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Mary G
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Just wanted to share with you how much fun my littles and I had planning a tea party for about 20 guests yesterday!
Using Alice Cantrell's Tea and Cake with the Saints, we sat down on Sunday and planned the whole menu (after reading about the importance of hospitality, making your home beautiful and being good hosts -- all covered very nicely in Alice's book).
We chose and made many recipes from the book -- and they were well liked, if empty plates, empty pitchers were any indication  !
The boys and Maggie really pitched in to make the house look nice, to ensure the food was out and appetizing, and to ensure that all the little guests had a great time while the moms chatted!
If you haven't gotten this book yet, please look into it as it really is a great one for helping the kids (BOYS and girls) understand the importance of making a house a home!
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MaryG
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my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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Christine
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Thank you for the review. I ordered the book a couple of days ago and now I can't wait for it to arrive. The UPS site says that it should be here May 12. Tea parties are always so fun.
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Christine
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MaryM
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As a guest of this little tea party, I have to say it was wonderful. I hadn't realized the kids helped so much, Mary. They did a great job - I would rate it a big success!.
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Mary M. in Denver
Our Domestic Church
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Elizabeth
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I so love this book! and plan to use it as an integral part of a home economics course for my daughter next year. I think Alice hits just the right note and inspires mothers and daughters alike. 
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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KC in TX
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That book is on my list of must buys. I can't wait to order it.
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KC,
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Mackfam
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Elizabeth wrote:
| I so love this book! and plan to use it as an integral part of a home economics course for my daughter next year. I think Alice hits just the right note and inspires mothers and daughters alike. |
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I don't want to hijack, but I'm curious Elizabeth. I have this book, and love it! I wanted to use it more next year, and would love to have a home ec. course spring from it! It really lends itself beautifully to this. Have you given this any detailed thought yet? Or is it still in the idea formation realm? If you've put any thought into it, I'd really love to hear what you're planning.
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Jen Mackintosh
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Mary G
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Jennifer,
I'm not Elizabeth (and I don't even play her on TV  ), but I would think you'd use this book more as a supplement and something else -- like Home Comforts, Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook or Mrs. Sharp's Traditions for the spine.
When my now 11th grader was in 9th grade, we did a home ec class, where she used the Home Comforts by Michelson and then went off on "rabbit trails" as she'd get interested in something. We would have used Alice's book just as we did her Sewing with St. Anne --- when Catie came to that section, we used the sewing book (along with some others) so she could get a hands-on experience with mending, hand-sewing and machine-sewing.
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MaryG
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MaryM
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Mackfam wrote:
wanted to use it more next year, and would love to have a home ec. course spring from it! It really lends itself beautifully to this. Have you given this any detailed thought yet? Or is it still in the idea formation realm? If you've put any thought into it, I'd really love to hear what you're planning.
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Since there are several of us with girls around this age - maybe we could work up a course together.
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Mary M. in Denver
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Mackfam
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Mary G. - I have Home Comforts - what an excellent idea to use it as the spine!
Yes, Mary M., I'd love to be a part of that! What a great idea!
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Jen Mackintosh
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Elizabeth
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I can't really write about much of anything this morning. I think Home Comforts is too dense for Mary Beth at this stage.She's 11 and I thought I'd keep that one until high school. I find my eyes glazing over sometimes when reading it. We're going to use some of the Mary Frances books, both of Alice's books, and some other things on hospitality. I want to get her notebook started and help her collect ideas and begin to think about it all. And frankly, there are some blogs we will lean on heavily. I'd love to collaborate--just not right now 
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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MarilynW
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What a great idea! Tea and Cake is one of our favorite books - Abby and I have problems sharing it.. We have taken Home Comforts out of the library - I just wish I had more time to read - Abby loves this too, and it keeps disappearing into her room.
I would love to be part of a home ec course.
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missionfamily
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Okay, I so can't be part of your home ec course  , but I have a request. I really want for some moms to work with their young girls on a list of qualities and skills of a good husband. We put so much into teaching our girls how to be young ladies and into preparing them for wifehood, but I think our boys could give some thought to learning how to be good husbands too. I would love to work with my boys at the preteen age and then again in high school on this aspenct of their education. Maybe while we're thinking about how to prepare our girls for their future roles, we could could work out a list for our little guys as well? I've got a lot of guinea pigs for this experiment .
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Mary G
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Colleen -- I'm right with you ... it's just as important to me that my boys grow to be gentlemen and also that they know how to survive (cooking, laundry, etc) until they meet that gentlewoman that God wants them to marry.
Maybe we could do something that encompasses all kids?
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MaryG
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MaryM
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Of course we weren't suggesting a gender bias - anyone could be invovled. Just that the moms of girls that age chimed in first. Generally though I was thinking age would be more a deliniating factor. Maybe there could be a couple tiers to a course plan/outline. As I'd originally been thinking of a 'tween course (10-13ish) since those were the moms who mere mentioning it. But I also have an 8 yo son, so a middle elementary 8-10 plan would be good for me, too.
Elizabeth, take it easy right now. Maybe some of the rest of us could take the ball on this.
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Mackfam
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Mary - I'd love to help with this.
Here are the thoughts I had so far:
I'm planning on using Alice's Tea and Cake as a spine. I'd like to use her suggestion for helping the girls (and boys )to create a notebook. That notebook will set the pace and topic of study. Here are Alice's suggestions for topics in the homemaking notebook:
1. Recipes - We'd study cooking skills here
2. Home Keeping
3. Gardening
4. Hospitality - To include a short course on ettiquette
5. Gift Ideas
6. Projects
7. Personal Accounts - Money management skills, Savings goals
I'd add a section on...
8. Sewing, Knitting and Crocheting projects and skills
9. Basic First Aid Skills
I knew of the Mary Frances Cooking Book, but I had no idea there was a whole set. I love them! They fit so perfectly with this idea. I ordered the whole set. I found some, but not all at Amazon. I ordered all of them from Barnes and Noble. Pricey, but they were just recently brought back into print.
I think a boy's notebook would be a handy project to undertake as well. I really look to my dh to guide in manly areas, but he lacks creativity in organizing and planning  . I was thinking if I planned the notebook and helped my son set up the notebook with dividers that would provide a springboard for my dh to work with. And I wouldn't feel bad about adding resources and information to that either - because the essential part of the work would be my son's. Here are my ideas for a young man's resource manual (in absolutely no order - just typing as I'm thinking here):
1. Knots and knot tying
2. Basics of fishing
3. Using and caring for a knife
4. Responsible weapon care and use
5. Vehicle maintenance
6. Chivalry is NOT dead - or - how to be a gentleman
7. Gardening/Farming/Ranching skills
8. Camping Skills
9. Hunting Skills
10. First Aid Skills
11. Personal Accounts - money management, college saving, savings goals
I'm sure there are others - and each boy's notebook could be individual and personal with dividers pertaining to that young man's interests, but the main dividers would remain the same. I plan on using The American Handy Boys Book as part of the spine. Other ideas for reference/spine?
For each notebook, the dividers/topic of study will provide the direction. As in all things we do, this learning will be literature and life based. I plan on coming up with a book list for each topic of study. Each family's book list could certainly account for ages and individual talents.
These are the thoughts I have so far. I'm really looking forward to hearing what you other talented ladies come up with!
Should this be a new thread, Mary M.? I trust your judgement there.
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Jen Mackintosh
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Cay Gibson
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Count me in.
Back in March I asked for any homemaking curricula for girls. While searching for it again I came across this one which you might like to reread:
Nurturing Beauty
And remember Donna Marie's
Elegant Simplicity?
Then we all discussed "A Lady's Education".
Oh, the treasures you can dig up when you go searching. What a handy-dandy little tool that "search" button is. 
What you ladies are talking about here is exactly what I want to do this summer with my girls. There will be no extra gas money for movies and putt-putt and summer activities in Lake Charles.
We will stay home and focus on home.
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Cay Gibson
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JennGM
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Love the list, Jennifer! I definitely want my boys to have some kind. I was thinking the American Boys Handybook, (and Girls) also.
I would add to the list for both boys and girls etiquette. Was it here where we talked that good manners is simply charity to others? And learning all the above isn't helpful if you can't put it into charitable practice. Etiquette can cover all sorts of areas, like table setting, courtesy, table manners, cleanliness (germs and such ), chivalry (for boys) and ladylike behavior. And perhaps include Santorum's Book "Everyday Graces"?
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MaryM
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Mackfam wrote:
Should this be a new thread, Mary M.? I trust your judgement there. |
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Yes, that is what I had been thinking would be best. I'll move it over. Great list to get started in the right direction, BTW!
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Mary M. in Denver
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Stephanie_Q
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Elizabeth wrote:
| I so love this book! and plan to use it as an integral part of a home economics course for my daughter next year. I think Alice hits just the right note and inspires mothers and daughters alike. |
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So, would you all recommend this book as a starting point for a mother who is domestically challenged? My daughters will be 5 and 6 this summer and I know I need to teach by example - can I take the home ec course with your daughters?
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Mackfam
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Stephanie,
I think this book would be an excellent starting point for you if you feel challenged in this area. Alice writes in such a gentle and inspiring way! I find it very helpful.
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Jen Mackintosh
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Larder: A Tea for the Ladies
