A breezy read filled with live-well tips, At Home with Madame Chic attempts to capture the Parisian ability to ooze effortless style and chicness and apply it to every day living,Tips include how to fold towels like they do in hotels (fold into thirds lengthwise and then fold into quarters inward for a neat finish when towels are stacked) to online living tips like not looking at your phone first thing in the morning.
I followed the former tip and love how the towels now look on my linen shelf, and have banned cell phone and iPads from our bedroom overnight so that my fiance no longer checks his emails first thing in the morning.
Since the ban, my fiance has noticed that not checking his phone first thing in the morning puts himself in a better mood. (We'll see if this lasts...)
Other tips include:
* Chic nagging - instead of telling children not to do something, focus on the positive. Scott's example is that instead of constantly reminding her child to wash their hands, she phrases it as something positive such as how nice it is to have clean hands at home, which also keeps everyone healthy.
Another example is that instead of "Don't eat with your hands," try "We eat with our forks." The positive messaging provides for better motivation.
* Making chores into a game - With children, assign roles and 'important' tasks. Time box the chore itself, whether it's straightening up during the duration of a song or time boxed (e.g. three minutes of cleaning).
* Stopping negative trajectory of a day - When everything is going wrong, try to stop and just pause. Think, how can I change my circumstances? What can I be grateful for? Let go of the frustration and deal with what the day has become.
