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!

–

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 Thanksgiving Movies For Kids Of All Ages

The Macy's Parade is over, the last football player has been knocked to the ground, dinner has been cooked and eaten, and your time with the relatives is, um, wearing thin.  

Thanksgiving movies can be enjoyed by everyone!

 

What do you do next??!  Why not watch a movie?  

Here are my top 10 picks for relatively kid-friendly Thanksgiving movies. And remember: before you spend money renting them, try borrowing them from your local library for FREE!

1. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving – Nobody does the holidays better than the Peanuts gang! In case you haven't see this Emmy-award winning classic, Peppermint Patty invites herself and her friends over to Charlie Brown's for Thanksgiving. Can poor Chuck rise challenge? This film is full of warmth – I mean, how can you resist a dinner with popcorn on the menu? The DVD also includes "The Mayflower Voyagers" special, a Peanuts rendition of the Mayflower Voyage and the first Thanksgiving. 
   
   
   
   

   

   Find the REAL meaning of Thanksgiving in this movie.

   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Mouse On The Mayflower – A charming story told by William, it's about a little mouse whose big idea saves the pilgrims during a perilous storm as they travel to the New World. This cartoon originally aired on television in 1968 and also traces the story of the struggles of those first settlers as they learn to plant crops during Spring and celebrate in Autumn with the first Thanksgiving. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. It's A Wonderful Life – Before you start complaining that this is a classic Christmas movie, which it is, I would argue that the message of being grateful for the life you have as well as for family and friends is perfectly suited for Thanksgiving viewing as well. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Alvin And The Chipmunks: Alvin's Thanksgiving Celebration – This Thanksgiving-themed DVD contains four Alvin episodes including "A Chipmunk Celebration," "Food for Thought," "Cookie Chomper III," and "Dave's Getting Married.” This rodent knows the meaning of Turkey Day!
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Avalon – A PG rated film which was released 1990, it traces fictional Sam Krichinsky's family as they pursue the American dream. Much of the story takes place as the family gathers for Thanksgiving dinners and some of the themes explored include the effects of affluence, introduction of television, and attitudes towards the elderly. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Holiday Inn – Ok, so it's pretty thin on plot, but this 1942 musical which features Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby has amazing songs by Irving Berlin and is perfect for watching with older family members (who probably know the songs by heart). A toe-tapping good time!
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. Grumpy Old Men – Another PG rated film, this wonderful comedy focuses on a lifelong feud between two neighbors which only gets worse when a new female neighbor moves across the street. Walter Matthau and Jack Lemon proved that you don't have to be young to be hysterically funny.
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Home For The Holidays – Rated PG-13, the story of poor Claudia Larson who, after suffering some really bad luck, has to face spending the holiday with her family will resonate with those of us who have, shall we say, less than Norman Rockwell-type tribes. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. Garfield's Thanksgiving – Garfield's owner, Jon, needs to take the reluctant feline to the vet on the day before Thanksgiving. Will the good doctor force Garfield to follow a (gasp!) diet before his favorite day of gluttony? Like most of us facing dietary challenges, it could make for one cranky Turkey Day!
   
   
   
   
10. Miracle On 34^th Street – Remember the good old days when Christmas season began AFTER Thanksgiving? While this movie isn't a Thanksgiving movie per se, it is a seasonal favorite that includes a touch of the holiday as it features it tells the story of the trial of the Santa who appears in Macy's parade. If you haven't seen it yet, now is the time. 
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    THANK YOU FOR READING!!!
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

10 Tips For Helping Kids Enjoy Thanksgiving

When I was growing up, Thanksgiving meant schlepping to the house of a distant geriatric relative, having my cheeks pinched, sitting for hours listening to them complain about life, watching them chain smoke, then eating, and schlepping home while my parents told me how I hadn't sat quietly enough or tried some gross dish like Aunt Rose's succotash pudding. EVERYTHING about this day was out of my control, full of “musts” and “should haves.” It was not my favorite holiday.

Thanksgiving can be tough for kids - help them enjoy it!

When I had my own kids, I was determined that they would not suffer on Turkey Day as I had. Since our family has shrunk to only two elderly family members, the schlepping is no longer a factor because our house is the default location for all celebrations. Sure, the main event still centers around eating, but I've found ways to give the kids a voice, and thus some control, in the day's festivities.


Here are 10 of my favorite activities and strategies for helping kids enjoy this day:

• Challenge the kids to find new ways to express gratitude. Sure, you can go around the table and give thanks. But why not ask the kids, ahead of time, to draw a picture or make a collage of what they're grateful for? This is also a great way to keep the smaller ones busy while you're cooking. Older ones can take a photo on their phones and then pass it around just before dinner or they can compile a slide show to show before or after the meal.

• Get the kids involved planning and cooking the meal. Yeah, I know every website is recommending this, but getting children involved also increases the chance that they'll eat something on the menu (my daughter has been known to ignore the turkey and ask for mac and cheese for the Feast).   Kids can also tear lettuce, help bake dinner rolls, or pull grapes to put in a fruit salad. My son took Family Consumer Science (formerly Home Ec) and some of his recipes are amazing!

This took all of 5 minutes to make!

• Ask the kids if they'll help craft decorations. Diva and I whipped up this sweet little candle holder
  (battery-operated candles only) in about 10 minutes this weekend using a water jug, scissors, and crayons. It will welcome our guests when they arrive. You can find more free, printable Thanksgiving decorations here at Freebies.About.Com.

• Kids love knowing things adults don't!! Guide the kids toward Thanksgiving trivia they can share with the family during dinner. Buzzle.com has a fascinating online trivia quiz and Celebration Ideas Online offers a free printable trivia quiz.

• Enlist an older child to interview and record an older family member. Have them come up with questions to ask the senior. This could become a family heirloom!

• Give the kids an opportunity to choose some during-dinner music.  Just retain the power to veto any rowdy tunes.

• Invite the wee folk to come up with a list of topics and questions for dinner conversation. 

Don't forget to let the kids help clean up after Thanksgiving dinner!

• Allow the kids to have input into after-dinner activities. Little ones may enjoy putting on a show or playing a musical instrument. Perhaps an older child can show Grandma what video games she's playing. Or have the kids select a few movies for the family to watch.

• Have a younger child pick out a few books for a guest to read to them. Better yet, pick out a few books they might want to read TO the guest!

• Make post-guest clean-up a competition. Whoever can put away 10 items in a minute gets first crack at leftovers later.

Again, giving children choices empowers them, reducing frustration and allowing them to have some control over the day's festivities.  It also helps them enjoy the holiday more.  In my house, anyone who chooses not to help out automatically forfeits any right to complain later and is invited to spend the day in their room sans electronics.


Also, don't forget to say “please” and “thank you” to your children! What you model is what they'll pass along.

Please note that this a re-posting of something I wrote about the same time last year.  Just thought you should know...  

5 Pumpkin Cockails To Make Your Thanksgiving Sparkle

It seemed like everything was Fall and pumpkin-inspired until just after Halloween. Now society has fast-forwarded to Christmas with nary a thought to Thanksgiving. 

I am taking Thanksgiving back with pumpkin cocktails!

Well, dear reader, I'm taking Thanksgiving back! My mother-in-law is coming for the Feast which means alcohol will be on the menu. Here are my favorite 5 pumpkin-inspired cocktails to help add a bit more spirit to your THANKSGIVING season:

Hot Buttered Pumpkin Spice Rum – I would imagine that this isn't the lowest-calorie drink because it has butter in it, but it's a great drink to warm you up. Sip it before a roaring fire or flickering candle for extra ambiance.

Ingredients: 2 tablespoon of butter (make sure they're at room temperature); 1 tablespoon of softened dark brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of pumpkin-pie spice, 2 ounces of dark rum, and 12 ounces of HOT apple cider.

Directions: In a mixing bowl, use a whisk to whip the butter, brown sugar and pie spice together. Put it in the refrigerator and chill until it's firm. Then halve the mix and the mug and place in two mugs. Stir in the hot cider. Note: you could even top this with whipped cream and sprinkles and add a cinnamon stick to make it even more special.

This glass storage jar would be perfect to make pumpkin flavored vodka in.

Pumpkin Flavored Vodka – Okay, this is more time-intensive, so you might want to start now, but it yields a wonderful Fall take on vodka. Note that you'll need a large, sealable glass container for this, like a recycled glass juice bottle or glass storage jar.

Ingredients: 1-1/2 cups of pumpkin pie filling, vodka.

Directions: Place the pie filling in the container and fill the rest with vodka. Mix them both up and let the concoction sit in the refrigerator for a week to 10 days. Filter the mixture through a coffee filter which you've put in a kitchen strainer. TaDa!

This is out for a limited time only, so get it now!

Kahlua Pumpkin Martini - It doesn't get any easier than this!

Ingredients: Kahlua Pumpkin Spice, vodka

Directions: Mix equal parts of both together with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled glass. Add a bit of orange zest or a cinnamon stick to garnish.

Spiced Pumpkin Cider – Another warm drink you can sip while watching the leaves fall, it reminds me of the Spiced Rum recipe above, but with fewer calories. It also makes the house smell amazing!

Ingredients: 1 cup of pumpkin puree, 2-1/2 cups of apple cider, 1/3 cup of spiced rum, 1-1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice, a cinnamon stick, a sprinkle or two of nutmeg.

Directions: In a large pot, whisk together the puree, cider, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon stick. When the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain it to get rid of any lumps and the cinnamon stick. Add rum and sprinkle with a bit of nutmeg. Serve it

warm. Yummmmmm!

Pumpkin Pie Martini – I've been watching quite a bit of Love It Or List It lately and at the end of each episode, the winner buys the loser a martini, so martinis have been on my mind lately. Here's a great one to celebrate with:

Ingredients: 4 ounces of vodka, pumpkin pie spice, 1 ounce of vanilla vodka

Directions: Pour both vodkas into a shaker of ice and, well, shake. Strain into two glasses and add a dash of pumpkin pie spice. 

Oh, and if you want something to go with your drinks, I just discovered these yesterday at Costco:

These go great with pumpkin cocktails!

Sconza Pumpkin Pie Almonds

As the package says, they're roasted almonds wrapped in the creamiest white chocolate with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. I don't want to admit how many of these I've eaten since I bought them last night. 

Despite the fact that the media and marketers have pushed us from Halloween into Christmas, I think Thanksgiving is such a meaningful holiday. Giving thanks is essential in my life and it's something I'm trying to instill in my children. We should be grateful that we have what we have. Enjoy the spirit of Thanksgiving with the cocktails above. 

Now excuse me. MUST...GET...HAND...OUT...OF...THOSE...ALMONDS!

I'm THANKFUL that you're here!  Please come again! 

For Those Who Hate Elf-On-A Shelf: Just The Basics

I am not a fan of that phenomenon known as Elf-On-A-Shelf. In case you're not familiar with this “newest tradition,” basically it involves a doll that is sold with a book that explains how the Elf keeps a watchful eye over the inhabitants of the home. When everyone is sleeping, he flies to the North Pole and reports back to Santa whether the kids have been naughty or nice. Then he flies back to the house (too bad he doesn't earn frequent flyer points) just in time for everyone to find him sitting in a new position in the morning. We received our Elf from a very sweet friend a few years back and my daughter was immediately charmed by the little guy she named “Seymore.”


Yes, the Elf extends the magic of Christmas, but overall, I think he's a smug little snitch and the fact that he's supposed to move about every night means another thing I have to add to my “To Do” list. Yuck. Tons of people have a blast with it, putting the doll in creative positions, in imaginative places. I'm not one of those. I just try not to disappoint my child. So here are my tips for providing a very basic Elf-On-A Shelf experience:

1. Try to have Elf come as late as possible in December, preferably after you've already put up your Christmas decorations. You could even wait until the kids ask for him on the off chance that they'll forget all about him (although with all the hoopla surrounding Elf this season, I doubt that will happen. Apparently Elf's publicist is on overdrive.). Obviously the later he comes, the fewer hiding spaces need to be found.
   
2. Before he comes, make a list of places he could hide. This will help you during one of times when you belt out of bed while your inner parent screams, “Holy S***! I forgot to hide that friggin' Elf!” It also helps make sure you don't put the cretin in the same place and you can cross of the hiding spots as you use them. If you save the list on the computer, you can reference it next year.
   
3. When Elf does come, confine him to one floor or room. He'll be easier to hide and spot if he tends to hang out near one place.
   
4. Enlist the help of an older child who might be on to the little snitch. They LOVE knowing something a younger sibling doesn't and are probably full of notions about where the smug little guy can hang out.
   
5. Have excuses ready in case Elf forgets to hide one night. The website From Grind To Wine (http://fromgrindtowhine.com/2011/12/12/twelve-ways-to-save-your-butt-when-your-elf-on-the-shelf-forgets-to-move) lists some very funny ones. Keep them handy.
   
6. Ask yourself, does Elf really need to be around every day? If you need to, take a break. Elves can get stuck in traffic on the way from the North Pole. If you get tired, give yourself and the little snitch a night off.
   

And don't feel bad that you're not one of those mega-creative types found on Pinterest who find all kinds of cutesie places for the Elf. Instead, give yourself some credit for trying to do something especially nice for your kid at Christmas. 


--


For those of you who read my tips for Dealing With Family At Thanksgiving, I promised I'd update you on how implementing some of those suggestions worked for me. It was mixed. My idea of having different people serve various dishes didn't work, mostly because the kitchen is so small that I didn't want the foot traffic in and out of the room. I chose to do all the serving which, in truth, minimized how much I ate, so the result was positive. The family valiantly pitched in and helped when I asked them to, which took some of the stress out of the feast.  By serving dinner promptly at 3:30, I had effectively limited the duration of the visit since one of my guests likes to go to be early and insisted on being ferried home a mere four hours after arrival.  Thanksgiving Bingo was a massive success; I had coupled it with some word searches and both activities kept young and old occupied for about an hour. We'll be doing something similar at Christmas.


We didn't need the conversation starters since catching up with my children was all these women wanted to talk about. After that, we kept the talk neutral ...until dessert when things got a bit heated and I retreated to the kitchen.  My husband, a very wise man, and I had chatted before dinner about the merits of diplomacy and he had pointed out that sometimes it's easier to walk away from someone when you realize that it's their shortcomings that make them act a particular way and not your own. An admirable strategy, to be sure, but not one that worked for me; giving myself a time-out was smarter. 

Again, kudos to my family for helping with the feast. You guys are the best!


–


Please come back and visit me again soon when I'll be reviewing some of the books we received for Chanukah. And, as always, thanks for reading!!

My 20 FAVORITE Thanksgiving Jokes

Source:  Google Images

Sometimes Thanksgiving can be a bit, stale, especially if those around you are a bit dry.  To combat that I give you (drumroll, please):

 20 Thanksgiving Jokes!

They may not have you rolling on the floor, but if they keep you from hitting your mother-in-law with a 2'x4', I'll have done my job. Hint: they work better either told by a cute, little kid or if your audience is either a little or very tipsy.
  
Here we go:

1. What happened when the turkey got into a fight?
   He got the stuffing knocked out of him.

2. Why can't you take a turkey to church?
   They use fowl language!

3. What do you get when you cross a turkey with a banjo?
   A turkey that can pluck himself.
   

4. Why don't turkeys fly?
   They can't afford plane tickets.

5. What did the turkey say to the computer?
   Google, google, google!
   
   
6. A man buys a parrot only to have it constantly insult him. He tries everything to make the parrot stop, but nothing works. Finally, in a fit of frustration, he puts the parrot in the freezer. After a few minutes the insults stop. The man panics, thinking he might have killed the parrot, so he opens the freezer and takes the parrot out. The parrot is shivering, but it stammers, “S-s-sorry for being r-r-rude. Please f-f-forgive me.” Then, after a moment, the bird hesitantly asks, “W-w-what exactly d-d-did the turkey do?”
   

7. What sound does a limping turkey make?
   Wobble, wobble.
   
   
8. What do you get when you cross a turkey with an octopus?
   Enough drumsticks for Thanksgiving.

9. What happened to the Pilgrim who was shot at by an Indian?
   He had an arrow escape.

10. If you call a turkey a gobbler, what do you call a small one?
    A goblet.
    
    
11. “Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then they discover that once a year is way too often.” - Johnny Carson
    
    
12. On Thanksgiving Day, all over America, families sit down to dinner at the same moment ..... halftime.

   13.  Why did the turkey sit on a tomahawk?
           To hatchet.

   14.  Can a turkey jump higher than the Empire State Building?
          Yes, because buildings can't jump.

   15.  What are unhappy cranberries called?
           Blueberries.

   16.  Want to freak your guests out?  Add two extra legs to the bird when it's in the oven.

   17.  What did General Patton do on Thanksgiving?
           He gave tanks.

   18.  Why did the Pilgrims eat turkey on Thanksgiving?
           Because they couldn't get the moose in the oven.

   19. "You know that just before the first Thanksgiving dinner there was one wise, old Native
         American woman saying, "Don't feed them.  If you do, they'll never leave." - Dylan
         Brody

   20.  "An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day." - Irv Kupcinet.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and a safe (seriously, be careful) Black Friday!  Special thanks to my 8-year old who caught some typos that were originally on this page.  I'm thankful for your proofreading skills, Honey.

-


Thanks for reading and remember to please bookmark this blog! Thanks!


–


Note: Sources for jokes in this post included: www.jokes4us.com, www.coolest-holiday-parties.com, www.hellokids.com, www.godweb.org, www.hellokids.com

10 Tips For Helping Kids Enjoy Thanksgiving

When I was growing up, Thanksgiving meant schlepping to the house of a distant geriatric relative, having my cheeks pinched, sitting for hours listening to them complain about life, watching them chain smoke, then eating, and schlepping home while my parents told me how I hadn't sat quietly enough or tried some gross dish like Aunt Rose's succotash pudding. EVERYTHING about this day was out of my control, full of “musts” and “should haves.” It was not my favorite holiday.

Thanksgiving can be tough for kids - help them enjoy it!

When I had my own kids, I was determined that they would not suffer on Turkey Day as I had. Since our family has shrunk to only two elderly family members, the schlepping is no longer a factor because our house is the default location for all celebrations. Sure, the main event still centers around eating, but I've found ways to give the kids a voice, and thus some control, in the day's festivities.


Here are 10 of my favorite activities and strategies for helping kids enjoy this day:

• Challenge the kids to find new ways to express gratitude. Sure, you can go around the table and give thanks. But why not ask the kids, ahead of time, to draw a picture or make a collage of what they're grateful for? This is also a great way to keep the smaller ones busy while you're cooking. Older ones can take a photo on their phones and then pass it around just before dinner or they can compile a slide show to show before or after the meal.

• Get the kids involved planning and cooking the meal. Yeah, I know every website is recommending this, but getting children involved also increases the chance that they'll eat something on the menu (my daughter has been known to ignore the turkey and ask for mac and cheese for the Feast).   Kids can also tear lettuce, help bake dinner rolls, or pull grapes to put in a fruit salad. My son took Family Consumer Science (formerly Home Ec) and some of his recipes are amazing!

This took all of 5 minutes to make!

• Ask the kids if they'll help craft decorations. Diva and I whipped up this sweet little candle holder
  (battery-operated candles only) in about 10 minutes this weekend using a water jug, scissors, and crayons. It will welcome our guests when they arrive. You can find more free, printable Thanksgiving decorations here at Freebies.About.Com.

• Kids love knowing things adults don't!! Guide the kids toward Thanksgiving trivia they can share with the family during dinner. Buzzle.com has a fascinating online trivia quiz and Celebration Ideas Online offers a free printable trivia quiz.

• Enlist an older child to interview and record an older family member. Have them come up with questions to ask the senior. This could become a family heirloom!

• Give the kids an opportunity to choose some during-dinner music.  Just retain the power to veto any rowdy tunes.

• Invite the wee folk to come up with a list of topics and questions for dinner conversation.

Don't forget to let the kids help clean up after Thanksgiving dinner!

• Allow the kids to have input into after-dinner activities. Little ones may enjoy putting on a show or playing a musical instrument. Perhaps an older child can show Grandma what video games she's playing. Or have the kids select a few movies for the family to watch.

• Have a younger child pick out a few books for a guest to read to them. Better yet, pick out a few books they might want to read TO the guest!

• Make post-guest clean-up a competition. Whoever can put away 10 items in a minute gets first crack at leftovers later.

Again, giving children choices empowers them, reducing frustration and allowing them to have some control over the day's festivities.  It also helps them enjoy the holiday more.  In my house, anyone who chooses not to help out automatically forfeits any right to complain later and is invited to spend the day in their room sans electronics.



Also, don't forget to say “please” and “thank you” to your children! What you model is what they'll pass along.

10 Ways To Deal With Family At Thanksgiving

Family + Thanksgiving = Stress

Thanksgiving is almost upon us and while I LOVE expressions of gratitude and the all-inclusiveness of the day (it's one of the few major holidays not segregated by religion), my stomach juices are already churning at the prospect of entertaining extended family.



Hubby and I have a very small family, so for us, it just means having our mothers over, but it's still stressful. 



I do not get along with one of those women, yet I know I am not alone when it comes to having to deal with a difficult family member at holiday time. So here are some tips that I've culled that I will (teeth gritted, WILL) try on Thanksgiving Day:

• Isolate your issues with the other person so you can deal with them. While my issues are numerous, one of the things that bugs me is the fact that I wind up being the sole waitress while at least one of the ladies makes demands (no, they are not requests). So this year, we're putting each family member in charge of serving one of the dishes. Hubby will be Master Turkey, in charge of carving and doling out the bird. The 8-year old will be Salad Girl, ready with tongs at any given moment. Junior is Captain Carbs, serving up sweet potatoes and stuffing. And I will be Madam Side Dish, transporting bowls of hot veggies to the table. I'll update this post later to let you know if this did, indeed, lower my stress level.

•  “Grieve for the family we wish we had but do not.” This tip comes courtesy of the website for Psychology Today  and appears in an article entitled “The Thanksgiving Challenge.” At first I thought the suggestion was a bit of psychological mumbo jumbo, but the piece points out that at this time of the year, families feel pressured to “embody a Norman Rockwell sense of togetherness and gratitude” that may not exist. Thanks, Norm. What I've come to realize is that most families fall far short of this idolized image of family, so perhaps, like perfect bodies, it's another media concept that has little basis in reality. Unfortunately, we all feel pressured to live up to this unrealistic image. Knowing I'm not experiencing something alone helps.

• Let your guests in on the agenda. People don't always like surprises. We'll be letting the grandmas know what time we're picking them up, what time dinner will be served, and what time they'll be home. This should make it easier for them to plan their before-visit and after-visit time accordingly.

• Keep the conversation neutral. This is not the time to bring up major issues or complaints you may have with the other person (save that for Festivus). 

Holding your tongue can be challenging with family on Thanksgiving.

• Figure out what you're going to say if someone does raise an issue. My kids know to deflect unasked for criticism by saying, “feel free to discuss that with my parents.” Saying, “I'm not going to discuss this now – let's talk about it later” is a perfectly valid adult response.

• Give yourself an unannounced time-out. Retreating to the kitchen to catch a few breaths before you blow up or smack someone with a 2'x4' is reasonable.

• Understand that it is not your responsibility to live up to other people's expectations. I can't stress this enough.  Those are their issues, not yours. Don't let them put the blame on you. Just say, “I'm sorry you feel that way” and move on.

• Come up with some conversation starters. Ask questions like “what's your happiest memory,” “if you could change places with a celebrity, who would it be and why,” and “if you won the lottery, what would you do with the money.” This starts your company talking and helps avoid uncomfortable silences. Be aware that some people are just uneasy in a group. Someone who is used to dining alone may not have the social skills they once had.

Coming up with conversation starters can ease the tension at Thanksgiving

• Be prepared with post-dinner activities. Thanks to the website makingfriends.com, I found this free, printable Thanksgiving Bingo Game we'll be playing with the Nanas.

• Plan a reward for yourself after they leave. Whether it's playing a game with your little one, indulging in Pinterst or giving yourself permission to look at silly cats on the Internet, have something to look forward to.
  

Need more guidance on how to get through Thanksgiving? Visit http://psychcentral.com/thanksgiving
for some great articles on surviving this holiday.

–



Please come back, before Thanksgiving, and visit me, won't you?

15 Practical Uses For Leftover Halloween Candy

 
Halloween candy should come with these instructions: “Unwrap and apply directly to hips.” You know, sort of like Play Doh. Every year, millions of Americans are stuck with the dilemma of what to do with leftover candy. Are we spoiled or what? As parents, we feel guilty throwing the sweet stuff out because, after all, it is food and we're taught that food is not to be wasted. While there are tons of suggestions on what to do with it (“Wire the wrappers together to make a cat skirt,” “Save the wrappers to build a life-size sculpture of your kids,” etc.), many are time-intensive or just plain stupid.

So here are 15 practical, low-effort uses for leftover Halloween candy:

1.   Use it for ice cream. I scored some major Cool Mom credit a few weeks after Halloween, when we hosted a playdate and I asked the girls, “Wanna make some ice cream sundaes?” I grabbed some cheap generic ice cream cups, Hershey Chocolate Syrup, and leftover candy and let the kids go to town. My daughter beamed as her friend said, “Wow! Your mom is so cool!” Suggested candies for this include M&Ms, Skittles, and any crushed up chocolate bar. Smashed up hard candy (let the kids do it since they love smashing stuff) works, too.
2.   Use it in baking. Add crushed peanut butter cups, M&Ms, and other chocolate to cookies.
3.   Use peppermints (yes, people still give these out) in hot chocolate and to flavor coffee.
4.   Donate it to the troops. Operation Shoebox (http://operationshoebox.com) sends “support, snacks and much needed personal care items to our troops deployed outside of the USA.”
5.   Make homemade trail mix by mixing M&Ms with pretzels, nuts, and dried fruit.
6.   Save it for goodie bags or use as pinata filler.
7.   Send it it to the office. One year, my husband did not bring a big bag of candy to the office. His co-workers were ticked. I guess if you have kids, you're expected to share their unwanted booty with those who don't.
8.   Save it for it for upcoming Thanksgiving food drives.
9.   Use it as a counting tool. Let little ones learn to count and sort using different colored candies.
10. Pair chocolate, caramel, and nutty bars like Snickers with port wine or to class up some Trader Joe's red wine (in my circles, we used to call that stuff “3-Buck Chuck” since it used to cost a whopping $3). I understand from a Scotch aficionado that Twix goes quite well with Scotch.
11. Save the prettier-wrapped candies for gifts. Buy a small decorative bowl, jar, or coffee mug and fill it with candies; add a piece of fabric and a bow. Voila! A lovely gift!
12. Use it to decorate a gingerbread house.  (Note:  here's a link that will show you how to make an easy one using graham crackers:  http://kidsparties.about.com/od/celebratingholidays/qt/GrahamCrackerGingerbreadHouse.htm.)
13. Make homemade flavored vodka. Hard candies dissolved in vodka make flavored hooch. Just make sure you label any bottles appropriately and keep it far away from curious kiddies and pets.
14. Keep a bit in the car. The next time you're stuck in a major traffic jam and the kids are beating each other senseless with water bottles, whip out a piece for the children or yourself.
15. Save some for the grandparents or bring it to a nearby nursing home.


And don't feel back about pilfering it for yourself. We all do it. I mean, the kids owe us for walking them around in the cold; the house always gets a cut, right? Just try to limit yourself to a few a day.

And Happy Halloween!