Guest Post at It's Better Together

Go over to the It's Better Together blog and check out my guest post on holiday business etiquette!

Guest Blogger: Fancy Friday

Fancy Friday (Ashley Brooke Style) by Janine

For my final post this week, I first want to thank Ashley for so graciously asking me to be a guest blogger all those months ago and then being patient with me as I delt with life. I have enjoyed writing these posts especially for this blog, and I hope that you have enjoyed reading them. If you choose to delve into my blog, you’ll find that I don’t ever mean to sound pretentious or snotty, I’m just a gal, learning along with the rest of you. My mother and grandmother taught me that manners and etiquette are important in order to make others feel more comfortable around you. Thank you all for being patient with me as attempted to fill Ashley’s shoes this week.

On to what I call Fancy Friday on my blog. This is a special day where I talk about something that isn’t customary in today’s society or that isn’t widely known or understood. Today I’ll briefly introduce beach huts to you. I know, we’re all picturing some straw-roofed structure that has stilts in the water in the tropics...but these are a bit different.

Although brightly colored beach huts have existed in Port Philip, Australia as far back as the mid nineteenth century, they are part of an essentially British landscape. Formerly, Victorian morals dictated that “bathing machines” were towed a little way into the sea to protect the modesty of nervous bathers. In the Edwardian era it became acceptable for both sexes to be seen in bathing costumes and many of the machines were left on the beaches with their wheels removed. Councils frowned upon those who changed under cover of a voluminous Mackintosh coat and thus provided further huts and deck chairs, often decorated with stripes, which is why those are still a cliche´ today.

Thank you again for reading my posts this week, I look forward to making new friends and I couldn't be more pleased with Ashley and her designs. Should you choose to find me, my blog is called The Pink Teapot.

~ Janine

Guest Blogger: Condolences

Etiquette Topic from Janine our guest blogger : Condolences

This isn’t the happiest of topics, but it’s one I get a lot of emails about. People aren’t sure what to say, if they should say anything at all, or what they can do. I have put together a comprehensive list of things that can be said here. I have also taken the liberty of writing a post on funeral etiquette so that one might learn the proper protocol at this type of event in order to avoid any embarrassment to themselves or a family member. This is a difficult subject, but, if talked about, one that can bring people together, form new bonds, and renew our faith in mankind.

~ Janine

Guest Blogger: 5 Key Words

5 Key Words by Janine (our guest blogger)

Today I’d like to talk about children. But this post doesn’t just apply to children, it extends to all ages because I know that I have a problem with one of these suggestions.

My top rule in helping our young ones is “give me five”- these are five words (and/or phrases) that should be used in our child’s every day vocabulary. If they are not using these words, we need to help them learn. Please, thank you, you’re welcome, I'm sorry, and please excuse me.

Another thing that is near and dear to me is teaching our children how to answer the phone correctly. I am not saying that my children are perfect at this, but we earnestly try. I practice with them. Tips on how to possibly have them answer the phone can be found here.

~ Janine

Guest Blogger: Technology Etiquette

Janine our guest blogger will be covering technology etiquette!

Today’s topic is basic technology etiquette. We have Facebook, Twitter, email, cell phones, bluetooth gadgets all over, ipods, laptops...you name it, we have it (or at least we’re thinking about how to get it). We are so connected to the outside world that it’s a wonder we’re not all suffering from major stress (which I know many are). That being said, linking this to etiquette is a slightly different matter. Here are some things to remember when dealing with technology:

Nothing is private- whatever you post, upload, update, etc., is out there for the world to see potentially, so be careful what you talk about, what you upload, and who you are “friends” with in virtual land; this of course includes online chats.

I have a “Top 10 Don’ts” for email that you can find on my blog.

Be courteous. Don’t assume that because you are hiding behind an ipod, you can get away with not holding the door open for a young mother struggling with her stroller or ignore the elderly woman standing on the subway while you sit comfortably. Having earbuds in your head does not give you the right to ignore every day social graces, but it can make it more difficult to extend them as you become more enveloped in your own world.

Here is a post I did with other helpful links and articles that I found for these different situations that we will undoubtedly find ourselves in at one time or another.

~ Janine

Guest Blogger: Phone Etiquette

Good morning!!
This week is very exciting over here at Ashley Brooke Designs as I have a guest blogger all week and her name is Janine. She has a fabulous etiquette blog and offers great advice, I thought you all would love to hear from her for a change of perspective. This week she will cover the top five etiquette tips! I am looking forward to this week and having her on board. Stay tuned and enjoy!


Get to know Janine-
Hello readers, my name is Janine, I have a blog called The Pink Teapot that is solely driven by rules of etiquette. Ashley and I found each other and have been wanting to do something like this for a while, so I’m excited for this opportunity. Thank you Ashley, I look forward to talking about my top five subjects of etiquette along with my “do’s and don’ts” for each subject. The topic for today is:

Phone Etiquette

Ask the person whom you are calling if it is a good time to talk or chat. You don’t know under what circumstances you’ve caught them and they might not tell you unless asked, so it’s always a nice gesture. “Hey Herald, it’s Janine. Did I catch you at a good time?”

Enough with the Caller ID- I have Caller ID so if my children call or my children’s school calls, I can take that call, however I have been on the other end of the phone when someone endlessly answers their other line but I notice that the same person will not answer when I might “beep” in on the other line while my children might be playing at their house. I think consistency is important. Decide why you have this feature; is it for convenience or is it for emergency? Is it so you never miss an incoming call from anyone? Some people do have businesses in their homes and must have this feature, but I speak of people who are at home receiving personal calls. If I’m on the phone with someone and I can hear that another call keeps coming in, I will ask them if they need to get that call out of courtesy, but I appreciate the friends who don’t constantly put me on hold. When you are talking to someone, talk to that person alone and stop playing “grand central station”- we get it, you’re busy; and if you’re that busy, then the first rule should take care of this problem or if it’s an important phone call you can pick up the phone and press *70 and then dial the number and your phone will ring busy thus disabling call waiting temporarily if the call is important.

Voicemail and answering machines are the norm these days. I love everyone’s cute children and I admit, I even love hearing their little voices on the machine-once. When recording a greeting, keep it brief and concise and don’t put your children on your answering machine. When leaving a message, keep it brief and concise, and don’t forget to leave your number twice and leave it at the beginning of the message so that if they do have to rewind the message and listen to your number again, it’s at the beginning, that’s a thoughtful gesture.

Cell phones have made all kinds of other possible etiquette breaches possible. I have talked about these on my blog, here is the link to that article for more helpful information.
~Janine