Tea Party Bible Times for Mom and Me/Just Mom and Me Having Tea

Are you looking for a way to connect with your daughter this summer?  Would you like your daughter to grow closer to God?  Mary Murray's books Just Mom and Me Having Tea and Tea Party Bible Times for Mom and Me are designed to promote deep discussion and meaningful Bible study, while having fun with crafts, activities, and tea (of course)!

Each week, girls and moms discuss topics such as friends, family, self-image, and God.  Murray gets us started thinking about the topic by asking questions in the sections titled "Sharing Our Thoughts," "Mother's Insights," and "Daughter's Reflections."  She then lists a weekly Bible reading and reflection plan for girls.  Each week also has space for writing each others' prayer requests, and lists a verse to memorize.  At the end of the week, girls and moms are encouraged to plan a specially-themed tea party to celebrate what they have learned.  Murray even gives us tea party recipes, as well as ideas for crafts, activities and props to make the tea party fancy and memorable. 

The two books have similar chapter topics, but they complement each other well.  The tea parties in each book are different, and will appeal to girls with a wide range of interests.  The books include lots of pencil sketches and white space, perfect for coloring, doodling, and personalizing each lesson.

What I Like:  I love the goal of these books.  What better use of time is there than to connect with our daughters about the Bible, over a cup of tea?  I hope these books will be the beginning of a long tradition of tea time for me and my daughters.

I also like how these books include everything you could possibly think of, both for the Bible studies and the tea times.  There is a huge variety of activities, crafts and recipes to choose from, making it easy to customize your tea party to suit the age and personality of your daughter.

Murray is intentional about not making brothers and dads feel left out.  Many of the tea parties include ideas for including the rest of the family. 

What I Dislike:  The amount of information in the books is a bit overwhelming at first.  Since crafts are not my strong suit, the materials list, instructions and directions sometimes seem like more trouble than fun.  However, my daughter would love to try each of them!

Murray recommends spending half an hour a day.  However, in our house, uninterrupted alone time is hard to come by during the busy school year.  My daughter and I often run out to her favorite restaurant for lunch on the weekend, and do several days worth of study and discussion at once.

I would love a little bit better breakdown of what activities, discussions and studies to do each day, in order to complete the lesson in a week.

Overall Rating:  Very Good

Age Appeal: 6-10 (with a mom's help)

Publisher Info: Harvest House Publishers, 2010; ISBN: 978-0-7369-2862-5; Paperback, 128 pages, $11.99

Buy Tea Party Bible Times for Mom and Me Now at Christianbook.com for $9.49

Buy Just Mom and Me Having Tea Now at Christianbook.com for $9.49

OR Buy Just Mom and Me Having Tea at Amazon.com for $10.25.

OR Buy Tea Party Bible Times for Mom and Me at Amazon.com for $11.99.