Summertime is upon us, and in today's video I give a list of ideas that your children can do instead of watching television or playing video games. I also give an anecdote about something I noticed about children's cartoons. I hope you will watch today's video and chime in with your comments. As always, I love to hear from you.

As for TV recommendations, here are some cartoons that our family has enjoyed:

Little Bear
Beatrix Potter
Boxcar Children
Wallace & Grommit
Shaun the Sheep
Heidi- this series was on Netflix. I cannot find a link for it, but it is a great children's series.

Faith-based cartoons: Veggie Tales, Adventures in Odyssey

As for activities that do not involve screens, these are the activities I discuss in today's video, written out here in list format.
Learn to Draw, (for example: How To Draw Horses), build a fort, cook and bake, chores and organization, read, listen to an audio book, play outside (swim, ride bikes, roller skates), put on a play, go on a walk, play beauty salon (my favorite!), dolls, play school, learn a new skill (shoe tying, snapping fingers, whistling), make play-dough, make oobleck.

Homemade Play-dough Recipe
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup salt
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
1 cup flour
Food coloring

Mix water, vegetable oil, salt, cream of tartar, and food coloring in a saucepan until warm.
Remove from heat and add flour. Stir, then knead until smooth. Store in an air-tight container.

News
Elegant Living Everyday reviews The Madame Chic Collection on her blog.

On Instagram
A cappuccino and Madame Chic, what more do you need?

A post shared by @misosoup.jp on Jun 19, 2017 at 4:33pm PDT

Dinner with Madame Chic in the Czech Republic...

Dinner! Salad with chicken meat, rosé wine and Madame Chic. 😊🌿🐔🍷📚 #salad #chickenmeat #rosé #rosewine #wine #book #madamechic #jenniferlscott #dinner #wendesday #pilsen #studio54 #librarianlife

A post shared by Studio 54. 😎 (@magda_berankova) on Jun 21, 2017 at 8:38am PDT

Testimonial

Christine G writes: Hi Jennifer, I just wanted to thank you so much for sharing your writing and videos. I am a big fan of yours. I am in the Navy and although I don't decide what to wear everyday, I have started to take care of my uniform and appearance! I try to maintain etiquette and poise at work - something I now cherish! As a Protocol Officer, it's made me embrace my job. Thank you so much!!! All the best, Christine

Hi Chrstine, I loved your email to me sharing your Madame Chic testimony. Thank you for your service to our country!

Today I would love to know... what are your opinions on today's children's cartoons? Do you see inappropriate content like I do? What are you favorite summertime activities for children? Let me know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on The Daily Connoisseur!


See you all next week for a nail polish review and the start of the Mapp and Lucia Book Club! Have a great weekend.

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Raising tidy children. Oh, how I love this topic, mainly because I believe we as parents overcomplicate the issue. We all want our children to be tidy and look after themselves. They won't always live with us, after all, and when they finally leave the house as adults, we want them to leave with good habits to run their own homes. But where do you begin? How early is too early to teach children to pick up after themselves? And what do you do about all that whining and complaining?

In this week's video I share how we do it in our house by discussing the following six points:

Point one: Repetition is key

Point two: Build good habits

Point three: Keep the playroom tidy

Point four: Household messes need to be cleaned up

Point five: Age-appropriate chores

Point six: Reward system? (If this concept really works for your family, then use one. We do not use any charts or reward systems and in the video I explain why.)

The real key is to start now. The younger your children, the better to implement these lifelong habits. Don't put it off for another day (or year). Make it fun. If your attitude toward household chores is negative, your children will adopt that same attitude. Avoid approaching your new household rules with a defeatist mentality. You can do this! And (spoiler alert) your children might actually grow to love tidying.

If you are unable to see the video above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

News
Maggie Carlise was expecting frivolity from At Home With Madame Chic, but instead she was pleasantly surprised as she writes in her article called, Reaching for Mindfulness.

Bella NYC recommends At Home With Madame Chic for it's down-to-earth advice.

Colleen Logie chooses At Home With Madame Chic as her book of the month.

Comments of the Week

UseHerNam3 writes:
I think where you get so much resistance is that people still cannot see the wider implications. People are talking about comfort as if there aren't black trousers and t shirts out there that are as comfortable as sweatpants and pyjamas. The reason why people can agree that you should dress for weddings and the theatre is because people (for now) still acknowledge that sense of occasion. The age we live in now, the sense and wonder that accompanies treating daily and perhaps mundane tasks as an occasion is slipping. Going to the supermarket is no longer an occasion, nor is going to the courthouse, nor is going to work. The fluidity that comes with modern times has completely eroded the demarcation between these distinct elements of our lives. As a result we fail to treat it with the dignity it deserves as we cram it into our self-centred ego-driven lives. Comfort is not the issue, nor time, nor budget as these things are not correlated with sloppy dressing. It's about egocentricity.

UseHerName3, I really love your well-articulated point, thank you! Well said, indeed. Looking presentable is not about comfort or budget, or even time. These are all excuses that people make. It can be done on any budget. You can find comfortable clothes that are also presentable and it takes no more time to put on a presentable outfit than an old pair of sweatpants. Thank you for your observations.

Shannon M writes:
Many months ago, you inspired me to create my own 10 item wardrobe : ) I'm a nursing mother of 3, so mine consists of entirely nursing dresses. There are SO many benefits. I can go anywhere throughout the day and be appropriately dressed, from the grocery store to the art gallery, I don't have to even think about it. Wearing dresses helps hide postpartum weight, which makes me feel much more confident. And it's SO easy, I just have to pull on a dress. I'd say that's even easier than people who choose sweats! And most importantly, my children will learn that being a momma doesn't mean you have to feel and look haggard all the time. A momma can be calm (well, most of the time, lol), well-mannered, and presentable. And I've got you and your wonderful work to thank for all this : )

Hi Shannon, I'm happy that the ten-item wardrobe has been so freeing for you! It brings me so much pleasure to hear how it has impacted your life in a positive way.

Rikki T writes:
I'm a nonverbal communication professor, and yes, how you dress absolutely matters - how you behave, the messages you're communicating about yourself and others and the situations, how others perceive you. It matters a lot.

Hi Rikki, your class sounds so interesting. I absolutely believe that our nonverbal communication is very powerful and something that not a lot of people think about. Thank you for chiming in!

Testimonial

Regarding Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic, Liz writes:

Just read your latest book and it is AN ANSWER TO PRAYER! Getting copies for my daughters and all the young women in my life. I have been bemoaning the loss of so many of these things...and gotten a little bit sloppier myself (wearing those exercise clothes too many places!). Thank you so much for this timely tome!!

Hi Liz, I am so happy you loved Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic. Thank you for your heartfelt support!


This week I would love to know... what are your tips for raising tidy children? Do you struggle in this area? How do your children respond to household chores? I want to hear your thoughts on raising tidy children. Chime in below, and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week!


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