Living Well Etc.

  Celebrate With a Mother and Daughter Tea Party! May is all about Mother's Day and what better way to celebrate than to have a tea party with just the girls.  So, let's get ready for the big day by learning what to do for our special party!  Plan the Party Together!  Mom , it's best to involve your daughters in the planning of your party.  If you wish to invite other mothers and daughters, you will need to consider how many you can afford to host and accommodate.  Once this is decided, decide on what type of invitations to send.  Creating your invitations is so easy these days and will help to create the desired mood. Moreover, it is a fun activity to share with your daughters.  Note : E-invitations are acceptable as well.  Just make them special!  You may wish to include attire choice on your invitations.  Dressing up is part of the tea party experience.  Encourage your guests to wear d...

  Eat Well, Spend Less, and Engage Children This Holiday Season As a young mother, many years later a small business owner, now retired, I've always found ways to save money.   The holidays often bring budget-busting challenges, especially when hosting the extended-family Thanksgiving dinner.  However, after 30+ years of hosting, I've come up with some great money-saving tips.  Follow along as I share mine with you.    Decorate with found objects or real fruit and vegetables. Feeding a large group of people doesn't leave much room in the budget for decorations.  This doesn't have to be an issue as most of us have just the right table centerpiece in our own homes.   I often dress a large oval plate with leaves, pine needles, or herbs from my garden.  On top of this, I arrange fruit, vegetables, nuts, pinecones...whatever I can find that looks appealing.  One year, I filled the plate with bright orange persimmon...

  All Treats and No Tricks for Those Who Go Green As an avid recycler, composter, and green gardener, I use every opportunity to be green .  Halloween can be a bit tricky but offers us a chance to be inventive with our eco-friendly efforts.  Let's explore some of my favorite green and eco-friendly ways to celebrate this ghoulish holiday. Trick or Treat Goodies Treats don't always have to be food .   In fact, most candy packaging is excessive with a tiny treat packaged inside paper, packaged inside plastic, making most a non-green option.      As a retired teacher and gardener, my favorite choices are recycled bookmarks, stickers, and seed packets.   Ghostly Parties Halloween parties are a much better green option for serving organic, home-baked goodies in a safe environment.   Involving children in the planning, baking and hosting makes this an even more memorable event.   Compostable Invitations Begin by hand-deliveri...

A party is a perfect time to teach children the importance of hosting.   After all, a host is attending to the needs of others.   This type of selfless giving may assist in the child learning empathy, which is difficult to teach at times.   However, a child is not hired help and shouldn’t be treated as such.   So, she/he as an assistant host should be elective.   Plus, consider what type of party you are hosting.  A loud drink-fest is not an appropriate setting for children.   Teachable Moment  Pro-Tip Parent and plan your party well.   Set expectations and practice with your child well ahead of the party. Suggestions for the Child As a door monitor, smile, maintain good eye contact, and introduce yourself to the arriving guest. When answering the door, you would initiate the introduction and handshake.  Offer to take the guest’s coat and purse and put them away. Lead guests into the home to greet the parents or to...

Dear Rebecca, What do children and teens learn from their parent’s throwing parties ? Parent Dear Parent, Children of all ages learn everything from their parents.   They learn all their manners , which is basically how we treat others and ourselves.   They also learn etiquette, which is the protocol, how we behave, or how we are expected to behave in public.   So, if a child’s parents throw raucous parties with alcohol and loud music, the child will believe that this is what is expected at parties.   If the parents cater to their guests, treating them as special, the child will learn that he/she should treat their guests as special.   Parents are their child’s best teachers to teach him/her about life and being a good person. Pro-Tip Involve your child in the planning and preparation of the party.  Teach him/her how to focus on guests' needs. Most sincerely, Rebecca More by Rebecca Q & A: The Best and Worst Parties I’ve Hosted or At...