Teddy Bear Tea Party - Start the Tradition Now!

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. They're cuddly, warm, and cute and they don't make a mess on your living room floor before guests arrive! Children of all ages love stuffed teddy bears and for good reason!
The Teddy Bear Tea Party! 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.
So let's look at both in just a little more detail. the tea and the teddy bears. Obviously the two main elements must be accounted for...

There are several ways you can create this memory-filled event for your little one.
Remember mom; all the little ones will probably have a good toothbrush at home anyway! More sugar is required in the form of cookies, little chocolates and other tea fancies to complete the tea table. 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.

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. Blackberry, apple or vanilla are a few of our favorites. Choose a tea with some added flavor. Not too much scrimping on the sugar here, mom...this is the event of the year remember? Assuming you're planning your party for the younger of the young ladies, you'll want to keep the tea simple and SWEET!

The tea. 1.
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. 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. 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. As you know, not all children choose a bear as their favorite stuffed animal so you might want to offer some flexibility here!

The Teddy Bears. 2.
Include the picture with your thank you notes so each will have a grand remembrance of the day as well. Finally, remember to take a photo of each guest with the guest of honor and their bears. You'll want to take plenty of pictures of the little ones, pinkies high sipping their tea while enjoying their tea dainties. Keep the entire party short and simple for maximum memory making and remember your camera and film.
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! One is never too old to love a stuffed teddy bear! and each year you can guarantee the teddy bears will come along too.

I bet you'll find that the tradition you start when your girls are young will continue on into their teen years and beyond... Celebrate the start of the school year or celebrate the first day of spring. Make this an annual event for your girls. Teddy Bear tea parties don't need to be just for birthday parties either.

Tea and Chocolates; Book Review

Molly's Reviews
Interesting read... Recommended... 4 stars
The Review:
Each child was shaped in part by her mother's words and feelings for the life she believed Emily to live grew until she was nearly overcome with it. Mrs Rooney only looked in envy at the big house where Emily lived as she imagined what Mrs Mc Namara might think and do. Emily's wealthy mother did not appear to see her child's loneliness.

The girls met first as children entering school for the first time. The lives of Emily McNamara and Gracie Rooney were to be intertwined despite Gracie's dogged attempts to see that they were not. In the other was a girl living in poverty. In the other was a girl living in luxury.

In one was a girl living in luxury. Two houses stood near one another on a Pittsburgh street. The year was 1914.
As the years passed and the girls became women Emily quietly went about doing what she thought was good for those around her while Gracie allowed herself to be used by a man bent upon artifice. Gracie was unaware that Emily was the one who provided the refuge Gracie needed when she was the most desperate. Gracie's marriage to a kindly doctor provided some of the style and money Gracie had long sought. However, her resentfulness toward Emily continued unabated. The Great Depression, widowhood and loss of much of what life has to offer are all part of this tale of two women who live lives close in proximity, distant in substance.
Jo Janoski has woven a powerful tale centered around the lives of two very different women. Writer Janoski is a talented poet, photographer and now an author of compelling novels. "Tea and Chocolates" is an absorbing tale featuring both a well written and an interesting premise. Reader attention is caught from the opening lines as we meet Emily who is preparing for school. Energy moves the narrative along at a fast pace. Conversation is used effectively to introduce the reader to the traits of each of the major players. Under the pen of this talented writer backgrounds are filled with enough detail to draw the reader into the setting.
Emily too knows suffering before the tale runs its course. Gracie sets out to better herself only to find that she has worsened her state even more. Gracie, who is depicted in the full ignominy of a woman consumed with wanting what she believes someone else has, is a melancholy, calamitous figure. Janoski has deftly snared the basic nature of variance inherent to us all and presents a full picture of human nature with wit and style in this easily read fast paced work.

The characters of Emily and Gracie are well fleshed, plausible and forceful.
Dialogue is masterfully directed as the various players interact with one another. Writer Janoski presents an excellent and highly entertaining work in "Tea and Chocolates".
"Tea and Chocolates" is a book to be enjoyed by high school age young women and by adults alike. This book is a good addition to the personal reading shelf, the high school library, and the home school reading list for high school age girls. Enjoyed the read, happy to recommend.
Author: Jo Janoski Genre: contemporary Line/Publisher Publish America PO Bx 151 Frederick MD 21705 ISBN: 1 4137 2593 7