Archive for » 2010 «

27
Dec
Manner Monday: Making thank-you note writing a fun activity

In our family, we celebrate Christmas, so the past few days have been fun-filled with family, food, presents, church, more food, and more presents.  It has been an enjoyable weekend to say the least.

Now that things have settled down for us a bit, it’s time to start writing thank-you notes.  Sunday night we sat down, as a family, to a piece of cake, a cup of milk, and note writing.  We (Billy) only made it through writing 4 thank-you notes before needing to take a break…which is completely fine with me – I don’t want to turn this into a battle.  He suggested taking a break and writing a few more tomorrow morning.  I’m all for it!  Fingers crossed, it’s working.

(Please feel free to check back with me in a few years!)

If you would like to order personalized stationery (which makes it fun for the kiddos to actually use when writing their notes) please visit:

www.MannerMonday.PaperConcierge.com

There are hundreds of styles and designs from which to choose.

Click here to view the previous posts on thank-you notes:

Please visit my post ‘What is Manner Monday?’ to learn more about how to make the most of Manner Monday. Do you have a ‘manner’ you would like to see covered on Manner Monday?  Feel free to send me your thoughts.

And, of course, please share ‘Manner Monday’ with your friends and colleagues. If you would like to subscribe to my newsletter and receive ‘Manner Monday’ in your inbox, please enter your email address in the ‘Subscribe to Newsletter’ box on the right.

Thank you for reading Manner Monday!

Category: Etiquette, Family, Manner Monday, Manners  Tags: , , ,  Leave a Comment
20
Dec
Manner Monday: The 3 S&P’s of creating a meaningful toast

Last weeks post on Toasting prompted some questions on “how” do you create a great toast!?

Being asked to offer a toast for a special celebration can sometimes be an intimidating and daunting task.  But taking a few minutes to plan and prepare can help ease your nerves knowing that you have a well thought out and appropriate toast.

When crafting a toast, think “S”:

  1. Short
  2. Sweet
  3. Safe (or appropriate)

Then divide it into thirds, touching and commenting briefly on all three areas, thinking “P”:

  1. Past
  2. Present
  3. Potential (Future)

And most importantly, keep your toast under 3 minutes.

With just a bit of thought, along with these guidelines; you will have your meaningful, and eloquent, toast produced in no time!

Please visit my post ‘What is Manner Monday?’ to learn more about how to make the most of Manner Monday. Do you have a ‘manner’ you would like to see covered on Manner Monday?  Feel free to send me your thoughts.

And, of course, please share ‘Manner Monday’ with your friends and colleagues. If you would like to subscribe to my newsletter and receive ‘Manner Monday’ in your inbox, please enter your email address in the ‘Subscribe to Newsletter’ box on the right.

Thank you for reading Manner Monday!

Category: Business Etiquette, Etiquette, Manner Monday, Manners  Tags: , , ,  2 Comments
13
Dec
Manner Monday: Toasting

Toasting is one of the easiest ways to pay tribute to a special occasion…turning an ordinary celebration into something extraordinary.  It is also one of the easiest ways to create an uncomfortable situation by saying something inappropriate…casting an awkward air in the room.

When toasting, think about adding to the honor of the occasion.  As I mentioned in a previous Manner Monday post, choose your words carefully:  If you wouldn’t say it to your parents, grandparents, clergy, or small child… don’t say it in a toast.

It’s not too late to shop for personalized stationery and place mats.  Visit www.MannerMonday.PaperConcierge.com for great gift ideas and stocking stuffers.

Please visit my post ‘What is Manner Monday?’ to learn more about how to make the most of Manner Monday. Do you have a ‘manner’ you would like to see covered on Manner Monday?  Feel free to send me your thoughts.

And, of course, please share ‘Manner Monday’ with your friends and colleagues. If you would like to subscribe to my newsletter and receive ‘Manner Monday’ in your inbox, please enter your email address in the ‘Subscribe to Newsletter’ box on the right.

Thank you for reading Manner Monday!

Category: Business Etiquette, Etiquette, Manner Monday, Manners  Tags: , , ,  2 Comments
06
Dec
Manner Monday: Making your “guest” feel included at events

With the Holiday season in full swing, many parties are popping up on the calendar where spouses, significant others, and family members (guests) will be thrust into your business/company/social environment.

Some guests are “gung ho and ready to go”; others are a bit more hesitant to “enter into the spirit of the party“.  Whichever the case, it makes for a great start to your evening to have a discussion prior to the event, giving your guest as much insight as possible helping to prepare them for what they’re getting ready to walk into.  It’s also nice to discuss ahead of time, having a game plan in place for introductions and the inopportune time when you forget someone’s name.

Once you arrive at the party, don’t forget to include your guest.  There is a good chance that your guest will not feel as comfortable as you will; they don’t spend 5 days a week, 9+ hours a day with your coworkers.  Make introductions and include your guest in conversations.  When making introductions, offer information to make the connection:  this is Josh from the marketing department, we recently worked together on the big XYZ project.

And by all means, don’t forget to enter into the spirit of the party and ENJOY!

Many of you have emailed asking for the link to the stationery and place mats so I’m including the link again:

www.MannerMonday.PaperConcierge.com

Please visit my post ‘What is Manner Monday?’ to learn more about how to make the most of Manner Monday. Do you have a ‘manner’ you would like to see covered on Manner Monday?  Feel free to send me your thoughts.

And, of course, please share ‘Manner Monday’ with your friends and colleagues. If you would like to subscribe to my newsletter and receive ‘Manner Monday’ in your inbox, please enter your email address in the ‘Subscribe to Newsletter’ box on the right.

Thank you for reading Manner Monday!

Category: Business Etiquette, Etiquette, Family, Manner Monday, Manners  Tags: , , ,  Leave a Comment
02
Dec
Parmesan Bread Sticks

Ok, so your arteries aren’t going to be a big fan of these…. but MAN are they DELICIOUS!!!

You will need:

1 loaf Pepperidge Farm very thin white bread

Grated Parmesan Cheese

and Butter.  LOTS of butter (3 sticks or so)

Start by cutting the crust from bread and cut bread into 3rds

(I stack 3 or 4 pieces and cut at once)

… we are saving the scraps for the ducks, anther story for another day.

My friend, Aulena, who shared her version of the recipe with me said to “brush the bread with butter”, I prefer to dunk (or rather drown) the bread into the melted butter,

then roll it in the parmesan and place on a foil lined cookie sheet (easier cleanup)

Bake at 300 for 45 minutes

You may prefer to tweak this a bit… my friend suggested baking at 200 for an hour to hour and half.

These little Parmesan Bread Sticks have turned into a favorite of ours to have on hand for parties…

I can’t wait to hear how yours turn out!

Category: Recipes  Tags:  Leave a Comment
29
Nov
Manner Monday: Keeping organized for your Thank-you notes

As promised from last week, I thought I’d share some ideas on how to stay organized with thank-you notes.  Keeping organized and staying on top of them is half the battle.  Even I struggle sometimes with remembering to write, and getting the notes in the mail; to help, I’ve added note writing to my calendar every Monday.   This prompted the tag line you may have noticed on our Manner Monday stationery “start your week off on the write note“.  I’m not saying I don’t miss an opportunity for a note here and there, but it’s helped tremendously!

One of my friends, Timberly, gave me permission to share this photo of the cute box she keeps on her desk:

I love repurposing things.  Recently I was clearing out some things and ran across my old “day-timer”… with advancements in technology, it was gathering some serious dust!

I cleared out all of the old calendar pages and replaced them with clear sleeve protectors.

Took a few of my personalized note cards, some for Billy and Ricardo and a few Happy Birthday cards,

stuck in some stamps and a notepad, added some magic markers for Billy

and ta-da… we are ready to write notes on the go.  I keep the day-timer in my car so it’s easily accessible.

If you don’t have an old day-timer lying around, Boatman Geller makes a really cute carrying case called the Carrie and Tuck:  It comes in a variety of colors and is available at (scroll down to the bottom of the page):  http://mannermonday.paperconcierge.com/

How do you stay organized and on top of your note writing?  Please share and I will post your suggestions.  (If you missed last weeks post, here is the link:  Thank-you notes )

Please visit my post ‘What is Manner Monday?’ to learn more about how to make the most of Manner Monday. Do you have a ‘manner’ you would like to see covered on Manner Monday?  Feel free to send me your thoughts.

And, of course, please share ‘Manner Monday’ with your friends and colleagues. If you would like to subscribe to my newsletter and receive ‘Manner Monday’ in your inbox, please enter your email address in the ‘Subscribe to Newsletter’ box on the right.

Thank you for reading Manner Monday!

Category: Creative Re-Purposing, Etiquette, Manner Monday, Manners  Tags: , ,  2 Comments
28
Nov
Placemats: Billy approved

I’m SO excited!!!  The placemats for the Manner Monday stationery line have been a labor of love and they are finally available.  I ordered one for Billy and I am pleased to say, it was an immediate hit!

Tonight, as we were getting dinner ready and setting the table, he said, “Hello, where’s my new placemat!?”   He retrieved it from the island and moved it to the dinner table, proceeded to get his utensils, cup, salt and pepper, etc. and place the items neatly in their places.  Throughout dinner, the placemat sparked great conversation.  He was concerned that he did not place a knife on his mat, I assured him it was ok … we were having stew.  And he happily ate his meal knowing that his dessert spoon was waiting and that ice cream was in his near future.

Now… let me enjoy this moment as before I know it, he’ll be 14 and looking at me like “what?” when I ask him if he knows what a fork is for!

If you’re interested in ordering placemats for the little ones in your life, please visit:  www.mannermonday.paperconcierge.com

Category: Family Dinner  2 Comments
22
Nov
Manner Monday: Thank-you notes

With the Holiday’s fast approaching, I’ve had numerous conversations with parents asking how can they encourage their kiddos to get excited about writing their thank-you notes.

Based on the suggestion of a friend whose “been there, done that” (thanks Mardi):  you might try implementing this rule “they are not allowed to play with the gift until he or she writes a note of appreciation”.  We’ve been trying it with our four year old; after he opens a gift, it’s pretty amazing how excited he is about going to get his personalized stationery and magic markers.  He even has taken ownership in getting the note into the envelope, sealing and stamping it.  It will be a few years before he’s able to address it, but I hope we are creating a positive life-long habit. (Knock on wood; it’s working so far.)

For more tips on making the thank-you note process a bit more fun, please visit my previous post on Thank you note 4-3-2-1

We’ve also started a line of personalized stationery, which makes it fun for the kids to write their notes, please visit www.MannerMonday.PaperConcierge.com to see the collection.  The note cards also make great stocking stuffers and schoolteacher gifts!

Next Manner Monday, we’ll post some pictures of how to store your stationery and stay organized, which makes it easier and more fun to write your notes.

Please visit my post ‘What is Manner Monday?’ to learn more about how to make the most of Manner Monday. Do you have a ‘manner’ you would like to see covered on Manner Monday?  Feel free to send me your thoughts.

And, of course, please share ‘Manner Monday’ with your friends and colleagues. If you would like to subscribe to my newsletter and receive ‘Manner Monday’ in your inbox, please enter your email address in the ‘Subscribe to Newsletter’ box on the right.

Thank you for reading Manner Monday!

Category: Etiquette, Family, Manner Monday, Manners  Tags: , ,  5 Comments
15
Nov
Manner Monday: Tech Check in the car

I’m curious to know if there are statistics available on the results of having videos running at all times for the kiddos in the back seat?  I’m specifically interested in this effect for everyday occurrences and short trips to the grocery store, to and from school, etc.  It seems as though I see so many kids “plugged in” to some kind of technology even on short trips in town.  One of these days those kiddos will be driving; how will they know where to go?  Will they know what landmarks to look for and how to navigate safely and successfully.

I’ve heard from other parents, and have seen numerous stories and reports, on how important car time is with your children and what a great opportunity it is to talk with them, to find out what’s going on at school and in their lives.

Are you and your kiddos plugged into one another, or technology?

Please visit the previous post “Tech Check” for more on “unplugging”

Please visit my post ‘What is Manner Monday?’ to learn more about how to make the most of Manner Monday. Do you have a ‘manner’ you would like to see covered on Manner Monday?  Feel free to send me your thoughts.

And, of course, please share ‘Manner Monday’ with your friends and colleagues. If you would like to subscribe to my newsletter and receive ‘Manner Monday’ in your inbox, please enter your email address in the ‘Subscribe to Newsletter’ box on the right.

Thank you for reading Manner Monday!

Category: Family, Manner Monday  Tags: ,  Leave a Comment
09
Nov
Social Etiquette Workshop

I would love to have you join me for a Social Etiquette workshop. While we enjoy lunch we will cover Basic Table Manners, Table Settings, Centerpiece Creation and Party Planning Tips along with many other fun topics to help prepare us for the Holiday season.

Thursday, November 18, at Gaillardia Country Club.
Click here for more details to register

And of course, feel free to call, 721-1467, or Email if you have questions.

Category: "Lunch and Learn", Etiquette, Manners  Tags: ,  Leave a Comment
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