Family Resources Kid's Resources
Family Support
The Parlor Join us on our message boards for conversation, introductions, support, encouragement and chit chat. Stop by and introduce yourself Here!
Recipes
Tea
Crafts
Garden
Forums
Teddy Bear Tea Party
Start The Tradition Now!
By Annette Yen
Children of all ages love stuffed teddy bears and for good
reason! They're cuddly, warm, and cute and they don't make a
mess on your living room floor before guests arrive! The joy a
stuffed animal can bring to a child is a wonderful and amazing
thing and I believe every child should have at least one
favorite bear in her lifetime.
Now, combine this great love of all things fluffy with a little
girl's tea party and you have the makings of the grandest event
of the year for your daughter. The Teddy Bear Tea Party!
There are several ways you can create this memory-filled event
for your little one. Obviously the two main elements must be
accounted for... the tea and the teddy bears. So let's look at
both in just a little more detail.
1. The tea. Assuming you're planning your party for the younger
of the young ladies, you'll want to keep the tea simple and
SWEET! Not too much scrimping on the sugar here, mom...this is
the event of the year remember? Choose a tea with some added
flavor. Blackberry, apple or vanilla are a few of our
favorites. You can go with the varieties from the tea aisle in
the grocery store or find some fine lovely teas at various
upscale tea shops or even online. Don't make the tea too strong
and remember to have plenty of sugar (get the cubes...little
girls LOVE the cubes) and cream for those who have not yet
acquired the taste for afternoon tea yet. More sugar is
required in the form of cookies, little chocolates and other
tea fancies to complete the tea table. Remember mom; all the
little ones will probably have a good toothbrush at home
anyway!
2. The Teddy Bears. As you know, not all children choose a bear
as their favorite stuffed animal so you might want to offer some
flexibility here! The most economical way to include the animals
is to ask each child to bring their own favorite teddy or other
animal along for the event. Providing a simple craft for the
girls to make a teddy tea shawl (an inexpensive cloth napkin
and some fabric makers or rubber stamps will do nicely) will
help to make the stuffed animals more at ease at the tea table.
Or, if you want to get even more elaborate, have a make your own
stuffed animal event as part of your party, where each guests
can build a bear or other stuffed animal to take home.
Keep the entire party short and simple for maximum memory
making and remember your camera and film. You'll want to take
plenty of pictures of the little ones, pinkies high sipping
their tea while enjoying their tea dainties. Finally, remember
to take a photo of each guest with the guest of honor and their
bears. Include the picture with your thank you notes so each
will have a grand remembrance of the day as well.
Teddy Bear tea parties don't need to be just for birthday
parties either. Make this an annual event for your girls.
Celebrate the start of the school year or celebrate the first
day of spring. I bet you'll find that the tradition you start
when your girls are young will continue on into their teen
years and beyond... and each year you can guarantee the teddy
bears will come along too. One is never too old to love a
stuffed teddy bear! At the end of each year's celebration,
create a special page for a scrapbook so your girls will have
something wonderful to pass on to their daughters along with
the annual tradition!
About the Author
Annette Yen and her two beautiful daughters
love tea and adore stuffed animals. You can learn more about
their stuffed animal parties and sign up for their free
birthday club by visiting their website at
www.funontheark.com .
SeptemberLady "Born and have lived in Southern MD most of my life. My husband and I just finished building a new home on the family farm, where I hope to retire in the near future.
My interests: Doll collecting, cookbook collector (especially old ones), antiques, family/friend get-togethers, cooking/baking, flower and vegetable gardening, bird-watching."
Memorial Day: Backyard Grilling Memorial Day signals the start of barbecue season. Everyone wants to light that fire and charcoal that first meal. A few tips might pre- vent your entree from becoming a "Burnt Offering."
Read these tips for plenty of grilling ideas, make this year's barbecue perfect!
Growing and Using Garlic Chives Garlic chives, Allium tuberosum, is a hardy perennial (Zones 3-9) that will grow to about 12 inches high. The stems are skinnier and flat, instead of hollow as are regular chives, with greenish white blooms that are about an inch wide and not as rounded. They bloom in the summer rather than spring. The bloom stalks grow much taller than the leaves, sometimes up to 30 inches.
The stems and blooms are both edible and have a mild garlic onion taste. I've noticed many writers will list this as primarily as an Asian herb, as they are also known as Chinese chives, Chinese leeks, ku chai (China) or Nira (Japan), but it has many other uses as well!
The Perfect Porch Swing Perhaps it is the soothing rhythm or the reassuring creak of the porch swing that attracts us. Perhaps it is the companionable silence or quiet conversation. Or maybe swings simply remind us of more genteel times.
Although porch swings can be purchased in a wide range of materials, the most common are wicker and wood. You can also make your own porch swing from one of the myriad of woodworking patterns available at garden centers, hardware stores, or on the Internet.
Memorial Day: Backyard Grilling
Growing and Using Garlic Chives
The Perfect Porch Swing