5 Activities Your Family Can Do On Thanksgiving

We have an extremely small family consisting of me, my husband, and our two kids. Add in one 90-year old mother-in-law and Thanksgiving can get rather...boring quickly. My mother-in-law is very demanding, so on major holidays we need something to dilute the intensity of the time we spend together.

Thanksgiving carries a lot of pressure when you're hosting!

Directed activities are great because they take the focus off individual issues and place everyone's attention elsewhere. Also, since I do the majority of the work on Thanksgiving, they give me a much-needed breather! So here are my favorite

5 Activities For Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Bingo – A favorite with Nana, this site has free, printable bingo cards. Use pennies or candy as markers and it's a blast for kids of all ages.

What's Missing – Grab a tray and place Fall and Thanksgiving-related objects (candy corn, different leaves, a pine cone, an acorn, etc.) on it. Have players look carefully at the tray for 30 seconds. Take the tray away and see if they can guess which object is missing. 

Hidden Pictures – Print out these sheets and invite everyone to spot the hidden objects in the Thanksgiving picture.

Balloon Volleyball – Blow up a balloon, clear some space, assign teams, and play volleyball with the balloon. This is a great way to channel some of the energy of active kids and is one of my favorites! Okay, so the 90 year old can't play, but when the balloon comes near her she can swat it. 

Bring Out The Board Games And Playing Cards – You know all those board games the kids ignore in favor of their electronics? Now's the time to bring them out! Grab Sorry, get ready for some Trouble, and cut the deck of cards for a rousing game of War.  You can even have a tournament!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it's something we can ALL celebrate, no matter what religion we belong (or do not) belong to. Games are fun for everyone. 

Give the activities above a try, have fun and deflate some of the intensity of the holiday!

This is pretty much what I look like the night of Thanksgiving - I'm pooped!

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I've written quite a few Thanksgiving posts. Read them, won't you?

 



10 Ways To Deal With Family At Thanksgiving 

10 Tips For Helping The Kids Enjoy Thanksgiving 


My 20 Favorite Thanksgiving Jokes 

    
5 Pumpkin Cocktails To Make Your Thanksgiving Sparkle 


10 Thanksgiving Movies For Kids Of All Ages

10 To-Dos Before School Starts

Okay, so the back-to-school commercials were out before the kids here in the Northeast were even OUT of school (and, by the way, Halloween merchandise has been in the stores around here for at least two weeks). But with tomorrow being August 1^st and many institutions of higher learning starting before Labor Day, it may be time to turn a tiny portion of our parental brains toward the first day of school because many things will not wait until that fateful day. 

 

So here are 10 suggestions of things you might want to handle on sooner rather than later:

1. Scheduling the kids yearly physicals and eye exams. If you haven't made an appointment with your pediatrician, you're behind the curve already! According to my doctor's office, phone calls started flooding in back in Spring, so bite the bullet and schedule one for your child today. I usually wait until Fall anyway so I can get the kids their flu shots with their physicals. Eye exams tend to be less pressing, so I never have trouble getting them in to see our beloved optometrist; the problem then becomes fitting the appointment in with the kids' busy schedules.
   
   
   
   
2. Check your school supplies closet/drawer/basket – whatever. I've wasted plenty of money buying supplies I already had (what am I gonna do with 50 Office Depot erasers). Make a list of what you already have so you can bring it when you go back-to-school shopping. 
   
   
   
   
3. Clean out last year's backpacks. In June, my children gleefully throw their backpacks into the closet and don't want to see them for the next two months. Sneak a peak and see if you can salvage any old supplies. I grab any notebooks containing blank paper and I use them for my writing and lists; pencils and pens go into pencil cups around the house; markers are placed in Ziploc bags for arts and crafts projects; and old smocks get washed for use next year. As for old, broken crayons, there are thousands of websites on the Web with ideas for how to re-use them (ThriftyFun is one), but even if you're not crafty, you can send them away to the Crazy Crayons where they'll be recycled and not wind up in landfills.  Oh, and if you need guidance on how to choose a backpack for the upcoming year, read this.
   
   
   
   
4. Inspect old backpacks and lunch sacks. I bought these reusable sandwich/snack bags (see below) at Walmart last year. They're washable and can be used from year to year. Similarly, unless a lunch sack has last year's favorite TV character or band, see if you can sell your kid on the concept of re-using it by updating, perhaps by letting them draw on it or adding a glue-on patch. Honestly, with my kids living in their backpacks throughout the school year, their old backpacks aren't usable from year to year, BUT they do make great library bags, gym bags, and can be hung in their rooms to hold stuffed animals, etc. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Take look at their Fall clothes. In my area, it's HOT the first few weeks of school. No matter what the commercials on TV show, they do not need new sweaters on the first day of the academic year. Sure, I'll buy both kids new sneakers (because they ALWAYS need them) and will buy Diva one new shirt just to make her feel special, but otherwise, they're not getting new outfits unless they really, truly need them.
   
   
   
   
6. Make any before-chool purchases you need to. Sometimes you need to pre-order lunches and supplies. Check your school's website for information.
   
   
   
   
7. Send any musical instruments out for tune-ups (pun intended). My son plays the clarinet and every year we have it sent out for cleaning. That way it's pristine for Band in the Fall. Oh, and if your child will be starting to play an instrument, now is the time to shop around for the best rental price.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Document the Summer while it's fresh in your mind. If you're waaaay behind in your scrapbooking like I am, make a list of what the kids did this summer so you can remember when you finally do get around to ordering your photobooks (or doing it by hand like I do). It's too easy to forget the nuances of the Summer.
   
   
   
   
9. Stock up on anti-lice shampoo and/or conditioner.  Kids come back from camp with those critters and even if your kids haven't gone, there's ALWAYS a lice outbreak every fall. I swear by Fairy Tales conditioner! My daughter has long, lush hair and even when she was exposed to lice by a neighbor's kid who literally had bugs crawling in her hair, Diva never contracted it. Fairy Tales smells like amazing; it contains rosemary, citronella, tea tree, lemongrass, peppermint, sage. School nurses SWEAR by this stuff and so do I!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
10. Stock up on clothes and footwear for next Summer. This stuff is on sale now to make way for Fall and Winter merchandise. If you have a sense of how much your child will grow over the course of the year (the Teen is a crapshoot), now is the time to buy flip flops and bathing suits in a bigger size.
    
    

And, of course, enjoy the rest of the Summer!  Your children will never be younger than they are now. All too soon, they'll be out on their own. Have fun with them while you can and cherish almost all the moments (because, let's face it, not all are rainbows and lollipops) with your kids.

Happy Rest Of Summer! 

Thanks for reading!

Why Leaf Jumping May NOT Be Such A Good Idea

Growing up, I remember the utter joy I experienced jumping in piles of leaves. I loved the “crunch, crunch” sound, the softness of the leaves themselves, and just the idea of jumping INTO something. Now, I know leaf jumping is a ritual of Fall and I hate to put a damper on it, but there are some major downsides into letting your kids jump into piles of leaves:

• Ticks

  Think it's too cold for ticks? Think again! Through October into mid-November, ticks are still alive and well. In fact, a few years ago, after a particularly cold October, Junior came home from a camping trip with a large tick attached under his arm. That large pile you just raked up could be harboring these blood-suckers, especially the disease-carrying deer ticks.
  
  
  
  

  

  Ticks LOVE leaf piles!

  
  
  
  

• Animal Poop

  I live in an area with a lot of critters, including deer. While I love the beauty of these animals, I am not fond of their poop, which they do everywhere including amongst the leaves.  And I won't even get started on the prospect of finding dog poop in a pile!  Disgusting!
  
  

• Sticks And Stones

  Kids tend to jump into leaf piles with abandon. A friend's kid recently jumped into a bunch of leaves and narrowly missed an eye injury.

Unless you're going to inspect EVERY INCH of a leaf pile, you're risking your children encountering the above. Still, if you're hell-bent on allowing your child to jump into one, take these precautions:

• Make sure your child is protected by covering up as much skin as possible. That means tucking pants into socks and making sure they're wearing long-sleeves.
• Use a bug-repellant spray, even over their clothes, to prevent ticks.
• Check them as soon as they get out of the leaf pile to make sure they're clean.
• Before bedtime, check them for ticks. Remember that these insects love warm, dark places like the back of knees and underarms.

Fall has many rituals: pumpkin and apple picking, decorating for Halloween, drinking apple cider. For safety's sake, you may want to consider giving up leaf jumping. 

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For more on ticks, click here ( http://www.tickencounter.org/prevention/protect_your_yard). And for instructions on how to remove a tick, click here (http://www.webmd.com/first-aid/tc/how-to-remove-a-tick-overview).

THANKS FOR READING!  

5 Ways To Savor The Last Weeks Of Summer

Suck it up, Kids.  You're going!

As yet another Summer winds down, I'm in a last-minute dash to get some of my “Must-Dos” off my list. It's not going to be easy this week because Junior is down with a fever, but here's what's on my list and what you might want to do for the next two weeks before school starts:

1. Drag the kids to the pool as much as possible. Inevitably, the cool weather we're now having in the Northeast will subside and hot-hot weather will come back to this area, ironically enough, just as the town pool closes. Sure, the kids claim they're all “pooled out,” but once they see that “Closed For The Season” sign, they'll be wishing they'd gone more often.
   
   
2. See as many out-of-town friends as possible. Those are the people we won't be running into at the grocery store or local functions and we may not see them for quite a while once school begins.  Now is the time to have them visit.
   
   
    
   
   
    
3. Get the maximum use out of sandals, flip-flops and shorts. They won't be fitting the kids next year.
   
   
4. Sit out in the backyard and savor these warm evenings. It's already getting darker earlier in the evening and once school starts, there won't be any time to enjoy the lawn chairs and leaf-free grass. Do it now before you wind up packing the cushions and umbrella in for the Fall.
   
   
5. Greedily bite into the fruits of summer while they're still local. Watermelon, peaches, cherries, cantaloupe are especially delicious this season. Sure, I can get them “imported from Chile,” but why wait when they're harvested nearby?
   
   
    

The leaves are just beginning to turn colors and soon the pool bag will be put away and the backpacks taken out. Schedules will get tight as, once again, the seasons of our lives change. It's time to “seize the moment” and grab the last bits of Summer while we still can!

What are you going to do to savor the last moments of Summer? I'd really like to know! 

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Thanks for reading!  Enjoy the day!  

10 Things To Do Before The Kids Go Back To School

Although no one, except retailers, wants to think about the end of Summer, it's only 7 weeks until my kids go back to school. And there's still SO MUCH to do! Here's a list of things you might want to accomplish before sending the minions off with their backpacks to another year of higher education:

1. Make a list of places/activities you want to see/do before the Summer ends. These are things you will regret if they're not done. For us, there are some water-parks we want to visit, friends we need to see, etc.  Try to end the Summer with no regrets!
   
   
2. Buy bathing suits and Summer-related items now, while they're on sale. Stores are busy stocking up for Fall and Winter and you can get some great buys now. I know Diva is going to be at least one size larger next year (all bets are out on the Teen who might wind up being 8' tall by the end of August), so buying bathing suits in a Large is a no-brainer. 
   
   
3. Take inventory of your in-house school supplies. It's time for me to empty out the old backpacks and put away any supplies the kids have sent home. Then I'll take stock so I can replenish our School Supply Cabinet in anticipation of the coming year.
   
   
4. Evaluate backpacks and lunch sacs to see if the kids will need new ones. By September, the stores will probably be low on both, so seize the moment!
   
   
5. Make sure you've gotten any necessary doctors' visits in. I dropped the ball on this one and now the kids aren't getting their physicals until the second week after school starts. That's not altogether bad, since they'll be able to get their flu shots at the same time.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Make a list of the projects you plan to accomplish in the Fall after they're in school. Mine include some painting, re-grouting, and a Momvacation Day at the beach.
   
   
7. Send musical instruments in for tuning and cleaning.  Every year while we're on vacation, we send Junior's woodwind instrument in for regular maintenance.  This way, come that first band practice, he's ready to go.
   
   
8. Check school websites for deadlines. The deadline to order Diva's school supplies through the PTA is coming up. Thank goodness I checked the website! Also, Junior has packets he needs done before the first day of high school. Funny how he never mentioned those. Similarly, sports forms are usually due in sometime during the Summer.  Stay on top of this now, so you don't have a sidelined kid in the Fall.
   
   
9. Start filling out your calendar for the Fall/Winter. Putting Back-To-School nights, etc., on the schedule now means you won't forget them when things get hectic in early September. 
   
   
10. Download some free planners at http://www.productiveflourishing.com/free-planners. This site lists all kinds of planners including ones to help you blog, monthly planners, productivity jumpstarters, etc. They can help you with all kinds of projects.
    
    
    Summer is moving all too quickly! Continue to make memories now and plan for the upcoming months. Parenting is hectic enough – get ahead of the game NOW! 

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Fall Into These Cool Websites

Little Ghost..aww..

I don't like scarey Halloween decorations. They frighten, if not traumatize little kids, and I don't get any pleasure from the site of dead bodies hanging from trees or bloody body parts strewn around a yard.  Who cares if they're Made In China?  There's are enough real macabre images on the covers of newspapers and on the Web.  I don't need polyurethane grossness. 

Our yard, right now, is full of cute little ghosts made from white plastic bags with eyes drawn on with Sharpie markers.  Watching over them is a scarecrow I bought from Michael's.  No one is going to run to their psychiatrist because of anything in my yard.

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Nevertheless, the Fall season itself is fun, so here are some of my favorite sites for an Awesome Autumn:   

http://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org - This is a MUST VISIT website to find out about pumpkin patches, corn mazes, hayrides and more!  Find the best fall activities near you, plus click on their links to other wonderful Autumn and Halloween websites.  I also like the fact that visitors can make corrections to any data that may not be current. 

http://webclipart.about.com/od/seasonsclipart/ss/Autumn-Clip-Art-Collection.htm - Back when I wrote newsletters, I used clip art all the time, but there's much more you can do with it!  Add it to emails, print some out on mailing labels to decorate lunch bags, and print some out on full-size paper for great window decorations.

http://www.foliagenetwork.com - This is the site for The Foliage Network (who knew?!) which has up-to-the-minute maps showing where the leaves are turning and which areas are at their peak for color.  This site uses actual data as opposed to others websites that only use annual averages.

http://www.primarygames.com/seasons/fall/games.htm - Don't fret if the weather is bad!  This website for kids lists all kinds of free online games dedicated to this colorful season.

http://www.ehow.com/how_12076561_make-house-smell-like-pumpkin-spice.html - The folks at eHow offer a great recipe for making your house smell like pumpkin spice without the expense or chemicals found in commercial air fresheners.  Buy a store-bought pumpkin pie to accompany this because the family will be hungry when they come home and smell this!

Synthia, The Scarecrow (she can't spell)

Now, if you actually WANT to bake (why, people, why???), here's an Impossibly Easy Pumpkin Pie recipe courtesy of the bakers at Bisquick.  It serves 6, depending on the eaters, takes about 50 minutes to cook and about 10 to slam together. 

Here's what you do:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (yes, you really have do this)

Ingredients: 

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup original Bisquick baking mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon butter or 1 tablespoon margarine, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs


Directions:

1.  Spay Pam in a 9" pie plate. 
2.  Stir all ingredients together.
3.  Pour into the pie plate.
4.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
5.  Cool 30 minutes.
6.  Refrigerate about 3 hours or until chilled.

Store covered in refrigerator.

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Thank you for reading!  Y'all come back 'round, ya hear?