Search Results for: blog decorating tips for the childrens thanksgiving table

Making Thanksgiving Memories

For kids, Thanksgiving pales in comparison to holidays in which they get to unwrap more than just some silverware from a cloth napkin. In fact, for some youngsters Turkey Day can be downright boring. Save for stuffing herself with bird and her favorite pumpkin pie, my 7-year-old sees the holiday as simply the day before she can start using her red Sharpie to countdown to Christmas on the calendar. Of course, having whiny kids underfoot while trying to prepare a feast for 20 is no picnic for parents either. This is why it pays to be prepared. Keeping children entertained … Continue reading →

Tales from the Holiday Kids’ Table

With Thanksgiving just a week away many parents are finalizing their holiday menus, decorating the house, and working on the all-important Turkey Day seating chart. A good hostess knows it’s all about the seating. After all, who wants World War III to break out between eccentric Aunt Marcie and conservative Uncle Mort as the green bean casserole is being passed? And they’re adults (supposedly). So why is it that whenever the holidays roll around kids constantly beg to sit at the grown up’s table? And at what age do you honor their wishes? For as long as I can remember … Continue reading →

Inexpensive Ways To Set A Festive Holiday Kids’ Table

Friday is our playgroup’s annual Christmas/Holiday potluck luncheon. Being that I am not the world’s greatest cook I volunteered to help decorate the kids table. Well, one of them. We have 12 kids under the age of four dining on two tables. I’ve teamed up with another playgroup mom to make simple, inexpensive decorations and place settings that can easily be adapted to your own holiday kids’ table. Here’s what we are planning: Baking Sheet Placemats. I’m not talking Emeril quality cookware–I got a dozen standard baking sheets at the dollar store for less than $15. I then picked up … Continue reading →

Sweet Turkey Day Fun

Turkey Day is so close I can smell it. So can my 7-year-old. However, it’s not make-ahead cranberry sauce, green bean casserole or stuffing that we’re sniffing. Rather, our kitchen is covered in chocolate. Thanks to the crafty folks at Kellogg’s our pint-sized Thanksgiving guests will be chowing down on homemade chocolate cereal turkey parts. My daughter caught sight of the adorable, edible treats a few mornings ago while perusing the back of the Rice Krispies box. She’s been begging to make them ever since. Last night she got her wish. We went to town hand molding sticky turkey legs … Continue reading →

The High Price of Being Thankful

Tis the season for homemade turkey. If you are a parent of elementary-aged kids, then “homemade” is code for “handmade,” which basically means that the exterior of your refrigerator is coated with dozens of construction paper birds. Mine is. With 10 days and counting until Thanksgiving, my 7-year-old has already come home from school with no less than 14 handcrafted turkeys. Kind of makes me wonder how much time is allotted for arts and crafts versus reading, writing and arithmetic. Regardless, I’m happy to display my child’s feathery masterpieces. In fact, I am particularly fond of the handprint bird she … Continue reading →

Thanks for Giving

For giving me the keys to the car last Saturday night, money for my field trip, a roof over my head, a closet full of clothes, three meals a day… Thanksgiving may be the only day of the year you hear those words uttered by your self-absorbed teenagers. Then again, you may happen to parent a child who defies typical teen-dom and actually demonstrates an attitude of gratitude on a daily basis. If this is the case, then you have one more thing to be thankful for next Thursday. Children aren’t the only ones who are guilty of taking things … Continue reading →

How to Make Your Own Scarecrow

Thank goodness for scarecrows and pumpkins. As I mentioned in a previous blog they are some of the only seasonal decorations my young daughter can stand to be around without having a full-blown meltdown. Given that she is petrified of gory Halloween décor our home has turned into a haven for happy homemade scarecrows and our porch is a virtual pumpkin patch. If you are looking to add tame seasonal décor to your home (either because your own children are deathly afraid of fake bloody limbs and screeching plastic bats or you simply want to make your house a welcome … Continue reading →

Fall Crafts: Making Paper Bag Pumpkins

My daughter is far too young to wield a knife and carve crazy caricatures on fresh pumpkins so this time of year I am constantly on the look out for more age appropriate craft ideas. This next paper bag pumpkin project was a hit last year with our 3-year-old playgroup. Not only is it festive, but also simple and affordable. This particular project also proved especially helpful for my family as I was searching for craft projects my daughter and I could make for my ailing grandmother who had recently been placed in a nursing home in Hawaii following a … Continue reading →

How to Make a Unique Fall Wreath with Your Kids

If you have ever been on a fall nature hike with young children then you know that deep pockets come in very handy. I swear my preschooler is part squirrel. She collects anything and everything as though she was preparing for hibernation. Last week when her playgroup visited a local arboretum we left with dozens of nuts, leaves, blades of grass, sticks, flowers… you name it, my daughter had it crammed in her jacket pockets. One of the other moms suggested we create a homemade treasure box to bring along on our next hike to store her precious goods, but … Continue reading →

Go Batty this Halloween

Let me start by saying that this is not a project you want to undertake with a 3-year-old (or any child under the age of 6). Trust me; I know from experience. Last year my crafty friend hosted a party for our playgroup (made up of children 3 and under) so the kids could make homemade Halloween decorations and this one was way too advance despite the end product looking so basic. If you have older children, who are adept at working with acrylic paint, have the dexterial skills to use scissors, pinch and gather paper, and perhaps most importantly, … Continue reading →