Cottage Tales: A Mother’s Day Sale

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Looking for the perfect Mother’s Day present for yourself and your daughters? One that could possibly include picture books, mentoring and great conversations? Search no more! I have the best present you could give yourself and your girls! Cottage Tales is a unique mother-daughter book club. This is a real work of love. As a mama to six beautiful girls I have worked hard to mentor my daughters and prepare them for the life ahead of them. My best allies have been… picture books.

What is Cottage Tales

Cottage Tales is a mother-daughter monthly book club rooted in picture books and reading aloud. This full year download contains 12 carefully hand picked picture book titles accompanied by a guide with conversation prompts as well as details of why this specific book was chosen. It is designed as a once a month mother-daughter(s) date. Cottage Tales encourages the reading of beautiful picture books for mothers and their growing daughters, fostering conversation and igniting wonder and excitement in what it means to grow up and become a woman. It is a means for mothers and their daughters to spend some quality time together and to approach conversations that might not otherwise happen, in a serene and simple atmosphere.

A quick note

Because of the use of picture books, this can be done with just one daughter at a time or with all your best girls together. That is up to you and your family’s dynamics. Maybe a daughter is going through a rough time and needs a little special care and attention. This would be a perfect way to reconnect and help her. From here on out I will use the singular for daughter but you can always add an -s in your mind. This is a beautiful element of family culture.

Mentoring through picture books

Picture books are so rich and beautiful. My oldest girls, now young adults, one with a little guy of her own, will still sit around while a picture book is being read aloud. That is the impact of a picture book. They attract readers and listeners from 0 to 100. They open the door to rest, restoration and renewal. Picture books are the perfect mentoring medium. As everyone takes a deep breath and relaxes while listening to the story, it allows the mind and spirit to relax as well. This refreshing moment allows for discussions to take place in a serene environment. A perfect time to gently and simply mentor our daughter.

Mentoring is not lecturing

Well chosen picture books will have beautiful text and illustrations. Their stories will display virtues and character, they have a moral. They have withstood the test of time. They are relatable, they ignite wonder and curiosity. The conversation will flow of its own as you sit and reflect on the story or the illustrations. This is a natural process of reading aloud with our children. It is a wonderful opportunity to bring up something that has been overlooked or to ask a well directed question. This is a holistic approach to mentoring our children. I call it picture book magic. With this process there is no need to lecture, the book has done the teaching and you are just helping your child unwrap the thoughts in the book.

The book club

Cottages Tales is designed to be short and sweet. With one book title per month it hopes to encourage a simple and easy way to schedule a monthly date of 30 minutes to an hour. The principle is simple: sit down together and read a picture book, then spend some time talking about it. This is very open and shut. Each picture book title is accompanied by a two page spread.

The first page is for you, the parent, to learn more about the book and why it was chosen. On the second page are conversation prompts for you and your daughter. These prompts are there to help the conversation get started if necessary, there is nothing mandatory about it. This is not school, it is quality time spent together to enjoy the moment and plant seeds in your daughter’ s heart. The goal is to ignite wonder and excitement about life, growing up and becoming a godly woman. Each picture book contains hints of practical steps that you can take to guide your daughter to implement in her life the foundation of good habits.

A picture book date

Make it a thing, this is not supposed to be just another read-aloud. This is meant to be a special time. Schedule it in, plan it. Find a comfortable and quiet place, maybe light a candle, play some very soft music in the background (if that doesn’t drive you crazy while you read, lol). Pour something yummy to drink as well as a tasty snack in pretty dishes. Keep it simple, the snack might just need to come out of its packaging into a pretty dish, it does not need more. Turn off screens and cell phones. Be fully present in the moment, savor it. This is a special time for you and your daughter. Follow where the story takes you and enjoy it.

Why the name Cottage Tales?

The mention of a cottage brings up images of coziness, it is retired from the world, homey, a safe place. This is what our homes should be for our children. It is also one of the main goals of Cottage Tales: to help you create a cozy, homey and retired environment for you and your daughter to spend some quality time together. Nurturing each other, exploring growing up and what it means to become a beautiful, godly woman. This should happen in a safe and simple place, like a cottage by the sea.

And then “tales” arouse thoughts of ancient wisdom, passed through the generations. Eternal truths that make life more beautiful and worth living. That is exactly what I want this time together to do: to open the door to passing down the wisdom we have received from ages past to my daughter to equip her for the life ahead of her. As mentor to my daughter I am called to educate her by nurturing her budding womanhood through word and example. As her mother, I want to guide her to become the woman God is calling her to be. I introduce and train her in the arts of homemaking, life and family management. I instill in her faith, virtue and character. As mother I am her primary guide to adulthood, but I have not discovered all of this on my own. I stand on the shoulders of ages past and I need to help her climb up and join me, so that she may soar.

Happy Mother’s Day

This Mother’s Day, gift yourself and your daughters a year’s worth of dates! Cottage Tales is 20% off until Monday May 12th! Invest in yours and your daughter’s life and make this upcoming year a special year with a monthly date, just for you! What a wonderful opportunity to make great memories!

And just because both these books are so cute! 
Mother’s Day Picture Books:

• Ask Mr. Bear by Marjorie Flack

• The Mother’s Day Mice by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Jan Brett

Blessed Mother’s Day to all!
Love,
Mattie