OVERVIEW and CLASS #1 : 

STUDYING THE STUFF: THEIRS AND OURS

We address the rampant consumerism and materialism in this country today; the alarming statistics of the resultant excess and waste; and its deleterious effects on individuals, families, and society at large. Attendees are given hand-outs for note taking, jotting down questions and comments for Q & A following this class. *

Note: It is recommended that the Overview and Class #1 be given without the usual break between them to emphasize both the scope of this trend and our, often unconscious, complicity with it.

CLASS #1

VIDEO PRESENTATION: “A CLUTTERED LIFE: MIDDLE-CLASS ABUNDANCE”

This presentation incorporates a strikingly relevant video from UCLA’s Center on the Everyday Lives of Families (CELF) entitled: A Cluttered Life: Middle-Class Abundance. Follow a team of UCLA anthropologists as they venture into the stuffed-to-capacity homes of dual income, middle-class American families in order to understand the food, toys, and clutter that fill them. Based on the book Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century: 32 Families Open Their Doors by Arnold, Graesch, Ragazzini and Ochs, the video seamlessly follows and graphically supports the major points made by the presenter in the overview.

CLASS #2

BEFORE THE SHOPPING CART: WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

For most home makers food shopping does not constitute the highlight of their day or week! This class attempts to help make food shopping a less tedious, less a grab-and-go event! The presenter offers a variety of suggestions from pre-shopping pantry and refrigerator checks to optimal times and days to do grocery shopping….as well as things to avoid. The class also stresses the advantages of planning ahead in terms of saving time, effort, and money.

CLASS #3

GRATITUDE IS GOOD FOR YOU

Our parents taught us to say, “thank you.” The Church teaches that gratitude is a virtue. Now modern Science concurs: “Gratitude is Good for You!” Studies show that our outlook on life, how we relate to others, and even our physical health are improved quantifiably by the practice of gratitude. We will talk about being grateful, teaching gratitude and having appropriate expectations. As with any human endeavor, being grateful and showing gratitude takes practice, but the more we practice, the more natural these responses become. This presentation should be tailored to the audience—moms of toddlers will have specific concerns that are different from moms of tweens and teens.

CLASS #4

MAKING THANK YOU CARDS

In this class we made sets of thank you cards. The presenter was an artist who came well-supplied with papers, pens, stamps, and inks, cutting devices and assorted decorations. Be creative!