The Mama Workshop

Thanksgiving Prep for the Busy Mama

Thanksgiving prep is my best friend for turkey day. Read about my game plan, meal plan and kiddo activities. You can do it too!

I cannot believe that Thanksgiving Day is sneaking up on us! It’s in less than two weeks! Eek! So, it’s time to make a game plan.

I am hosting Thanksgiving at my house this year (which stresses me out a bit), but it’s always an enjoyable time. I love to come up with a plan that makes the day go smoother. This includes an inventory check list, menu plan, assigning dishes to family members and keeping the kiddos occupied.

The first thing I like to do is check my kitchen. What do I have already? What do I need? And when I say check my kitchen inventory, I mean:

  • Do I have all the serving dishes and spoons?
  • Should I use paper plates for less mess?
  • What spices and herbs do I have?
  • Do I have enough paper towels?

So, really just an inventory of staples and dishes in my kitchen.

If I’m good there, I move on to planning the menu. This helps with the grocery list. I added some links to recipes I enjoy.Continue Reading…

Turkey Trouble Disguise Ideas

We have been reading Turkey Trouble and playing with our cardboard turkey and disguises! It is such a fun time! Make the turkey and disguises too!

November is one of my favorite months of the year. I love the family gathering and feasting together. I love the food and the reminder to be thankful for the little things.

My mind is not ready to start thinking about turkey. The year just went by way too fast. But, it’s time to start thinking about turkey. So, we are starting the month off with a book called Turkey Trouble.

I love that the book has some repetition in it, so that it’s easier to retell. By kindergarten, children will be asked to retell the main points of a story.

So, my friend Beth (from Days with Grey) and I have been teaming up each month to provide a book and a craft/activity that you can do with your kiddos to help prepare them for story retelling.

They absolutely don’t have to master the skill now. But, introducing them to the idea is a great way for them to have a great kindergarten year.

You can see a couple of our past Book Box Story Retells here: Room on The Broom, Dragons Love Tacos, The Watermelon Seed.

But, back to Turkey Trouble. If you’re kiddo isn’t ready to put away the costumes (what kid is? My kiddos dress up all year long), then he will love this book. It’s about a turkey who is trying to hide from the farmer on Thanksgiving Day. And the only solution he can come up with is to disguise himself as the different animals on the farm. It’s so silly and the disguises are humorously awful. Will the disguises work? You will just have to read the book to find out.

My son and daughter love it. We make animal noises and giggle about the things Turkey uses to make costumes.

I thought a turkey disguise craft would go along with the book. My kiddos can change the disguises as I read the book to them. I hope you enjoy it too!

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Hand Print Turkey Napkin Ring

We are making this Hand Print Turkey Napkin Ring for each family member! The kiddos will be so happy to see it on the table Thanksgiving Day!

I can’t believe that October is almost over and it’s time to start thinking turkey. It’s amazing (and a little frightening) how time has flown.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It really helps me remember all the thankfuls from the year. It reminds me to slow down and enjoy my favorite people.

I really want to create awesome memories with my kiddos through activities that bring us closer. And I want to involve my kids as much as possible in the Thanksgiving Day preparation.

We are kicking off the fun with these Hand Print Turkey Napkin Rings. I thought the kiddos would get a kick out of their crafts being on the table during dinner.

It really didn’t take much. I love when I don’t have to go to the store to buy things for a craft!

I hope you have fun making this with your kiddos too!

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Edible Pumpkin Slime for Toddlers

Make this 4-Ingredient, Edible Pumpkin Slime with your toddlers. They will have so much fun playing with it! So simple. So fun!

This is the first time we have tried slime at our house. Oh my goodness! I don’t even know why we waited this long to hop on the slime train.

It’s so fun!

I didn’t want to make slime with glue. Well, you know…kiddos and their curiosity. What does this taste like?

So, I made an edible version (well, you don’t want to eat alot of it. It may give you the tummy aches). But, it’s safe to eat a little.

What’s even better is that it only has 4 ingredients. So, it’s easy peasy!

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