giving thanks

Thanksgiving is a few days away, and you’re most liking thinking of all the savory dishes that are soon coming your way. The difficult part is getting from here to there without all the chaos, last minute emergencies and traffic headaches.

In order to have a stress-free lead-up to Thanksgiving, enlist your tween or teen to collaborate on activities, meal planning and more! For recipe ideas, check out Pinterest to find new dishes to make. You can find recipe ideas here and here. For help with party decorations, you can look here. Thanksgiving comes with plenty of ways to have family events, such as searching for recipes and fun craft ideas and then bringing the recipes and crafts to life. Additionally, more ideas on how to have Thanksgiving family fun can be found here and here.

While it's sometimes hard to remember amid all the holiday hubbub, this is also a good time to talk with your kids about gratitude. Creating a simple family ritual of sharing thanks can be a great way to practice this and help your teen build her emotional intelligence. It can also protect us from some of the holiday chaos by reminding us to slow down and focus on something we are thankful for. 

And for the girls out there who find the holiday a little overwhelming, here's a tip from last year for how to survive and thrive over the Thanksgiving break!