Lessons from a Tea Party

Today was forcast to have a thunderstorm around noon. Grey days always make me think of hot drinks and our boxes of Girl Scout cookies, so tea is high on the list! After the three younger kids played outside, the rain started to pelt down from above. The three oldest kids immediately began their favorite tea party preparations.

So what lessons can be learned from a tea party? It is, after all, a Monday in the middle of the school year! We all learned something, and here is how it played out:

Leah: This was Leah's second cup of real tea. She has a new mug from Christmas that says Princess and she LOVES to use it. I think she likely learned that 3 ice cubes added to hot tea makes iced tea.

Jacob: Jake LOVES tea. Who said kids should have lemonade or apple juice instead of tea? Granted, he is really into Constant Comment right now, which IS caffeinated, but he'll get over it :-) Jakey got to watch his brother and sisters serve one another at the party and is learning how to serve. Jakey also was working on his matching

amounts: I get one cookie for every 1 sandwich I eat. Therefore, if I eat 4 sandwiches I get 4 cookies!!!!

Lizzy: Lizzy served the family by making name cards for each of us. In 6 year old fashion, she haphazardly cut pieces of paper and wrote each of our names in crayon. She placed the name tags on our saucers. It was very sweet to see my carefully written M-O-M on my saucer! Lizzy has also been learning how to better use manner words and saw an example in the Berenstein Bears book about manners. In the book they say, "It would be my pleasure" and "dear brother," etc. I heard

her use similar phrases when asked to pass items at the table! She is learning!!

Daniel: Daniel is learning to help in an overall sense now that he is 8 1/2. Sarah is a wonderful example to all of them, and I can tend to just ask her to help me, but I have been learning to ask Daniel to help and now we are reaping the rewards of that. Daniel initiated setting the apples out on a plate and got out the tea bags. He helped clear the table when we were done and entered into "adult conversation" during the repast. He is constantly thinking, that one!

Sarah: Sarah pretty

much set up the show! She brewed the tea, set the table, laid out the cookies on a platter, laid the napkins and even put iTunes on for background music! She loves an excuse to have a good party! Sarah continually is learning to serve others with a cheerful heart. She is very motivated to do things she likes, in other situations she is learning to serve even when she doesn't want to. Sarah also learned about "adult conversation." What did we discuss at our tea party today? Politics and the weather! I love it!!!

Mom: What did mom learn at the tea party. I continue to learn that the JOY of homeschooling is "wasting" an extra hour to make a tea party. I cut out sandwiches in teapot shapes and cut up cheese and ham to go with crackers. I could have kept us on schedule, but why? What will my kids remember? That they had mom over them with a whip every day, or that we took the time to have a tea party when the weather was grey? I hope they remember these fun times. Also, I continue to learn about not overreacting. Yes,

we lost a piece of china today. I am glad it wasn't a favorite piece, it was just the lid to a creamer I bought used, but useful none-the-less. So, no, I didn't overreact, but I learned that the 6 year old is not wise enough yet to know how to carry a two-piece porcelain item without dropping part of it (which shatters on tile, by the way.)

Gabe: Gabe learned to be happy in his swing while the rest of us enjoyed our tea!

Last picture: The last picture shows the rain on one of our new hibiscus flowers. I just thought it was pretty!