The Top Tips for Making Dining Out with Your Children a More Pleasant Experience

                      By Maura J. Graber of The R.S.V.P Institute of Etiquette

* Try to make sure your children are well rested.  When possible, consider their schedules in your planning.  Children who are tired, are more apt to be cranky and can act very hyper.

* Calculate the length of time since your children have last eaten and when you reasonably expect to be served your meal. If it will be longer than two hours, give your child a small snack of raisins or other foods that are easy to eat in your vehicle, without making a gooey or crumbly mess.  Low blood sugar can make children hyper.

* Come up with things each family member can talk about at the table.  Make it a game and the kids will enjoy the conversation more. 

* Brief your children on what behavior is expected before you get into the restaurant.  Remind them of the manners they have been taught  by you and make sure to give them 'do's, not a lot of 'don'ts'.  Example: "Do put your napkin in your lap before food or drinks are put on the table." or "You can play with your toy, but do play quietly so that others are not bothered."  Giving a child a list of 'don't do this and don't do that' rarely works.  List off a hundred things they don't get to do, and their imaginations will come up with hundreds more you didn't think to cover!

* If possible, ask for a table and chairs rather than a booth. Booths, by their design, invite kids to slide on under them. Chairs, especially with arms, have a way of containing kids, and can be pushed closer to the table.

* Let your kids "kick the air, not the table or chair" if their feet do not touch the floor.  If your legs didn't touch the floor, you would get an unconscious urge to move them around too.  That is why kicking table legs and kicking the backs of seats starts for kids.  Their legs are not getting needed circulation.
 

* Avoid soft drinks that contain caffeine. Educate yourself about which brands contain it and to what extent.  Some soft drinks, for example, have nearly three times the amount of caffeine as others.
 

* If your child is small, ask that glasses only be filled half-way unless the restaurant has child-sized drinks and ask servers to limit the amount of ice in cold beverages. Melting ice forms condensation on glasses, which causes slips and spills.  Ice can also be a choking hazard for toddlers, and simply invites noisy ice-chewing in older kids.

* Be patient with your children and try to have fun.  It may just turn out to be a wonderful learning experience for the whole family.
 

Queen Elizabeth’s Chic, Colorful Secret

Brolly Good Show, Your Majesty!

Queen Elizabeth has a Charming Secret Reason for Her Chic and Transparent Umbrellas 

In my line of work, I follow a large amount of international news, which I pass on to others via this blog and via social media. I came across this one night and was completely charmed by the Queen’s simple way of letting her public see her, and stay dry at the same time.

I was at first struck by the simplicity and complexity, the yin and yang of the whole notion. But I had to wonder; Did the Queen come up with this idea on her own? Did she hire an image and wardrobe consultant? Is this part of the ‘new and improved’ modern 21st century version of the Queen and the British monarchy?

Regardless of how the decision was made, I applaud the choice. Kudos to the Queen for desiring to be more visible to “her people.” To me, she is now the ‘Chic and Thoughtful’ Queen Elizabeth.

The Duchess takes cue from the Queen 

The following came from the U.K.’s “Daily Mail”-

“When the Queen was caught in the rain outside St Paul’s Cathedral this week, she flourished a transparent umbrella with a deep red trim which matched her outfit. Coincidence? Hardly. She has a delightful and little-known indulgence:

She commissions see-through umbrellas - so the public can see her - that are colour-matched with her clothes. The Duchess of Cambridge also ordered a black-trimmed matching umbrella, which she carried at the War Horse film premiere in January.”

For more on this- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2112488/Queen-Elizabeth-The-secret-Queens-bespoke-umbrellas.html