Thanksgiving Archives — Thrifty Mommas Tips

Plan the Perfect Thanksgiving Dinner in 4 Simple Steps

Paula — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 14:53:00 +0000

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which means it’s time to get ready for some festive fall vibes, great food, and quality time with your loved ones. Thanksgiving is also the ideal time for you to express gratitude over everything you have in your life, and what better time to say thanks than when you’re celebrating with your family and friends? Follow these simple tips to throw the perfect Thanksgiving dinner How to Organize a Scrumptious Thanksgiving Dinner Throwing your own Thanksgiving family dinner is a fabulous idea in theory, but can be a challenge to execute. You have to prepare the food, send out invites, decorate, and pay for all of this by yourself. This year, try out a new strategy for Thanksgiving and throw the ideal holiday dinner without having to empty your wallet or fill your mind with stress. If you’re unsure of how to go about it, here are some fun-packed tips to get you started. Set up a festive fall theme The first step to planning any party is to set the scene. And this includes coming up with a fun, exciting theme to plan it around. If you’re struggling to come up with the perfect theme, you can’t go wrong with a classic fall vibe. Thanksgiving is often associated with the fall weather, and that’s what makes this theme so perfect for your party. You can come up with some fabulous DIY decorations too without having to buy out the store. Attach some cardboard cutouts of fall leaves and pumpkins to a string of fairy lights and hang them around the venue for a soft, autumnal glow. Turn off the rest of the lights to let your decor shine through. Candles always give off a nice, autumnal vibe. Set some up around your table for a warm, elegant glow. Plan Out Your Menu Now that you have your theme planned out, it’s time for you to move on to the menu. After all, what’s a Thanksgiving dinner without the perfect menu? And this year, why not add some fun, new twists to the classic turkey dinner and surprise your guests with a bunch of creative, mouthwatering treats? Alongside your classic roast turkey entree, try out some fabulous appetizers, drinks, and desserts to fill up your dinner table. The great thing about all of these is, you probably have a lot of these ingredients in your pantry, ready to be assembled. Don’t forget to add a few special treats for the kids, like some gumdrop turkeys or fall-themed cupcakes. Throw in a little something for the adults as well with some spiced cranberry cocktails and a festive fall maple-infused punch. Keep the Party Alive with Fun Thanksgiving Activities Your menu may be ready and your decor may be set up, but that’s not enough to keep your guests entertained throughout the night. Plan out some exciting games and activities that everyone can take part in and enjoy. Try to make your Thanksgiving games inclusive enough to be played by guests of all ages. A fun holiday version of Family Feud or maybe a series of Minute to Win it activities are a great way to encourage your family to bond with each other. You can also add a fun twist to a classic gratitude game by passing out some colored tokens at random and setting up a code for each color that dictates what each person talks about being grateful for. For instance, a red token would ask a person to name one person they’re thankful for, and a green one would require them to talk about what memory they’re grateful for. This will be a great way to keep up with the thanksgiving theme while keeping things fun and interesting. 4. Create your own Thanksgiving party posters You’ve set up your party decorations, and you’ve planned your table set up. But who’s coming to your party? How do you plan to invite them? Create a bunch of custom Thanksgiving party posters and invites to send to your friends and family. This may seem like an expensive option, but the internet is here to help you turn this into a cost-effective DIY activity. Use PosterMyWall to get free access to a wide range of Thanksgiving posters and customize them according to your needs. Add your party details to your poster. Include important information like RSVP details. Add in a festive touch with some Fall themed animations and a warm, elegant color palette. Send it out to your loved ones and post it on your social media so you can get word out about your upcoming Thanksgiving party. Final Thoughts Thanksgiving is a great time to get together with your loved ones and truly reflect upon everything you appreciate in your life. It’s also one of the few holidays where you can plan out a fun, eventful dinner party for your family and friends. Follow these tips to liven up your Thanksgiving celebrations this year and have your loved ones be grateful for your hosting skills.

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Get this Halloween Scavenger Hunt Now

Paula — Fri, 25 Sep 2020 10:40:00 +0000

It’s time for a Halloween Scavenger Hunt. This year, Halloween might be a lot different than usual. Who even knows at this point? Whatever happens, I’m committed to making the best of the season here as I’m sure you are too. Halloween brings out the child in everyone. Am I right? I love the chance to decorate on Halloween because it allows me the chance to be playful. My street often goes all in. I hope this year that people remember to make their homes fun too. Halloween goes by pretty fast, just like many other childhood stages and events, Halloween is a short term celebration that runs out when the kids hit their teenage years. This year my kids are in university and high school and I doubt that they’d go out even if they wanted to. But, part of me misses that Halloween night fun. It’s always fun seeing what the neighbourhood kids dress up as. Don’t Miss This Treat! Have you seen my Candy Corn Pumpkin Fudge yet? Take a peek at this and then maybe make it later if you have any leftover candy corn after Halloween. A few spots are talking about cancelling Halloween altogether if numbers of Covid cases climb and I totally understands that. But, if that happens I hope we all still create some fun traditions around the childhood holiday. One of those traditions could be starting a Halloween Scavenger Hunt. Here’s How to Get this Halloween Scavenger Hunt And a Few More Things

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Cute Turkey Life Cycle Learning Activity

Paula — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 13:26:00 +0000

What do you know about the turkey life cycle? If you are at all like me, then it stands to reason that you know very little about our feathered friends. I have always taken turkey for granted as a tasty staple of the Thanksgiving season. But, there’s actually quite a lot to know about turkey. It’s an interesting bird. Since the Thanksgiving and Fall season is fast approaching I thought that perhaps we could share some turkey facts and provide a cute little turkey life cycle booklet and activity for kids. Keep this reference for later. I have other life cycle booklets that are equally educational. For instance, don’t miss the seahorse life cycle activity and facts worksheet. 13 Turkey Facts to Ponder: Did you know that the thing that hangs from the turkey’s head to mid chest is called a Snood? In fact, turkeys have some oddball parts: snood, wattle and beard are all part of their anatomy. How can you tell if a turkey is a male or female? The POOP. Female turkey poo is a J shape. Male turkeys excrete fecal matter that looks like a corkscrew. WEIRD but true. Turkeys have exceptional eye sight. In fact, it is much better than 20/20 and that permits them to see predators many yards away. In fact, despite that ridiculous episode of WKRP in Cincinnati, turkeys can fly and they can swim too. John F. Kennedy was the first official sitting president of the USA to pardon his gifted turkey….but Abraham Lincoln unofficially did the same because apparently his son befriended the turkey they had been given. At one point in time, the early 1900s, turkeys were almost extinct. Nutrition and Cooking? When buying your Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey if stuck figuring out how big it should be, use this rule of thumb. Allow about one pound of uncooked turkey per person. If you want leftovers make it 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds per person. Turkey delivers 8 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein according to Ontario Turkey. Also according to Ontario Turkey, turkey is naturally low in sodium, which means I need to buy more of it actually. I am all about low sodium here due to high blood pressure monitoring. That’s good for my life cycle not just the turkey life cycle. LOL. How to Get This and More Finally, a Few Random Turkey Facts While Turkey was indigenous to Plymouth, Massachusetts, there’s no evidence that it was eaten at that first ever Thanksgiving dinner feast. Bet you didn’t know that turkeys have two stomachs. That’s probably what you wish you had this Thanksgiving, so that you could eat more turkey. A turkey can incubate as many as 18 eggs at a time. But that number is typically between 10 and 12 eggs. Gobbler is a male turkey and that’s also the noise he makes. Enjoy Your Thanksgiving!

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Halloween and Fall with Hallmark Style

Paula — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 11:29:59 +0000

This post has been sponsored by Hallmark and it may contain affiliate links too. I received product for consideration and my opinion is my own. It’s almost time to get decorating for Halloween and that makes me happy. When it comes to Halloween I am a bit of a kid again. Halloween and fall go together so well. I’ve made it no secret that summer is my favourite season so when fall comes I sometimes find it hard to transition and I need something to look forward to. Halloween, Thanksgiving and my new love for Fall Camping helps me feel a bit less stressed about pools closing and beach days ending. Of course, Halloween is one of the best parts of fall for kids of any age. Any reader here knows I’m a fan of Hallmark, so of course, my Halloween and fall are decked out with all kinds of quirky and fun Hallmark decorations, clothes, and household items. Halloween and Fall Picks from Hallmark’s New Collection In keeping with my love of Hallmark for holidays and seasons, I’ve put together some of my picks from Hallmarks’s new Halloween and fall collection 2018. My picks have a little bit of everything from bracelets to measuring spoons, and they’re all really cute as always. Halloween Stickers A set of cute character stickers featuring witches, bats, and more. Tissue White tissue with a black print featuring cats, bats, and words like spooky and creepy. Just a cute little add-on to help when jazzing up your presents. Skull Socks These adorable sugar skull socks feature a yellow ribbing at the top and one side of a sugar skull decorated with reds and oranges. The socks go together to make one skull. We love these Hallmark socks and have multiple pairs now because kooky fun novelty socks are BOMB and these are some of my favourites to gift to others too. In fact put these away now and give to someone for Christmas. They’d make an amazing stocking stuffer. Happy Halloween Gift Bag This gift bag is perfect for giving out special treats and gifts for themed parties or birthdays that fall around this time. The bag features a cute jack-o-lantern with the classic toothy face. Glass Bead Bracelet This bracelet features all the colors of Halloween as well as Halloween-themed designs on the beads. It makes a great gift for someone who loves Halloween but is maybe a bit too old to go out trick or treating anymore. Stretchy band fits most sized wrists. Fall Welcome Placemat Welcome your visitors with this sweet placemat which reads “Welcome family… welcome friends”. Get a set for special occasions, or maybe for every day use. Also could be a really cute gift as a set if you are struggling to think of something to give someone who enjoys entertaining. Bowl of Thanks One of my favourites this season because of the sentiment on it. This bowl features the words “FULL OF THANKS” printed along the inside upper edge, and its white and orange color is perfectly fall. Napkins These cute little napkins featuring a chicken print are perfect for any fall get together. EVERYONE can use more napkins on hand and these are prettier than the plain ones you often find at grocery stores. Measuring Spoons These ceramic measuring spoons make a cute addition to any kitchen. Their bright colors and rustic charm is undeniable. Rustic Wood Sign Perfect for almost any home, this rustic wood sign brings an old-school farmhouse charm in its style and the print which reads “Count the really good blessings twice”. Currently deciding where I should hang this because the colours go perfectly with my decor in the kitchen but I feel like it could potentially go in the dining room or basement too. Taking opinions into account if you have any or have seen my kitchen ever. I’m giving away one of these wooden signs below so don’t forget to enter for the chance to win. Celebrate Halloween and Fall with Cute Accessories Every season Hallmark comes up with adorable accessories and home decor to spruce up your home or give someone as a gift. Whether you love jewelry or cute one of a kind gifts, Hallmark has everything you need. This time of year, as we lead up to Christmas you’ll find me in their store or online, AND you’ll even find me checking out their channel for upcoming holiday movies and specials playing on my television. I told you, I’m a Hallmark girl. Head over to the Hallmark website and check out more of their great Halloween and fall picks for yourself! Entry-Form

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Free Thanksgiving Printable – Fill Ins Vocabulary Sheet for Children

Paula — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 13:22:17 +0000

Once back to school is a routine again and the temperatures begin to level out just a bit, then it’s time to get planning Thanksgiving here in Canada. Our Thanksgiving, as some of you know, is much earlier than it is in the United States. So, we have a longer shopping season. We also get a lovely little long weekend break right in October. That’s kind of a lovely time of year for it. The kids can often still play outside and the adults can cook in peace – mostly. [tweetthis]Enjoy this free kids Thanksgiving Fill In vocabulary sheet via @inkscrblr[/tweetthis] I often like to share free printables here and I have a helper who builds really cute coloring sheets and printable word searches and games. So use this free Thanksgiving printables fill in worksheet however you see fit. And don’t forget to come back soon because I have several more coming for Halloween too. I know at our house the kids are sometimes climbing the walls when it’s dinner time and anything that keeps guests entertained at the table on Thanksgiving is a welcome resource. So, I hope you can also potentially use this to help your children boost their vocabulary and even practice some spelling and reading this season. Have fun! Don’t each too much turkey and enjoy your day! By the way there are two ways to print this sweet little free Thanksgiving printables worksheet out. You can right click the above and save it and print that way. BUT I give you permission to only do this with printables here because this content is copyrighted. OR you can click on the PDF highlighted link below and print that. Easy Peasy! thanksgiving 2 paula

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