Thanksgiving Tips & Tricks

Thanksgiving is just around the corner- can you believe it? Here are some of our favorite Thanksgiving tips and tricks!

Prep

• Company's Coming Checklist
• Thanksgiving Hostess Checklist
• Trash Bowl

Food

• The Secret to Creamy Mashed Potatoes
• More Secrets to Creamy Mashed Potatoes
• Reinvent your Leftovers
• Vanilla Maple Cinnamon Coffee Creamer
• Pumpkin Pie Sandwich Cookies
• Bake Outside the Box
• Whipped Greek Yogurt Cream
• 5 minute Whipped Cream

Decor & Crafts

• Kids Thanksgiving Place Cards
• Thanksgiving Table Decor Inspiration

Thanksgiving Hostess Checklist

Wow, it's already November. How in the heck did that happen so fast?

Ever since my family and I moved back to Minnesota 3 years ago, we have always hosted Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve at our house. It's fun to gather family in our home, but it also takes a lot of prep and work. I find myself singing "Cinderelli, Cinderelli!" the entire week leading up to Thanksgiving. More often than not, I'm ready to pull my hair out and order pizza come Thursday morning. :)

In an effort to get me to chill out, A always asks, "What can I do to help?" and I normally look at him and say, "Do you not see the mess? Just start cleaning.". What I've come to find out about husbands, or, at least my own, is that they need direction. Hubs needs a list- a list that is detailed and extremely specific- for two reasons: #1 being he is lost without details. #2 is that his wife is a little particular (I've come to love and accept this... ha ha!). Honestly, I love lists as well, so it only makes sense to keep one that both of us can refer to while getting ready for the holidays.

In addition to the Company's Coming list we've shared on the blog, here is a list specific to hosting Thanksgiving- or any holiday, really!

3-4 weeks prior

• Decide if you'll do all the cooking, or if you'll hold a "potluck style" dinner. 
• Create guest list
• Mail invites or call/e-mail guests. If you're holding a potluck style meal, be sure to assign each person a food to bring. You can assign a category such as "dessert" or be more specific, like "pumpkin pie". 
• Take inventory of your dinnerware

2 weeks prior

• Finalize your menu. This is especially important if you're doing all the cooking! 
• Decide if you'll do a "buffet style" dinner or a "sit down" dinner.
• Test any new recipes you'll be making. 
• Create your shopping list. Be sure to include spices- they can be easily overlooked. 
• Shop for all non-perishable foods and the turkey. This way you beat the crowds! 
• Purchase tablecloths, napkins, dinnerware, center pieces, or any other decorations to make the meal fun and festive! 
• Complete any deep-cleaning tasks that you have on your to-do list. Baseboards, refrigerator, and oven-cleaning are just a few that I typically do. 

2-5 days prior

• Figure out cooking times for all the dishes you're preparing, and come up with a game plan. I always make a list so I know what time each dish should be put in the oven, on the stove, etc.
• Thaw turkey- depending on the size, you may need to start this a few days earlier. 
• Prepare pies (if they are freezer-friendly)

Day before

• Double-check to be sure you have all the ingredients you need.
• Shop for veggies and any other perishables. Wash and trim your veggies, then store in a ziploc bag in the refrigerator. 
• Prepare pies and other foods that will hold well overnight. This might include cranberry sauce or pies. 
• Do light cleaning tasks- clean bathroom, sweep and mop floors, etc. 

And that, my friends, is how I make it through being our family's Thanksgiving hostess every year!

Do you have a game plan for Thanksgiving? Will you be a guest or a hostess this year? 

September in Review

How is tomorrow October 1? There are only 3 months until we hit 2014. Oh my.

Is it just me, or did September fly by?

Ok, so maybe I think every month flies by. But it's only because I'm having fun, right?

Looking back, here are our favorite posts of September.

Lots of Fall fun this month!

Favorite Recipe

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

Hello, Fall!

Favorite Tip

Lighter Fluid as a Sticker Remover

No more scraping and breaking nails over stubborn stickers!

Favorite Organizing Post

Kids' Fall Wardrobe Checklist

Keep up with kids' clothes, save time and money. Check, check, check.

Favorite Activity Post

Fall Bucket Lists

 Jess and I shared what we want to do with our families to enjoy Fall!

Favorite Friday Favorite

Laptop Lunches

We love these handy lunch boxes that keep lunch organized and easy.

We hope you've had a great September too. We are excited for October and the fun things we have to share with you all!

Kids Fall Wardrobe Checklist

It's that time again! Clothes shopping time that is.

Fall is just around the corner and in order to make sure that all of my kids' fall clothes are in on time- I'm online shopping this weekend.  I start to keep a look out for good sales around Labor Day, but a lot of times if you wait a couple more weekends everyone starts sending coupons because the back to school rush is over and there isn't another holiday sale opportunity until Black Friday.

This is also a good time to go through the kids clothes from last year. Usually, my kids have very few things that fit from the previous year. I am used to having to buy all new clothes because my kids grow like weeds.

I typically shop for my kids at Old Navy (not a sponsored post or comment) because they have cute clothes that are priced nicely and they email coupons all the time. I have a Gap card so I use the rewards points to buy a few Fall pieces for myself too :-)

I use the checklists below to see what we have that still fits from last year and I only buy what we need for this year. I also used Polyvore this time to make sure that the outfits matched, you can see my kids' outfit boards here and here. I had never done this before but I will be using this all the time now!

You can see my Spring Checklist and more of the reasoning behind my shopping method here.

There are a few differences when it comes to Spring vs Fall clothes (besides the obvious)- because I live in Oklahoma, our winter clothes and fall clothes are the same. We just add a heavy coat, hat and scarf for winter. Also, because this season involves school (not summer time), I buy a couple extra play clothes so that we have a change of clothes in backpacks at all times.

Fall Bucket List

 Happy Labor Day everyone! We hope that you are all enjoying a nice long weekend.

Since September is here, we are preparing for Fall. Yes, Fall. In Oklahoma, September is a transition month where we could have some super hot days, or we could start to see the milder Fall temperatures.

Either way, September means Fall is right around the corner.

To be properly prepared, Jess and I are sharing our families' Fall Bucket Lists! There are so many fun things to do in the Fall- it's nice to have them all written out to you can check them off as you go. With football, school commitments and holiday prep, weekends in the Fall can get away from me. I love having a "bucket list" to reference so I can be sure to make time for (read: not forget) everything we want to do.

Today, I'm posting the list for my family (Jess will share on Friday).  I tried to keep my bucket list simple. Nothing on my list requires a lot of prep or planning (even the football party will be super simple). That's the way I like it.

I have always wanted to make homemade applesauce. This year I plan on making a lot! We have a tradition of going to Oklahoma State University's Homecoming Celebration. It is the greatest in the nation so it made the list for sure. I've tried to keep our fall traditions and add in a few fun things for us to try out this year... with any luck, all of these will be checked off by mid-November!

Get Ready for Going Back to School

Summer is such a relaxing time. Well, for my kids anyway. They get to go to the babysitter's house in their PJ's while I go to work. Must be nice ;-)

Anyway, August means "back to school". Yikes! How did that sneak up on me?! All of a sudden I start thinking about what a shock it is going to be when I have to get the kids up and at'em and dressed and ready... oy.

In an effort to make this a little easier, I have created morning and bed time "routine check lists" for my 5-year-old (he's only 5 years and 1 day old... my baby boy... **sigh**).  Since he is going to be in "big kid school" I know that our mornings will be our most important times- they will set the tone for the rest of the day. You can't have a good morning if you don't have a good bed time. Thus, the routine.

I sat down with Little Man and showed him what I was making- I talked it up "this is your big boy check list!" I included pictures with very simple words. I kept it to just 3 steps. Very simple! He loves being a big boy and getting ready on his own. I make a point to tell him how great he is doing and when I notice he has done something (like get dressed) I acknowledge what he's done and ask him what's next. He has to go check his check list, I don't prompt him. This is part of the experience!

Here are our check lists. You can make your own and customize them, or just use these. If your kids are older you may want to make them a little more in depth :-)

CLMM Morning Routine

CLMM Bed Time Routine

How do you get in the back to school routine? I'd love to hear your suggestions!