of the crop. Let it be marvelously kind and generous and they will all reap the reward of a clean conscience. They have the chance to make their community special and if they do not, no one else will.
The Golden rule is, treat other as you would like to be treated. One should try to put others first. Empathy, I believe is a taught skill, not a cognitive skill. Many of the parents in this school district are ignoring these two basic life skills and teaching their children the mantra “me first, me first, I do not care what you need, I want what I want.” This appears to me to be a good foundation for developing a bullying point of view in their children, how darn right selfish.
For those of you that have missed the story, a little girl with severe peanut allergies needs and requires a peanut free environment, and the school district had been requiring her classmates to rinse their mouths twice a day with water and to wash their hands and faces at school to avoid introducing nut residue into the classrooms. It is a life and death situation, not about hurt feelings. If it were your child, what would you want?
This child has the same rights as every child that has a disability. A child that needs a working dog; a child that needs wheelchair accessibility; a child that needs special education; a child that needs an interpreter. These are their rights because they belong to the community where it is law.
We as a society do alter our lives for others that require it because it is the right thing to do. We live in communities that should help and enrich all our lives not just the vocal unfeeling individuals.
Remember Hilary Clinton’s book, “It Takes a Village”? Why don’t these uncaring parents read it? Remember the old proverb, what go around, comes around? I wish no one, child or adult, harm and hardship but I do say have a kind heart.
Are these parents even thinking about the good that these simple requests will give their own children? It is healthy to wash your hand before and after eating; after using the powder room and several times during the day at random.
I would like to see every child be required to brush their teeth after lunch but since this will not happen in the schools around the country, learning to regularly rinse their mouth with water will add to their dental hygiene.
Both of these are healthy, personal habits to get into and will become lifelong habits that will serve them well. Moreover, empathy is a skill that will enrich their lives as they enter adulthood. To be able to teach two healthy physical habits and to teach some emotional growth seems like a winning combination to me.
See what happens when children do not know how to care for their teeth: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/163856/child_dies_for_lack_of_dental_care.html
Can you imagine the guilt these parents would carry around for the rest of their lives if this child died because they did not want their child to have rise their mouth and wash their hands; and when their children get older and realizes that they were part of this problem, they could be crippled emotionally for life. There is nothing as punishing as a guilty conscience.
This is one time that people must be marvelously well-mannered. It is not just a social issue but a life and death issue for a living, breathing human being who deserves the best that people can offer.
Let this community be the cream of the crop. Let it be marvelously kind and generous and they will all reap the reward of a clean conscience. They have the chance to make their community special and if they do not, no one else will.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
DINNER PARTY 101: ROLES OF MUSIC, FOOD & GUESTS
I believe the guests at a dinner party are the stars of the evening. The food presented at a dinner party is a supporting player; the music is also a supporting player - it allows for the evening to flow without effort (or at least it appears to be without effort). Music gently leads your guests into a very lovely frame of mind. It creates a soothing environment and allows you to pamper your guests.
I believe we should choose music that remains quietly in the background; it adds so much but does not call attention to itself, it quietly complements the presentation of the meal.
Classical music is a fine choice for background music. It soothes the inner self and adds to the hearing environment. The quiet in the background lends itself to conversation; you are not trying to talk over the words in the music or paying such close attention to hearing the words of the song that you miss the conversation at the table. We are at the party to converse with the other guests, to exchange thoughts, learn what is new in their lives and what is going on in society and not to learn the words of a song. The conversation should take front center stage. Our goal is to have our guests be the stars of the evening and the food and music be the supporting actors.
A perfect piece of dinner music is one that does not fade into the background but is gentle enough that it is appreciated for what it lends to the evenings atmosphere. We take into consideration the tempo and rhythmic progression of music, slow music leads to a more leisurely pace for eating and conversation but do not be to slow as to mimic a funeral!
We all love stars but every star needs assistance, no one can do it by themselves. You will have a hit on your hands with fine food, wonderful music and interesting guests. Such a combination is a sure fire way to have a fun filled evening that everyone enjoys. Your guests feel so special because they are. If you do not make it special no one else will!
I believe we should choose music that remains quietly in the background; it adds so much but does not call attention to itself, it quietly complements the presentation of the meal.
Classical music is a fine choice for background music. It soothes the inner self and adds to the hearing environment. The quiet in the background lends itself to conversation; you are not trying to talk over the words in the music or paying such close attention to hearing the words of the song that you miss the conversation at the table. We are at the party to converse with the other guests, to exchange thoughts, learn what is new in their lives and what is going on in society and not to learn the words of a song. The conversation should take front center stage. Our goal is to have our guests be the stars of the evening and the food and music be the supporting actors.
A perfect piece of dinner music is one that does not fade into the background but is gentle enough that it is appreciated for what it lends to the evenings atmosphere. We take into consideration the tempo and rhythmic progression of music, slow music leads to a more leisurely pace for eating and conversation but do not be to slow as to mimic a funeral!
We all love stars but every star needs assistance, no one can do it by themselves. You will have a hit on your hands with fine food, wonderful music and interesting guests. Such a combination is a sure fire way to have a fun filled evening that everyone enjoys. Your guests feel so special because they are. If you do not make it special no one else will!
Friday, March 18, 2011
A Tussie Mussie? What is it?
Sometimes we just want to do something very special for someone to express our feeling. We have lost the art of making a Tussie Mussie. It is historically a Victorian bridal bouquet but it can be arranged for any occasion. Look at this one found on http://www.bhg.com/.When we make a Tussie Mussie we choose the flowers and herbs carefully to convey a certain message.
Roses mean love in the language of flowers as Basil means love in the language of herbs. Mint is used to represent hospitality in herb language and Anthurium symbolizes hospitality in the language of flowers; Thyme stands for courage in the language of herbs and Rosemary is for remembrance; Statice is the flower of remembrance, Gladiolus represents strength of character and Garlic Chives is for courage in the flower language.
We can create a lavish creation or a small and lovely nosegay to be carried or put into a wonderfully simply vase.
If the bouquet is to be carried we bound the stems with ribbons to complement the flowers, this makes it easy to carry and adds a flourish to the bouquet.
We can say what we want when we speak the language of flowers and herbs.
When I use Lavender, I am telling someone I am happy and devoted to this person; when I use Roses or Myrtle, I am telling someone that I love them and I may use both flowers!
It is special to make an arrangement filled with flowers and herbs that are meant for someone special.
I find it very nice to include a note describing what the individual flowers and herbs represent.
As I always say, if you do not make it special no one else will. Let us celebrate our own specialness and pass it on to someone that is also special.
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