February Newsletter                                               2010
In This Issue
Blog - "I Never Met a Chocolate I Didn't Like"
A Smart Girl's Guide to Manners
A Mother & Daughter Holiday Tea
Valentine's Day Fundraiser
Online Dating
From the Source - Sending Valentines
Autism & Manners
Recent Blog Posting
"I Never Met a Chocolate I Didn't Like" - How to Eat & Enjoy Chocolate 
dark chocolate
Tips and advice on eating chocolate in moderation, educating yourself on the varieties, savoring the flavor, delving into the guilty pleasure and cleaning up your mess.
"A Smart Girl's Guide to Manners"
Tuesday, March 30th
9:30am to 3:00pm
 American Girl 
Sign up now for this special class held only once a year at the American Girl Store at the Grove.  For more information or reservations, click here!
"Mother & Daughter Holiday Tea"
Sunday, May 2nd
3:00pm to 5:00pm
 tea etiquette 
 
Celebrate Mother's Day early with a special Mother & Daughter tea in the Library at the beautiful Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills.
 Join us for an afternoon of learning about the history and tradition of taking tea along with the various courtesies that are associated with any tea gathering. A formal tea service will be served.  Enroll now!
Valentine's Day Dance Party Fundraiser for the Whole Family
Dance party invite
February 14th
2:00pm to 5:00pm 
 The Echo
1822 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 
 For more info or to purchase tix, visit
www.cnvep.org.  
Online Dating
online dating
TrendCentral posted an interesting article earlier this month on where single people are finding love in the digital world.  Click here for whole story. 
 
Table Setting
Greetings!   

February has certainly given us plenty of time to cozy up with one another as we have endured a number of strong rain storms, the most recent of which knocked out our power for almost 12 hours!  This Sunday is Valentine's Day and, although there is no rain in the forecast, there is plenty of reason to get close with one another and enjoy some intimate face time.  My advice, as hard as it may be to do, is to shut off the electronic devices and engage in some good old fashioned conversation (or canoodling) with those you care about.  
 
To kick off this month's theme, "Peace, Love & Manners", and of course the biggest chocolate holiday of all, we have a fun blog post on the 'Proper Way to Eat and Enjoy Chocolate'.  Our 'From the Source' column, features Wanda Soolip Wen of Soolip Paperie & Press sharing her sage advice on 'Sending Valentines' and expressing love through the art of the written word.  We have a big heart for 'Temple Grandin'.  Her story was turned into a biopic for HBO that is truly inspiring.  Diagnosed with child autism, she defied the odds by becoming a professor of animal science, an author and a noted lecturer.  We found her thoughts on the importance of learning manners for children with autism to be  particularly compelling.
 
As always, we offer you an array of classes for children and adults and encourage you to sign up now while space is still available!  We are also available for private instruction if that is your preference.  Call to inquire or arrange an appointment.  Finally, we are putting the finishing touches on our new corporate training for executives.  Please look for the program curriculums and pricing in the coming month.
 
Happy almost Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year! 
  
xo,
Lisa  
 
Beverly Hills Manners, Inc.
310.276.9078
From The Source - Sending Valentines
by Wanda Soolip Wen, Founder Soolip Paperie & Press

Wanda Wen

To receive love, send love.  Valentine's Day is one of my favorite times of the year.  Imagine that within this fast-paced and consumer-driven society, we all can still embrace a day where the celebration is focused on the very thing that all humans crave and need, the intangible and invaluable thing called Love. 

Recognizing the love that you have for another, whether it be a lover, husband, wife, child, friend or relative is so meaningful in this day and age.  When communication has taken the form of five-second texting, a phone call on one's cell phone or colorless e-mails, communicating love is a welcome message in any form.  However, conveying this love to another is made even more special when communicating with something that is tactile, something that satisfies not just one of the human senses, but all five, or six if you subscribe to the existence of the sixth sense of intuition (I do.) 
Read complete story.  www.soolip.com.

"The Introductory Course"

Introductory CourseSunday, March 14, 2010
2:00pm to 5:00pm
Children Ages 6 to 12
 
Our most popular class, the "Introductory Course" provides an overview into the world of manners and is full of interaction and practice for your child.  Children are instructed in all aspects of etiquette and protocol while developing fundamental character-building traits such as respect, compassion and common courtesies.  
Sign up now!

Museum Manners"Museum Manners"
 
Saturday, February 27, 2010
11:00am to 2:00pm
Children Ages 7 to 12 years
"Museum Manners" combines museum etiquette with a one hour art appreciation tour presented by Quick Culture and designed just for kids at LACMA.  Following the art appreciation tour, children are   escorted to the Pentimento CafĂ© for a complete table and dining review followed by a 5-course dining tutorial prepared by Patina Catering.  This is a wonderful follow up program to our popular "Introductory Course" or makes a perfect stand alone class for those interested in art and culture.  Sign up now!
Temple Grandin on Autism & Manners

AutismThis month Claire Danes starred in the HBO semi-biographical film "Temple Grandin" based on the memoirs of the autism advocate.   In a recent story for MSNBC.com, she spoke about her struggles and the different kind of life she led as a child who was diagnosed with autism. When asked what kind of help most people with autism need?  I was very interested to discover the high importance she placed on learning manners.    She stated,  "The other thing is, teach these kids manners. I was raised in the '50s and '60s, and manners were drilled into me. I see kids today that have no manners. That's going to hurt them. You can't punish a child who is acting out because of sensory overload. But it's unacceptable to see kids throwing things and slapping people. I see kids with Asperger's who can't hold a job because they are constantly late. Teach kids to use an alarm clock. This is common sense and sometimes we forget about common sense. Autism is used too much as an excuse for bad behavior."  As a manners instructor, I have had the privilege of working with a number of children who have varying degrees of autism and I must agree that these life skills really do have a positive impact in helping these children to feel more comfortable and secure in their own skin.  To read the complete story on Temple Grandin, click here.To share your thoughts or comments on the subject, find us on our Facebook discussion board. 

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