a BLOG sharing modern manners for polite people of all ages
Placemat Picture
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Thanksgiving Table Reminders
Happy Thanksgiving to all! As you sit down for a lovely meal with family and friends today, here are a few reminders:
1) Make a rule that NO ONE is allowed to bring a smart phone to the table. Period. In fact the hour or so of visiting with friends before your meal should be a hands off the smart phone zone. Especially your kids - explain to them we only stop work and everything else a few times a year to gather together with loved ones, and they need to enjoy the time together and live "in the moment".
2) Remind anyone with a hat on to please remove it before sitting down to the table.
3) If you are hosting and you are eating buffet-style, remember to tell people to please go ahead and start eating while it's still warm - they don't need to wait for you.
4) If you're a guest, remember to wait for the host to either take the first bite or tell you to go ahead without her or him.
5) Kids should remember to look people in the eye when speaking to them.....not appropriate to look down or the other way and mumble.
6) An old fashioned -but still looked upon as gentlemanly - is if a man helps a lady with her seat....and stands when a lady gets up from the table or sits down.
7) If you're eating from a buffet in a restaurant, leave your plate on the table when you go for more food and the plate will be removed. You don't want the serving spoon that touches everyone's else's plate to touch yours too.....But if you're in someone's home, it's expected that you will used the one plate and go back with it for seconds. Don't know why - I guess if you know someone well enough to be in their home, you know them well enough to share germs. :)
8) When you're finished, fold your napkin lightly (don't scrunch it) and put it to the left of your plate.
9) Thank your host for a nice Thanksgiving meal. And send a thank you note the next day - even if it's family!!!
Have a happy peaceful Thanksgiving....and let's all hope for peace in the world. We can do that by being civil to every other human being you come across. Jill :)
1) Make a rule that NO ONE is allowed to bring a smart phone to the table. Period. In fact the hour or so of visiting with friends before your meal should be a hands off the smart phone zone. Especially your kids - explain to them we only stop work and everything else a few times a year to gather together with loved ones, and they need to enjoy the time together and live "in the moment".
2) Remind anyone with a hat on to please remove it before sitting down to the table.
3) If you are hosting and you are eating buffet-style, remember to tell people to please go ahead and start eating while it's still warm - they don't need to wait for you.
4) If you're a guest, remember to wait for the host to either take the first bite or tell you to go ahead without her or him.
5) Kids should remember to look people in the eye when speaking to them.....not appropriate to look down or the other way and mumble.
6) An old fashioned -but still looked upon as gentlemanly - is if a man helps a lady with her seat....and stands when a lady gets up from the table or sits down.
7) If you're eating from a buffet in a restaurant, leave your plate on the table when you go for more food and the plate will be removed. You don't want the serving spoon that touches everyone's else's plate to touch yours too.....But if you're in someone's home, it's expected that you will used the one plate and go back with it for seconds. Don't know why - I guess if you know someone well enough to be in their home, you know them well enough to share germs. :)
8) When you're finished, fold your napkin lightly (don't scrunch it) and put it to the left of your plate.
9) Thank your host for a nice Thanksgiving meal. And send a thank you note the next day - even if it's family!!!
Have a happy peaceful Thanksgiving....and let's all hope for peace in the world. We can do that by being civil to every other human being you come across. Jill :)
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Manners Reminder of the Week
If you and another person are approaching a doorway or a narrow place to walk, please pay attention and slow down to let the other person pass through. It's the considerate thing to do. So many people rushing these days - sometimes it becomes a race just to get through a hallway or a narrow passage. Why speed up to get through a doorway first? I tell my 15-year-old every day to let me go through the doorway into the kitchen first - the food will still be there when it's his turn! Please slow down and think about another person during your busy day! That person will think to themselves, "what lovely manners!"
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Moms are Lovin' the Placemats!
Gotta Love This Review of the placemats!!!
Thanks, Suzy, whomever you are! Glad you like them.
Click Here: to see "SuzySaid" review
Thanks, Suzy, whomever you are! Glad you like them.
Click Here: to see "SuzySaid" review
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Good Manners over Good Grades - Even A Question?
Just heard about a new study that was just done - as if it even needed to be done!?
This morning, on a segment on the Today Show, three "professionals"/guests were asked to comment on an NBCU study showing that 77% of moms interviewed said they would prefer their children to have good manners over good grades. Two of the three Today Show guests agreed that good manners were more important - but one guest actually said she thought good grades
This morning, on a segment on the Today Show, three "professionals"/guests were asked to comment on an NBCU study showing that 77% of moms interviewed said they would prefer their children to have good manners over good grades. Two of the three Today Show guests agreed that good manners were more important - but one guest actually said she thought good grades
Saturday, September 24, 2011
A New Manner? Smile!!
Just read an article – ok, a little crazy that it was a
“Dear Abby” newspaper advice column – but the woman who wrote it told Dear Abby that something she had read 20 years ago had
changed her life. Unsure of herself as a Middle School student, she happened to
read a Dear Abby column that offered advice to another reader recommending that
one should “smile and greet people every day.” This writer said she took that advice and it changed
her life. She started to smile at
the world, became involved in activities in school, made friends, and was
elected student body president. She now has children, has a master’s degree,
and is a public speaker, poet and actor.
She says it was all because Dear Abby wrote about how important
it is to smile.
Dear Abby (Abigail Van Buron © 2011) responds to this writer
saying that she is glad her advice has been so impactful. She says that no matter what you wear,
“the expression on your face is your greatest asset – or liability.” She asks whether you would rather start a
conversation with someone who looks like they are mad at the world or someone
who looks like they’re happy to see you - even if they don’t know you.
Dear Abby says she isn’t suggesting to be phony, but if you
develop a habit of looking cheerful and happy, “it attracts.” She says that there are two kinds of
people who can walk into any room – one walks in and says, “Here I am…” The
other walks in and says, “There
you are...”
Which one do you think is the winner? Abby says, “If you want to receive a
warm welcome, remember the happier you are to see others, the happier they’ll
be to see you.” I will add to that advice with my car's bumper sticker: BE NICE. The footnote to the bumper sticker
should be: it makes you feel like you’re helping the world be a better place!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Hats Off!
I've not been posting this summer….but I'm back at it….reminding you about manners that have been forgotten (or never taught) and that we need to teach our kids! I'm also trying to discover the history behind all of the manners we regard as proper these days.
At the Yankees game on Labor Day (and every baseball game) - the announcer asked people to stand and take off their hats to sing the national anthem. I had a sunhat on (because of a bad place on my chin you don't want to hear about)….when the announcer asked people to take off their hats, my first thought in the first millisecond was "I can't take this off for medical reasons" but then I thought "this is a manner that people need to do - no excuse, period" - and I whipped off my hat. It is absolutely a sign of respect whether you are a man or a woman.
Here's what Emily Post says about hats:
Hats/baseball caps can be left ON:
Outdoors, at Athletic Games, on Public Transportation, at Religious Services as required, in Public Buildings (Post Office, Airport), on Elevators.
Hats/baseball caps should be taken OFF:
In a Home, In an Office, at Mealtime at the Table, in Restaurants, at a Movie or Indoor Performance, when the National Anthem is played, when the Flag of the United States passes by (as in a parade).
But I wanted to know what was the general history behind taking off the hat? Long ago, the guest, coming in to the host's most vulnerable space - his home - would often make a ritual of taking off his hat. The hat and the stick (or the helmet and sword depending on the century) would be required to be left at the door. Uncovering your head and leaving your sword at the door shows that you are disarming yourself, shows respect, and makes yourself similar to your host who is most likely not wearing a hat in his own house or castle. At the turn of this century, it was also customary for men to remove their hats to protect others from industrial soot. Emily Post said that women's hats were part of their "costume" and did not need to be taken off….but her more modern descendants who have written the most recent editions of her Etiquette book do not distinguish between men and women when it comes to taking a hat off. The rules above are for everyone.
How about this? The forebearer of the hat was the wreath! The ancient Greeks and Romans wore them at feasts. The wreath was a pledge that everyone would observe TABLE MANNERS(!) and would not take food meant for another person, would not steal food, and would not ignore the rights of others at the table! Wreaths reminded humans that they were mortal - they were not Gods - and they needed to pay attention to their limitations, so they were left on during meals.
So, it seems that taking your hat off has come full circle!
At the Yankees game on Labor Day (and every baseball game) - the announcer asked people to stand and take off their hats to sing the national anthem. I had a sunhat on (because of a bad place on my chin you don't want to hear about)….when the announcer asked people to take off their hats, my first thought in the first millisecond was "I can't take this off for medical reasons" but then I thought "this is a manner that people need to do - no excuse, period" - and I whipped off my hat. It is absolutely a sign of respect whether you are a man or a woman.
Here's what Emily Post says about hats:
Hats/baseball caps can be left ON:
Outdoors, at Athletic Games, on Public Transportation, at Religious Services as required, in Public Buildings (Post Office, Airport), on Elevators.
Hats/baseball caps should be taken OFF:
In a Home, In an Office, at Mealtime at the Table, in Restaurants, at a Movie or Indoor Performance, when the National Anthem is played, when the Flag of the United States passes by (as in a parade).
But I wanted to know what was the general history behind taking off the hat? Long ago, the guest, coming in to the host's most vulnerable space - his home - would often make a ritual of taking off his hat. The hat and the stick (or the helmet and sword depending on the century) would be required to be left at the door. Uncovering your head and leaving your sword at the door shows that you are disarming yourself, shows respect, and makes yourself similar to your host who is most likely not wearing a hat in his own house or castle. At the turn of this century, it was also customary for men to remove their hats to protect others from industrial soot. Emily Post said that women's hats were part of their "costume" and did not need to be taken off….but her more modern descendants who have written the most recent editions of her Etiquette book do not distinguish between men and women when it comes to taking a hat off. The rules above are for everyone.
How about this? The forebearer of the hat was the wreath! The ancient Greeks and Romans wore them at feasts. The wreath was a pledge that everyone would observe TABLE MANNERS(!) and would not take food meant for another person, would not steal food, and would not ignore the rights of others at the table! Wreaths reminded humans that they were mortal - they were not Gods - and they needed to pay attention to their limitations, so they were left on during meals.
So, it seems that taking your hat off has come full circle!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Award Winning Design
lovelymanners Wins Design Award!!!
YUPO Names Three Wally Award Winners
Creative Peers Attending HOW Design Conference Select Winners in Three Categories for Eighth Annual Design Competition
(Chesapeake, VA) -- Yupo Corporation America, a leading global manufacturer of synthetic paper and presenter of the Wally Awards, has announced the winners of the annual design competition.
Best Design entry – Lovely Manners Placemat by Dawn Vislocky of PBM Graphics
Best Package entry – Puka Pill Organizer by designer Shumpei Kato
Best Artist entry – Sorina Susnea “The Wondrous World Inside”
“Lovely Manners Placemat” by PBM Graphics, Inc. of Durham, NC, was selected for the Best Design category. Dawn Vislocky of PBMG will receive a $500 award. Puka Pill organizer by Shumpei Kato of Vancouver, BC, will receive a $500 award for winning the Best Package category. For her Best Artist category winning entry, “The Wondrous World Inside,” Sorina Susnea of Floral City, FL will receive a generous supply of YUPO paper.
Lovely Manners Table Placemats submitted by PBM Graphics, of Durham, NC, on behalf of client, www.lovelymanners.com - an online store and blog, which shares modern manners for people of all ages. PBM produced this table placemat collection on YUPO Grade: 144 lb cover in 1960s-era retro color combinations: blue/green, orange/fuchsia, and grey on grey. Each set contains six unique placemats with bold graphics and helpful etiquette reminders for proper table manners such as the proper placement of glasses, bread and salad plates, using silverware in correct order and rules for social interaction during meals. The placemats were created by freelance designer, Elizabeth Kuehnen, for the company's online store.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
At the Table
I'm not a snob….I just like seeing good manners at the table….or rather I hate seeing bad manners at the table - especially when they're GROSS - which is exactly the reason we have manners - so please try to be considerate and don't do things that might turn someone's stomach while you're sitting near them.
We're away while our boys are at camp. Sitting in a gorgeous outdoor setting having a glass of wine with my husband, I couldn't stop watching the people at the next table…..
1) When you walk into a restaurant, you should look and try to get a feeling for the atmosphere in the restaurant - if it's rowdy and noisy already, go ahead and have fun! But if you sense that the place is quiet and people are enjoying the quiet and/or the view, remind yourself of that when you begin your table talk. I had such a hard time listening to my husband because the people next to us were conversing very loudly - much louder than they needed to.
2) Please remember not to push your food onto your fork with your fingers. Don't think, "oh just this once, no one will see" - people WILL see! I did! This same loud guy dug his two fingers into his salad bowl and pushed his salad onto his fork several times. Is this one of those ridiculous manners people shouldn't get upset about? I don't think so because it grossed me out! (The thesaurus suggests "repulse" and "repel" for "gross out" but, hey, I'm writing the way I speak.)
3) I looked at the woman next to the guy and she had a huge piece of buttered bread and was eating the whole thing - it was an enormous piece of fresh bread. I just quietly said to Dan, "I think these people need the placemats and I know what I'm blogging about."
I guess the main gist of all of this is that even if you don't think other people around you will see or hear or be bothered by your actions, you should remember that they very well could be - so be considerate.
So, a quick quiz:
Q: Should you be loud and boisterous at a "quiet outdoorsy beautiful view" restaurant? A: No, consider the atmosphere when you walk in.
Q: Should you use your fingers to push food onto your fork? A: No, NEVER use your fingers. You have a knife or a piece of bread to help you!
Q: Should you butter and eat a whole piece of bread at once? A: No, it looks a lot nicer and it IS a lot easier to break off a bite-sized piece of bread, butter just that bite, and pop that into your mouth.
We're away while our boys are at camp. Sitting in a gorgeous outdoor setting having a glass of wine with my husband, I couldn't stop watching the people at the next table…..
1) When you walk into a restaurant, you should look and try to get a feeling for the atmosphere in the restaurant - if it's rowdy and noisy already, go ahead and have fun! But if you sense that the place is quiet and people are enjoying the quiet and/or the view, remind yourself of that when you begin your table talk. I had such a hard time listening to my husband because the people next to us were conversing very loudly - much louder than they needed to.
2) Please remember not to push your food onto your fork with your fingers. Don't think, "oh just this once, no one will see" - people WILL see! I did! This same loud guy dug his two fingers into his salad bowl and pushed his salad onto his fork several times. Is this one of those ridiculous manners people shouldn't get upset about? I don't think so because it grossed me out! (The thesaurus suggests "repulse" and "repel" for "gross out" but, hey, I'm writing the way I speak.)
3) I looked at the woman next to the guy and she had a huge piece of buttered bread and was eating the whole thing - it was an enormous piece of fresh bread. I just quietly said to Dan, "I think these people need the placemats and I know what I'm blogging about."
I guess the main gist of all of this is that even if you don't think other people around you will see or hear or be bothered by your actions, you should remember that they very well could be - so be considerate.
So, a quick quiz:
Q: Should you be loud and boisterous at a "quiet outdoorsy beautiful view" restaurant? A: No, consider the atmosphere when you walk in.
Q: Should you use your fingers to push food onto your fork? A: No, NEVER use your fingers. You have a knife or a piece of bread to help you!
Q: Should you butter and eat a whole piece of bread at once? A: No, it looks a lot nicer and it IS a lot easier to break off a bite-sized piece of bread, butter just that bite, and pop that into your mouth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)