ARTICLE: Thanksgiving - Mom Sanity Savers!

Thanksgiving Day is tomorrow and whether you´re serving dinner at home or traveling somewhere with family, your children are bound to get restless. Here are some ideas to keep them entertained and out of the kitchen!

• Prepare a holiday movie. It´s the season to be jolly! An afternoon enjoying a holiday movie is quite all right. Depending on your children´s ages try: Home Alone, The Polar Express, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Nutcracker Ballet, The Santa Clause... Just make sure you have watched it before to make sure it´s "Safe" for them to see.
• Print out Thanksgiving Coloring Sheets from sites like : www.coloringpages.net/thanksgiving.html or www.holidays.kaboose.com/thanks-color.html Prepare colors, crayons and set up a table where they can color with you keeping an eye on them.
• Set up tasks for them to do: fold napkins, set up table, pick up coats and scarves...
• Older daughters will be glad to help out in the kitchen. Make sure you have something safe and easy they can do.
• Fill a bag with holiday books they can read or look at to get ready for Christmas.
• Pop in a CD of holiday music. They can dance to the rhythm and trust me: you´ll get into the spirit of things yourself!
• Pack small ziploc bags with cheerios, apple slices or other light healthy snacks for those: "Is it time to eat yet?
• Most of all, enjoy this holiday with your children. Remember, each holiday that passes by means your child is one year less far from becoming a grown up.

DAILY RECIPE: Thanksgiving Vegetables

This recipe can be prepared with vegetables of your choice, we suggest:

25 baby potatoes

8 carrots

1/2 bag of frozen broccoli florets

2 packets of asparagus

1/2 bag of frozen cauliflower florets

1 small can Campbell´s cream of mushroom soup

Parmesan cheese

Bread crumbs

Thaw broccoli and cauliflower according to bag directions. Wash potatoes, leave skin on. Wash and peel carrots, slice. Arrange vegetables in baking dish. Pour can of soup, making sure all vegetables are covered. Top with parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Place in oven for 30 minutes or until all vegetables are tender. Enjoy!

ART ACTIVITY: Pine Cone Turkey

You will need:

Pine cone

Craft feathers

Wiggly eyes

Orange pipe cleaner

Yellow Construction paper

glue

Make a turkey head by cutting pipe cleaner in half, then folding it in half. Glue wiggly eyes and a yellow construction paper triangle for a beak. Glue feathers to the back of the pine cone. Glue turkey head to the front. Decorate your Thanksgiving table!

DAILY RECIPE: Meat Turkey Stuffing for Thanksgiving Dinner

3 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
salt, garlic powder, pepper
3 large potatoes, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
oil

In a large pan heat oil. Season beef and pork and mix together. Add to pan and brown. Add vegetables and raisins and pecans. Cook a few minutes more. (Note: if you want stuffing with a touch of sweetness, cut each raisin in half). Make sure potatoes are still a bit raw when you´re done. They will finish cooking inside the turkey. Stuff turkey.

STORYTIME: The Turkey That Came for Thanksgiving Dinner -- Part 3

... Mary and Scott froze. What would they tell Dad? "Oh, hi Dad," said Mary, "we´re just playing a game!" "Yeah," said Scott, "a Thanksgiving game! It´s called ´Hide the Turkey´!" "Well, have fun kids, " said Dad as he walked away. They were safe for now but they had to come up with a plan. What were they going to do? Just then, the turkey flung the door of the room wide open. " Well", it said, "I´m all ready for that delicious dinner now after a good rest. Will we be eating any time soon?" "Yes,"said Mary quickly, "we´re just waiting for our grandparents." Just then the doorbell rang. Mary and Scott flew down the stairs and opened the door. It was Grandma and Grandpa! They all gave each other big hugs. Suddenly, Grandma pointed her finger at something behind them. Her wide eyes and open mouth made Mary and Scott fear the worst, and they were right. Right there, behind them, staring straight into Grandma´s eyes was Mr. Turkey!


(Find what happens to Mr. Turkey, Mary and Scott tomorrow for the ending of Storytime....)

STORYTIME: The Turkey That Came for Thanksgiving Dinner -- Part 2

... Mary and Scott could not believe what they heard. A talking turkey at their door! The turkey looked at them intensely. Mary was the first to talk: "Why are you here, Mr. Turkey?" The turkey answered, "Well, I was out on the farm when all the other turkeys started running away saying they had to leave before Thanksgiving dinner. So I packed my suitcase, put on my hat and scarf, and set out to find a nice house where I could have this very important dinner at. And here I am!" Mary and Scott looked at each other. What were they to do? What would Mom and Dad say when a talking turkey sat with them at the dinner table? They had only one choice, they had to hide the turkey. Mary ran inside and checked that the coast was clear. Scott asked the turkey in and led it to their room. The turkey sat on the bed. "Ahhhhhh!, " it exclaimed, "I´m going to rest just a bit before dinner if that´s ok with you. That was a long walk." "That´s quite all right Mr. Turkey", said Scott, "You make yourself at home!" Mary and Scott tiptoed out of their room and closed the door behind them. Their Dad´s voice startled them, "Hey, what are you kids up to? Who are you talking to?"

Find out what Mary and Scott will tell Dad tomorrow when the story continues.

STORYTIME: The Turkey That Came for Thanksgiving Dinner -- Part 1

Mary and her younger brother Scott were very excited about Thanksgiving Day. Their grandparents were coming over for dinner and Mom was preparing a big feast. They were helping out with decorations, drawing turkeys and pilgrims to set around the living room. Dad was helping set the big table and a scent of delicious food surrounded the house.

Just as Mary and Scott were hanging a paper turkey near the front door they heard a knock. "It must be Grandma and Grandpa!", shouted Scott as he ran to open the door with Mary right behind him. What was their surprise to find, not their dear grandparents, but a big, fat turkey!

It was standing at the door with a funny smile on his face and a suitcase in one wing. He was wearing a hat and a scarf. As Mary´s and Scott´s eyes popped wide open in disbelief, the turkey spoke in a deep, but friendly voice: "Hellooooo! Here I am! May I come in?"

(Find out more about Mary, Scott and the turkey tomorrow for part 2 of Storytime)

ACTIVITY: Thanksgiving Thankful Box

With Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks get an early start for this holiday celebration. Cover an old shoe box with orange paper and decorate with fall or Thanksgiving motives (brown leaves, turkeys, pilgrims, acorns). You can make them by tracing cookie cutter shapes on brown cardboard and cutting them out. Once your box is decorated (your children can help you out), write Thankful Box on it. Cut a slit on top as if it were a mailbox. Place it in the kitchen or family room or any place in your house your family passes through every day. Set a cup with crayons, markers and pencils next to it, together with a pack of index cards. Tell your family that for the next couple of weeks whenever they can think of something they´re thankful for, they should write it down on an index card and place it in the Thankful Box. Help out younger family members by encouraging them to draw something they give thanks for. Ask them what it is and write it down on the back of the card. Just before Thanksgiving dinner, open up the box and read all the things your family is thankful for. (Be sure to have a box of kleenex by your side -- you´ll be amazed at how profound your children´s thoughts can be ).