Yes, there’s the turkey and the stuffing and the pies (oh the pies!)…but really, my favorite part of Thanksgiving is the time I get to spend with the lovely, precious people in my life.
My husband and I are both from Atlanta, Georgia and we travel down south every November to spend a full week with our families for Thanksgiving. It’s such a nostalgic time for me. The smells, sounds, and tastes transport me to my childhood and the memories of growing up in such a supportive and loving world.
As my kids grow and my role as mom continues to change, it’s begun to dawn on me that the requisite “what do you say?” question posed to them after receiving a gift or a treat is not quite enough to teach gratitude. Gratitude is also about being appreciative of love and kindness and support—and looking up from a digital device to the pupils of someone’s eyes to say Thank You.
So as the month of November begins, I feel reflective about those people in my life that have guided me, helped me, loved me and supported me. I remembered this game I used to play at the start of camp when we would toss a ball of yarn across a circle to create a web of friendship. Our counselors wanted us to notice that we were all connected and one action in the web led to a reaction on the other side. We would then snip a piece of string from the web and wear it as a bracelet for the duration of camp to remember that connection. And while my arm is not stacked with strings for all of the people in my life that have made a difference, I am grateful for them.
American Greetings has launched the #thanklist campaign…it’s like a bucket list of people you want to express gratitude towards for helping to shape your life, taking a step towards a world that’s just a little bit nicer.
Join the #thanklist conversation by posting a show of gratitude for someone who has shaped your life on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with #ThankList. For every #ThankList created on social media channels, American Greetings will donate $1 to United Way for hunger prevention.
Who says snow globes need to be saved for the winter holidays? Orange glitter inside a Martinelli Juice bottle makes for a perfect pumpkin glitter globe!
Hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters in the cute bat candy bucket, or you can attach a handle for your kids to carry. Use a light-weight mailing tube or oatmeal container as the base!
Halloween crafts are the best…you have so many choices between the spooky, the cute, the gory, and the magical. Here, we went for cute and happy! This DIY spider craft is such an easy one…the kids will love stringing beads onto the pipe cleaner legs!
You can choose to add more or less beads to the spiders legs to create fun, colorful patterns!
I’m obsessed with the idea of costumes that transform. Not like Optimus Prime or anything cray like that, but rather the idea that your costume can easily become a completely different one with a few crafty tweaks.
Last year I did this fun story for Scholastic Parent & Child Magazine (R.I.P.) and this year I produced this playful one for Today.com.
Look how easy it was to transform a pumpkin into Piper from Orange is the New Black, a magician into Jon Snow from Game of Thrones, and a cowgirl into a perfect picnic. Visit Today.com for all of the DIY instructions!
Customize the color of this lantern by dying the doilies in any shade (or shades) You’d like! You can buy lace lanterns in many shapes and sizes at Factory Direct Crafts. (I made this beauty for the September issue of Woman’s Day magazine)
You don’t have to spend a ton of cash or take up half the room with a great looking study space for your kids. This DIY kids’ desk is a great project to tackle before they need to it the books!
What you’ll need:
two 12- or 14-inch L-shaped brackets
2 16″ x 36″ wood panels
Elastic ribbon
Paint
Paintbrush
Screw eyes
Elastic cord
Screws
Drill
Stapler
Make it:
Paint both panels and let them dry.
Mount both L-shaped brackets to the wall to create the desk panel. (Screw desk into the brackets for safety)
To make the backboard of this desk, stretch elastic ribbon around a 16″ x 36″ wood board in a grid and staple to back. This is great for showing off an A+ or recent artwork.
Insert two screw eyes into either side of the panel’s front (about 5 inches up from bottom).
Thread elastic cord through the holes and knot on one side. This can hold an open textbook or notebook.
Mount board using the appropriate screws for your wall.
