Hi!!!

Happy Almost Thanksgiving Day! I can already smell that turkey, ham, mac & cheese, potatoes, casseroles, rolls, (beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes - IYKYK 🤣) etc!

Well, now that I am officially drooling over the coming feasts, let's see what's on the wire for this week:

1. 👐🏽 Learning to give thanks

2. 🎃 Thanksgiving desserts with a twist!

3. 🏷 Black Friday cheat sheet?!

(All ages)

An Attitude of Gratitude

When you take a step back from all of the chaos that comes with the holiday season (you know, the running around like crazy to clean and cook, stress of gift buying, and the dozens of places to be all at seemingly the same time), we really do love this time of the year.

It's wonderful to see family and friends we may have not been able to keep in touch with, enjoy the fellowship of being together, and of course, breaking bread (please see intro for a list of some of our favs 😋).

It's interesting that it seems like so many things change during this time of year. Whether we realize it or not, I think some of this change is rooted in intentional gratitude.

It's just something placed inside our being. Granted, it sometimes takes more effort to do this given all of the afore mentioned factors, but still, that gratitude is almost palpable.

What's interesting is that being grateful has been linked to having better health outcomes. Yep, better physical health, mental health, personal performance, and overall life outlook.

Pretty cool, eh?

So, how do we help our kiddos be more grateful? Excellent question! And what better time to start teaching gratitude than during Thanksgiving??

Here a couple of neat and simple ideas to kindle that "thank you" mentality:

• Introduce your kids to journaling. Sure, it can be a great way to get out their feelings and even track their moods (big help in my day job 😉), but they can also learn to just write out things that they are thankful for. Having a place to track what they are thankful for and also setting goals can be an amazing way for them to develop gratitude. Pro tip: if the kiddos are too small to write, they can draw pictures or "make believe" in play to express what they are thankful for.

• Do something kind for someone. This can so much fun! Kids could call and talk to a grandparent that they haven't spoken with in some time, make a neat crafts for a family member or loved one, help the neighbor with a simple project (or take them food - always a hit), compliment someone on how they look or tell them what they appreciate about them, and soooo many more things. The take-away: do something nice and be helpful for someone else.

The big picture here is to help create a better world by being a better person. Yes, there are many ways to do this, but being kind and being grateful are two wonderful places to start.

Just for Giggles 😆

In honor of daylight savings.....because I know it can't just be our house that's on the struggle bus! 😴

My parenting game just leveled up with this one 😎

Bring on the yum! 😋

Last week we brought you some dope Thanksgiving apps to start your menu planning for the big holiday (we know you saved those, right?). This week we're dropping in some amazing desserts to add to that menu!

We know the classics are always a crowd favorite...how could they not be? Pecan pie, pumpkin pie, pumpkin roll..ugh my mouth is watering 🤤. So how about a classic favorite with a twist? They're also super easy to throw together too, a major win-win!

Deals, steals, and money-saving thrills 🤑

You know we wouldn't let a week go by without some deals!

✅ Deals are everywhere! Check out a whole host of them over at What to Expect if you are in the market for items for little ones!

✅ The Krazy Coupon Lady is back this week with an amazing Black Friday 'cheat sheet' comparing Black Friday prices of popular items across different stores. They're making sure you getting the BEST deals on the hottest items this year.

✅ Still needing a turkey for the holidays next week? Have no fear! Check out Publix with their $.49 a pound turkey deal. The savings on this one starts 11/16 and ends on 11/23.

Say what?! 📣

Random finds from across the web to satisfy your non-parenting knowledge thirst!

• Get Outta Here! Not feeling the big family Thanksgiving get together? Would you rather use that off time from work to travel elsewhere for the holidays? We don't blame you! Check out this list of 32 places to travel in the US for the Thanksgiving holiday. We've visited number 27 on this list, and it is gorgeous in the fall!

• 124 Billion Dollar Net Worth?Jeff Bezos (he's the founder of Amazon in case you don't recognize that name) has announced that he plans on giving away the majority of his net worth to bring people together and fight climate change. We can dig that Mr. Bezos!

• Don't Forget! Do you have a few packages to mail out to the fam for Christmas? Here's a list of the shipping deadlines for FedEx, USPS, and UPS. Get those packages out in time, friends!

• The Swifties Have Spoken. I know you heard about all of the Taylor Swift fans being up in arms as Ticketmaster had some major issues with concert presales last week. Even if you didn't, the Department of Justice sure did. Word is that the DOJ has opened an antitrust investigation in into the ticket market giant. Yikes....

Questions for the Crew! 😎

What Was Your Favorite Book(s) As A Kid?

• Oooo, another tough one. I would have to go with any mystery or adventure as a kid. Hardy Boys, Sherlock Holmes, you name it and I was reading it!- Z

• Too easy. I was, and still am, a HUGE Harry Potter fan. It's hands down brilliance in storytelling! - I

• I loved reading as a kid (and still do), so this is a tough one! Junie B. Jones and Trixie Belden were my favorite series to read in school. My all time favorite will forever be To Kill a Mockingbird, such a classic! - J

How did we do?! 🤔

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TTFN! (that's "ta-ta for now" for any of you non-Winnie the Pooh fans)