A few months ago, I did a video on maintaining dignity in parenting. I discussed how I had to interrupt my breakfast and run after my toddler who was gleefully sprinkling pepper all over the living room floor. This made me think about how parenting can sometimes make us act less than dignified.



That video resonated with many people and I heard from so many of you who could relate! I am continuing the discussion in today's video as I talk about maintaining our dignity in parenting by becoming aware of what triggers our anger... which eventually leads to undignified behavior.

I hope you enjoy today's video and that it gives you encouragement as a parent. If you know someone who could use this encouragement, please share this video or blog. I love to connect with you and would love to hear form you in the comment section.

News
📍Thank you to everyone who has taken my new eCourse, How to be Efficient at Home.

M Monahan writes, "The inspiration to wake up earlier made a huge difference in my productivity this past week as I went through your course. Additionally, creating a weekly cleaning/chores schedule helped shift my mindset from one of feeling overwhelmed and always behind to one of confidence through baby steps. I look forward to continuing to use these methods on a daily basis. Thank you Jennifer for all of your encouragement and empathy."


Thank you for your wonderful feedback, M! I'm so happy you enjoyed the course.

On Instagram
Madame Chic in Poland...

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Ostatnio skończyłam 'Szkołę wdzięku Madame Chic' więc teraz zabieram się za 'Lekcje Madame Chic' 💟 #wydawnictwoliterackie #books #bookstagram #madamechic #jenniferlscott #booklover #styleguide

A post shared by Pinkish Dog 🐩 (@pinkishdog) on Apr 8, 2019 at 12:12pm PDT

Comment of the Week
Regarding last week's makeup tutorial, Leigha B. writes, "I am now convinced that all makeup tutorials should have classical music in the background! Lovely, as always Jennifer!"

Thank you, Leigha! I agree :)

I hope you enjoyed today's discussion. Please chime in with your experience in the comments below and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog.

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In today's video, I'm discussing a very important parenting topic: encouragement! I share the ways that I encourage my children in their everyday tasks. We parents can be so busy and feel so overwhelmed with the work that we do, sometimes it's just easier to do it ourselves. But when we include our children and encourage their work, we help them to feel useful and take pride in the job that they do.



The areas you encourage your children in might be different from mine depending on your life circumstance. But today, let's sit down together and come up with different ways we can encourage our children to be helps in the home.



I encourage my older daughters when they help me with the baby. (He's two now, so I guess he's a toddler, but you know how it is with the youngest. They will always be your baby, no matter how old he or she is! :) )

I encourage all of my children with the cleaning and come up with clever ways to make cleaning enticing. My son especially has an interest in helping me clean.

I like to encourage their specific skills in academics and music. These are just some examples. Today, I would love to know how you encourage your children.

Mentioned in the video: This is the wet/ dry vac that we have. It's the least expensive one on Amazon. It's not the strongest one on the market, but works for our small needs at home.

I hope you enjoy today's video.

News
For more of The Daily Connoisseur, take my eCourses, Creating Your Own Ten-Item Wardrobe and Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living.

On Instagram
The Madame Chic books on Instagram...

A post shared by Allyn Young (@beatrixbuttercup) on Aug 4, 2018 at 9:21am PDT

Comment of the Week
Today's comment actually comes from a review of Lessons from Madame Chic on Amazon. MusicBookFanon writes,
"This is one of my absolute favorite self-care, style, lifestyle, get-your-act-together-and-respect-yourself, how to present yourself well to yourself and others without making a big effort out of it or acting like a snob books. As a young adult the author traveled to France to live for a short time, and the lessons she learned there about fashion, food, home styling, self care and beauty routines changed her life forever. The most wonderful thing about this book is how simplistic it is! The tips and suggestions are simple, practical, logical, and easy to adapt for just about anyone anywhere. She makes a point of this by presenting the two families she lived with while in France and how even though the families were different (where they lived, their individual style) the principals of their approach to life is the same. This book is a great read for any age - from teens to young adults to anyone older, middle aged on up. There's no age restrictions on taking care of oneself!

This book is also - although not presented as such - actually a money and time saver, specifically the tips about what to wear and beauty routines. Even the tips about what hair cut works best for each person make a lot of sense and are ultimately a time saver.

This is the kind of book that readers will keep handy and refer to often. Sometimes I pick this book up and re-read different sections, especially if I need a style/care boost or a reminder why I should toss out those worn out sweat pants once and for all (ha ha). I highly recommend this book!"

Thank you so much to everyone who reviews my books on Amazon and other sites. I really do appreciate you and how you spread the word about the Madame Chic series.


Thank you for watching today's video. I would love to know your thoughts on the subject. How do you like to encourage your children? What parenting topics are you interested in discussing on the channel? Where do you need help? What tips do you have for us? Let us know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on The Daily Connoisseur.

I'll see you on Thursday for a ten-item wardrobe prep video!


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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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Hi everyone... wonderful news! We had our baby this past weekend and ... it's a boy! He is wonderful and healthy. I will speak about him in a future post, but I wanted to publish this for you first... Monday's original post. It's very timely! Thanks for all of your wonderful comments on social media. We are all enjoying this very special time! See you soon, Jennifer xx




We have come to the end of the school year. This time of year can be so busy for parents, with graduations, concerts, recitals, award ceremonies, open houses and parent teacher conferences. In this week's video, I encourage parents to dress up for their children to mark the specialness of these occasions and rites of passage.

Children do notice how we dress, whether they tell us or not. You will notice them smile and compliment you when you dress up for a certain occasion. Dressing up for them will send non-verbal communication that the event is special. It also conveys respect, because you are showing that you thought about, and have prepared for the function.

Now, this is not supposed to be stressful. If you have a ten-item wardrobe, you will most likely have many presentable options already to choose from. You don't need to go overboard in expensive clothes, or even go shopping for anything. Just looking presentable and appropriate for the occasion is enough. To deem whether you are appropriate for the occasion, just think of the event. One would dress differently for an outdoor daytime graduation, for example, than they would for an evening choir concert.

There are so many options, even casual ones, that still convey dressiness. Always avoid exercise clothes, pajamas and sweat pants (yes it seems obvious, but I have seen it all at these sorts of functions). You can absolutely wear jeans, it just depends on how you style them. Jeans with flip-flops and a tee shirt do not read as dressing up because this is the type of clothing that is worn on an average day.

Below are some outfit ideas. I am giving a wide range of options because I know not all people are comfortable in dressier clothing and prefer to wear jeans (whether or not you choose to wear jeans will depend on the formality of the event, it's up to you). I tend to veer on the dressier side for everything, but you don't have to if it makes you uncomfortable. The key is to look presentable and feel great too, so do what works for you.

Here are some suggestions:

Graduation:

Slacks in any color or white jeans, blouse, flat or wedge sandals and a cardigan or wrap.

Summer dress, cardigan, flat or wedge sandals and a special piece of jewelry.

Skirt, blouse, flat or wedge sandals, wrap or cardigan, sunglasses.


Concert or recital:

Dress, heels or flats, paired with a cardigan or wrap.

Skirt, blouse, heels or flats, cardigan or wrap.

Dark or white jeans, blouse, cardigan, heels or flats, special jewelry.

Slacks in any color with blouse and cardigan, heels or flats.


Award Ceremonies, Open House, Parent Teacher Conferences

Dark jeans, blouse, sweater, flat shoes and handbag.

Dress, wrap or sweater, flats or low heels.

Skirt or slacks with blouse and cardigan, paired with low heels or flats.


I wish I could model some of these looks for you, but being 37 weeks pregnant and on bed rest, that isn't happening right now... perhaps in the fall I can model some appropriate looks! Check out my video to hear me discuss this topic. 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


Comments of the Week

Wenzday writes:
Hi Jennifer,

I love your books and blog, and putting together the 10-item wardrobe has been amazing for me.

I am in total agreement with you on the bad language issue. (So is my husband, who makes me turn the sound up whenever I watch your videos!) The thing is, I think it goes beyond the fact that they are "bad words." I think it is about disturbing the atmosphere and comfort of people around you. Swearing is accompanied by strong negative emotion, and it is just plain obnoxious to inflict that on other people. Especially somewhere like a restaurant, where other people have dressed up and are paying good money to have a lovely meal and time with friends or family, or a beauty salon where one expects to be able to relax.

Thanks so much for your post!

Hello to you and your husband, Wenzday. You touched upon a major truth in your comment. Foul language does carry a negative energy with it and does infect the atmosphere, which is why we can't quite put our finger on why it is so bothersome in public spaces. Thank you for wording this so eloquently.


R&R writes:
Thank you for this post. I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of self-awareness (or lack of). Unfortunately, I find that it is now unique to observe behavior (language, cell-phone etiquette, driving etiquette) that IS respectful of others. I am the Human Resources Director of a large medical office and it is not uncommon for applicants to arrive for an interview in jeans and sneakers and to use profanity during the interview. By far, the worst offenders I have are the high school students that apply for a job shadow. They arrive (after having been dropped off by a parent) to observe a licensed medical professional wearing gym shorts or flip flops with their belly button exposed. After having to ask several of these students to leave, I now provide every job shadow applicant with a description of appropriate attire, since they are certainly not provided with this guidance at home or at school.

Dear R&R, thank you for sharing your experience as a human resources director. People can be oblivious to their bad habits. It sounds like all of the applicants you describe in your comment could benefit from working on their poise. One of my favorite letters was from a reader who just landed her dream job and was told her "poise" was what made her stand out in the interview process.

Edna P writes:
Every lady is a woman but every woman is not a lady.

Hi Edna, thank you for commenting on YouTube. I would like to add to your sentence that every woman has the potential to be a lady. And I truly believe that. Anyone who makes up her mind can have the grace, class and elegance described in Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic.

News
Congratulations to my blogging friend, Fiona Ferris, of How To Be Chic on the publication of her new book, Thirty Chic Days.



Fiona's blog is wonderful, and she infuses all of her inspiring tips and ideas into her comprehensive book. Congratulations, Fiona!


This week, I would love to know... What are your thoughts on dressing for children's school events? Do you feel that parents are becoming more lax in this regard? Do you think it is important for us to present ourselves well when we attend a child's extracurricular or school function? Let me know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week!

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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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