4 Activities for a Thankful Thanksgiving

Orange & Black, Red & Green -- Don't Forget What's In-Between
I stagger in from my bi-monthly big-box store run grouchier than usual -- household shopping is right down there with bikini waxing on my list of enjoyable activities -- when my husband, Peter, asks what's wrong. "Mama doesn't like Santa Claus with pumpkins," Grace, 6, answers for me. Read more.

Thankful Tree
Last Thanksgiving, I felt like a real turkey when I forgot to pick up fresh flowers for our centerpiece. Grace, my 6-year-old, pint-sized Martha Stewart, had created a lovely tablescape replete with hand-written place cards, pine cones, and multi-colored paper leaves -- and she was adamant that we needed "something in the middle." Read more.

Conquering Car Crazies
The drive to my grandmother's takes 70 minutes, just long enough to ensure a complete breakdown in the backseat. Sure enough, 20 minutes into the return trip, things start to unravel. Natalie gets bored with coloring and starts poking Caitlin with a ratty pine-green crayon, enjoying the height advantage from her booster seat. If I don't act now, it will be as loud in here as the back of the bus on the last day of school. Read more.

Picture-Perfect Thank-You Notes
Natalie and I had just completed a stack of thank-you notes for her fifth birthday. Our system of sharing the writing kept her humming along cheerfully. I drew lines on each note for her to fill in the friend's name, the gift, and her signature, and wrote the rest of the copy for her. Not a day after we'd mailed our notes with a great feeling of accomplishment, Natalie received some stellar thank-yous from other friends whose birthdays happened to fall near hers. After I practically slapped my forehead in classic "Why didn't I think of that?" manner, I tucked these ideas away for next year. Read more.