4 Things I Have Learned in Preparing for Thanksgiving

Last minute trips to the grocery store. Deep cleaning areas in the home that family will be gathering in. Hoping nothing has been forgotten. Figuring out what needs to go in the oven when. It’s all part of the Thanksgiving preparations. Depending on how well prepared you are, it could be a stressful next couple of days or smooth sailing. Here are some things I have learned over the years when it comes to reducing stress during the holiday season. The first is to enlist the help of family. Year after year I would be getting the home ready, complaining … Continue reading

5 Tips for a Fitter Thanksgiving

Hosting the Thanksgiving meal this week, I have a lot to do. And I will be honest…exercising is not one of the first things on my mind. In fact, if I could have my way, it would be skipped this entire week. At least that’s what the “old” me would have done. I would have gone into this week thinking, “I already know that I will be eating more than I usually do come Thursday, so why bother to workout?” The thinking is that I will just start again on Monday. But like I said, that is what the old … Continue reading

Schedule Yourself A Happy Holiday Season

It is that time of year again, time for everyone who works at home to get out their calendars and make sure that they plan ahead for a successful holiday season. With all of the family gatherings and other fun things that you want to do within the next couple of months, it is easy to get distracted from your work. However, if deadlines get missed or work piles up into an overwhelmingly large work load, you might not be feeling so merry or bright. By planning ahead for work and play, you can set yourself up for a successful … Continue reading

Sneaky Thanksgiving Savings

If you want to get real savings for Thanksgiving, you will have to think outside of the box. Try the following sneaky ways to save on all of your Thanksgiving needs. Travel It certainly won’t be cheap to fly out to see family this Thanksgiving, but you can make it cheaper by choosing a flight that leaves on Thanksgiving morning, instead of one that leaves a day or two before. Expect a savings of $50 to $100 per ticket. Another way to save on Thanksgiving travel is to fly out of an alternative airport. Sometimes a short drive of 20 … Continue reading

Enjoy a Taste of Thanksgiving Genealogy

This month, add a touch of Thanksgiving flavor to your genealogy research! Thanksgiving is a great time to collect family stories from your relatives. There are lots of genealogy resources that can help you learn more about ancestors who were alive around the time of the first Thanksgiving. November is a good month for a Thanksgiving related genealogy trip. Plimoth Plantation is a great place to visit if you are interested in seeing what life was like for your ancestors who were alive around the time of the first Thanksgiving. Climb aboard the Mayflower II, a replica of the original … Continue reading

Thanksgiving and Pregnancy Part II

Now that all my Thanksgiving preparations were complete and all my pies where baked, my family and I were ready to spend the day with our families. The first stop was to my parents house for a more intimate dinner. We headed over at around nine in the morning so that we could spend a good bit of time with my parents and siblings before heading over to my husband’s parent’s house. All but one sister were in attendance. I brought an “old fashioned” pumpkin pie for dessert and some freshly baked pumpkin bread as a breakfast/pre-dinner hors d’ oeuvre. … Continue reading

Thanksgiving and the Occupy Movement

Whether you support the Occupy Movement, are against it, or are somehow unaware of its existence, one thing remains true. This is a historic event. Generations from now, genealogists will wonder if any of their ancestors were part of the 99%. This year, Thanksgiving was celebrated in a different way. Holidays, and the way we celebrate them, are important. Thanksgiving is usually a day that people spend with their families, in a warm and comfortable home, surrounded by plenty of good food. It is a day to give thanks for everything that we have. Genealogists can learn a lot about … Continue reading

Giving Thanks for My Home Based Businesses

Tomorrow is my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. I love the idea of dedicating an entire day to reflecting on things that we are thankful for and spending time with loved ones. In fact, one of the things that I enjoy the most about it is that the arrival of Thanksgiving gets people in a grateful and appreciative mood before the actual holiday as well as during and after it. Today, I would like to join my fellow bloggers Richele McFarlin and Stephanie Romero in expressing thanks for my home based businesses. My two home based businesses have given me the freedom … Continue reading

Thanksgiving at Our House Part 2 – Our Family Table

Yesterday, I wrote about one specific item that will be appearing on our Thanksgiving table and the story behind it. We all know that one turkey does not a complete Thanksgiving dinner make. There will be many other things on our table this Thursday, and thanks to my wonderful family not all of them are coming from my own kitchen. Part of the family dynamic that has been emerging since my husband and I joined forces to start our own little family (and even before that) is a spirit of helping each other out. Whether it is my parents, his … Continue reading

An FHE For Small Children- Thanksgiving Lesson with a Twist

It seems that there is a popular story that I am just discovering as a parent called, The turkey with the terrible temper. It is all about teaching your children how to control their anger. I decided since it went along with the theme of turkeys, it would be a good topic to address the week of Thanksgiving. After all, my kids were talking about turkeys a lot anyway it seemed that week! But, I thought to put a twist on it, we would also talk about being thankful in the same lesson. This is what I came up with. … Continue reading