Manners

How have you done a good job teaching your children manners? I think I have failed at this (at least with one of my children). I was not insistent on teaching these skills when my son was younger and at 9 he seems reluctant to learn. My parents raised me using ma'am and sir to answer when called or just to be courteous and it has stuck with me. Saying thank you, please and excuse me are important, too. I know there is a trend toward lack of manners. I see it every day in the young people I come into contact with. I really want my children to have good manners, though. My daughter (age 6) seems to have caught on mostly because of an eagerness to please. She has started answering with yes ma'am. I suggested a competition in which we reward them for being caught using good manners. Have you any other suggestions? His table manners aren't that great either but I don't want to get started on that. He doesn't talk on the phone yet, so no worry about phone manners. Overall, he is a well-behaved child and his transgressions mostly deal with sibling stuff. He goes to bed without problem and cooperates in getting out the door in the mornings. He is starting to do some chores around the house. I assume he behaves better out of sight like most children. So it is just the manners I think we need to work on.