Turkey Day Is Coming!

Gobble, gobble, gobble. Do you hear that? It's a turkey, signaling a warning to all of us: The big day is fast approaching. Are you ready?

This week I have been doing some planning, extending some invites, and searching the internet for good resources. So, I thought why hoard them? I will share what we are planning to do around here to celebrate Thanksgiving-- which is actually my favorite holiday-- I'll bet you didn't know that! Oh, don't get me wrong-- I love Christmas. But I love the simplicity of Thanksgiving. And, well, the food. The food is one of the reasons I insist on having Thanksgiving at home-- just so we can enjoy the leftovers for days. And I will eat them literally for days-- never tiring of them and feeling quite sad when the last dish is empty. I am definitely planning to try making this this year! Oh, and this too! Good thing I have two crockpots! And if cooking a turkey overwhelms you, well by all means just follow these directions to achieve turkey cooking nirvana with zero fuss! (I am out of crockpots by now, but you might not be.)

(ETA: I found another crockpot turkey cooking method! Go here to see it.)

So, here is what I am gleaning from as I plan our family Thanksgiving:

This link is a great place to start. I never knew Real Simple had such a great site! I have seen their magazine on the stands, but never bought one. This site is packed full of recipes and planning ideas. So check it out!

I loved this idea for those of you with children. It's a bit too late to count down to Thanksgiving-- but I plan to make this little guy this weekend and get the family writing their blessings down on his "feathers" over the course of the days between now and then. What a cute display, and a neat way to focus on what we are grateful for this year. Even in the midst of a bad economy, we still have so, so much. Our pastor has been reminding us of that lately.

Want to help your kids understand why we celebrate Thanksgiving? Here is a list of books we are reading, in case you want to pick up a few from your library or check out your local bookstore and add a few copies to your home library to enjoy year after year:

• Thanksgiving Is by Gail Gibbons
• P Is For Pilgrim: A Thanksgiving Alphabet by Carol Crane
• The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh
• The Peterkins' Thanksgiving by Elizabeth Spurr
• Molly and The Magic Wishbone by Barbara McClintock
• The Memory Cupboard: A Thanksgiving Story by Charlotte Herman
• 1621: A New Look At Thanksgiving by Catherine O'Neill Grace
• Thanksgiving Day: A Time To Be Thankful by Elaine Landau
• Thanksgiving At Our House by PK Hallinan
• Giving Thanks: The 1621 Harvest Feast by Kate Waters
• One Is A Feast For Mouse: A Thanksgiving Tale by Judy Cox
• Pilgrim Cat by Carol Peacock
• Thank You Sarah, The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Anderson
• One Little, Two Little, Three Little Indians by BG Hennessy
• Thanksgiving On Thursday by Mary Pope Osborne
• Molly's Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen
• The First Thanksgiving by Linda Hayward
• Cranberry Thanksgiving byWende and Harry Devlin
• All About Turkeys by Jim Arnosky
• Thanksgiving Fun by Ronne Randall
• Best Thanksgiving Book by Pat Whitehead
• Turkeys, Pilgrims and Indian Corn by Edna Barth
• Evan Moor Theme Pockets November: "The First Thanksgiving"

I am still hoping to make a lapbook-- but a simple one. We will copy some favorite recipes, use some of the pages from the Theme Pockets book, list things we are thankful for, copy some verses on being thankful, and include a narration about the first thanksgiving according to what we learn from the books I listed above. My daughter has specifically reqested to learn about the tradition of breaking the wishbone-- which I know nothing about! She has asked if we can do that this year, because she read about it in a book.

I am planning to spend the coming week making some crafts and involving the kids in the preparations. I am spending today checking out this link, and this link for ideas... and maybe googling for more! Then I will make a shopping list to take to Michael's tomorrow afternoon in between church, my son's final play and strike, and a special prayer service at church in the evening.

What special things do you do in your family to get ready for Thanksgiving? Be sure and leave a comment, and if you have posted anything about it on your blog, leave a link so we can go check it out and be inspired!