Tea Time
When you run a farm, homeschool 3 kids and are busy being the crazy plant lady there isn’t much time for leisurely activities. That doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy our down time it just means there isn’t much of it. Okay… Okay…you caught me… you all know I’d rather be working in my garden than sitting around - but down time is definitely an important part of life. I have found that free time does not happen on its own. It takes planning and preparation on mom’s part. Yep that’s me. I don’t know about you, but if I can have an activity that knocks out more than one bird at a time I’m a happy girl. So why not join homeschool and rest time?! Oh yes! Enter Friday Tea parties!! The kids are happy and I get to use my fancy tea set.
Being of English decent I absolutely love my tea. Black tea with cream and sugar is the way to go. My husband told my kids I have dirt and tea flowing through my veins. Ha!! It’s true what can I say. The best part is my kids also love tea. So at the end of the week we set out the nice linens and the Royal Albert tea set. The kids get to choose the menu and they get to cook all the items. We all sit down together enjoying our yummy snacks and tea. We rest. We laugh. We simply enjoy each other’s company. I think that’s the best part. After we’ve had many cups of tea we choose an animal to learn about (and by learn about I mean watch a quick Youtube video) and then we get to draw and journal for the rest of the day!!! Voila homeschool joins rest time… my version of resting anyway.
What’s better than tea? Cream tea! Oh yes! Just what is this cream tea you ask? Great question! It’s English of course. First you start with a scone aka a sweet biscuit of sorts and then you smother it with homemade jam - strawberry is our usual favorite, but violet jelly has taken over the spotlight lately and finally you put a large dollop of homemade whipped cream right on top. The most perfect whipped cream has no sugar in it. The jam is where the sweetness comes in. It is absolutely incredible!! Our favorite scone recipe is from Sally’s Baking Addiction. We usually just make the plain ones, but she has many recipes I’m sure are equally delicious.
So next time you are looking for a way to relax with your children, grandchildren or even just enjoy the company of a friend I encourage you to get out your tea set, dust it off and make some delicious goodies to enjoy. Sometimes a touch of fancy is just what we need.
