The (ex)Expatriate's Kitchen: Thanksgiving Traditions Carnival of Family Life

Welcome to the Thanksgiving Traditions edition of the Carnival of Family Life. Pull up a chair and feast (menu here).

As for my own memory of traditions, this year I will most certainly be thinking of my grandfather whom I lost earlier this year. He was in that Greatest Generation, having his childhood marked by The Great Depression and his early adulthood serving in World War II. He grew up as a devout Catholic in a struggling family with a lot of siblings.

Every Thanksgiving, just after we all held hands and said a word of Thanks, Grandpa would interject his own prayer from his experiences:

"Father, Son, Holy Ghost, whoever eats the fastest gets the most. Amen."

Then he would laugh and wink. Indeed, tough times required a sense of humor, and, while we may be facing more of a Lesser Depression right now than the Great one, it's going to be a challenging season for us all. It's a time when counting blessings is even more important. If you have family and friends at your table, food on the table, and a secure roof over the table, then you are truly blessed.

I wish each of you a happy and safe holiday, these simple blessings, and the hope that we can all remember others who are not as fortunate this season. And hope. I wish us all hope. Eat fast.

Education

Erin presents Keeping the Faith, Even in the Midst of Academic Struggles posted at School Psychologist Blog Files.

Alvaro Fernandez presents Neuroplasticity and the Brain That Changes Itself posted at SharpBrains, saying, "Review of a great book with compelling tales about the amazing abilities of the brain to rewire, readjust and relearn."

Rose presents Schools remind me why I homeschool - Learning at Home : Appeal-Democrat posted at Learning at Home.

Family Cooking & Recipes

Annette Berlin presents Baked French Toast posted at Craft Stew. "Baked french toast makes a quick and easy Sunday morning breakfast," writes Annette. "It only takes ten minutes to prepare, leaving you free to spend the rest of the morning with your family."

Chief Family Officer presents A typical lunch for the boys: Fried mac & cheese, chicken nuggets, grapes and a vanilla wafer posted at Chief Family Officer.

Stephanie presents Pulling Off a Thanksgiving Feast posted at Make It From Scratch.

Family Crafts and Activities

Tiffany Washko presents Cheap and Easy Entertainment posted at The Attached Parent.

Katey Magill presents Shaving Cream Bathtub Paint posted at Having Fun at Home, saying, "An inexpensive fun idea for the best bathtime ever!"

HappyCampers presents Easy Homemade Gift Idea posted at The Adventures Of The Williams Family. This simple and cheap body scrub recipe was a big hit at Mother's Day when Laura and her son made it for their Mommy friends. "We plan to make another batch for Christmas gifts," she writes.

MoneyNing presents Celebrating Thanksgiving is a Must This Year posted at Money Ning, saying, "Thanksgiving is one of the fun holidays of the year! No matter what, you should celebrate!"

Joanne presents Make Stuff Your Kids Can Play With posted at Simply Saving, saying, "A variety of recipes for clay that you can make with your kids."

Stephanie presents A Christmas Craft for Preschoolers posted at Stop the Ride!.

Stephanie presents Mitten Gift Bag/Decoration posted at Make It From Scratch.

AmyL presents Togetherness Crafts: Making a Unique Pillowcase posted at Earnest Parenting, saying, "Kids can be a big part of making their own pillowcases, from choosing fabrics to actually sewing them together. A quick and straightforward project to do together."

Family Finance

Heather Levin presents How To Set Up A Community Lending Library posted at The Greenest Dollar.

Polly Poorhouse presents 10 Cheap Things to Do With Kids posted at Economic Crunch. These days there is so much to do . . . with so little money. Polly offers some creative solutions.

Super Saver presents Financial Lessons from my Parents' Generation Re-Learned posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, "The financial lessons my parents learned from the Great Depression were valuable during the financial crisis of 2008."

Jim presents 0% Credit Cards: No Interest Purchases & Balance Transfers Offers posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

Michael. presents The Jammie Thomas Case: RIAA Strikes Hard at Kazaa Users posted at International Law News, saying, "The RIAA wins a $222,000 lawsuit against a single mother of two for downloading music online. What do you think about this?"

Matthew Paulson presents 5 Ways to Keep Even More of Your Cash and Get More Food posted at American Consumer News.

Debt Freedom Fighter presents How Credit Rating Consequences Can Affect Your Life posted at Discover Debt Freedom!.

Money Answer Guy presents Credit Card Mistakes You Should Avoid posted at The Money Answer Guy.

DebbieDragon presents How to Recognize Offline and Online Money Scams posted at Debbie's Debt Advice.

Trisha Wagner presents How Teens and Family Budgets CAN Coexist | Debt Free Destiny posted at Debt Free Destiny.

Elizabeth presents A Son’s Epiphany and A Mother’s Lesson posted at Suburban Wife's Daily Dollar Diary, saying, "A son has his first financial epiphany and a mother learns a lesson about letting go."

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Help Your Kids Get Rich: Invest Early posted at The Digerati Life.

The Smarter Wallet presents Create Your Family Holiday Traditions and Save Money! posted at The Smarter Wallet.

Family Health and Wellness

Hueina Su presents Celebrate National Family Caregivers Month posted at Intensive Care for the Nurturer's Soul, saying, "November is the National Family Caregivers Month, proclaimed by the President of the United States of America. As a life coach working with medical professionals and other Nurturers, I see the Self-Care Deficiency Syndrome reaching epidemic proportion. To avoid burnout, caregivers need to practice Intensive Self-Care, and I'm listing some great resources for them here."

Donald Latumahina presents 9 Tips to Live an Abundant Life posted at Life Optimizer.

freefrombroke presents 6 Ways Eating Out Less Has Made Our Family Better posted at Free From Broke, saying, "Eating at home have proved to have many benefits to our family."

Carole Fogarty presents 14 Funky Ways To Calm Your Nerves Consistently: posted at THE HEALTHY LIVING LOUNGE, saying, "Do yourself a favor and add more deliberate moments of relaxation and deep rest into your day. This article is a reminder of the many ways you can put yourself first more often and soothe your nerves consistently. You can also tell where my focus is at the moment ……. nourishing my nervous system."

Patricia Turner presents Top 50 Green Technology Blogs posted at Green Web Hosting Blog.

Family Humor

Aahz presents Dad Gets Girly With Sparkly Nail Polish posted at Philaahzophy, saying, "Who taught YOU to paint your nails?"

Loren Christie presents Consequences Are Very Not Fun posted at Dude, Where Am , saying, "Raising small children is the most comical time of your life. Don't adopt a beagle."

Riley presents The Post of Christmas Past posted at All Rileyed Up.

Parenting Tips and Advice

Joe presents Kids GPS Phone: A Brief Introduction posted at GPS Tracking Watches, saying, "Cell phones have made their way into even the smallest hands in our families. Now these kids cell phones are coming equipped with GPS technology as cellular providers seek to attract more parents to buying these types of plans. This post attempts to educate consumers on what makes this technology work."

Khan presents Working Parents and Children | Effects - Problems posted at Higher Education and Career Blog, saying, "Millions of parents struggle each year to balance career and childcare. Fortunately, more options exist for working parents than ever before. If you want to find a solution that satisfies your family and your employer, read on."

Thank you all for participating in and supporting this edition of the Carnival!

Next week, the very special Thankfulness Edition of the Carnival will be hosted by Hopeful Spirit at On the Horizon. If you would like to participate in next week's edition of the Carnival, click here to submit the link to and relevant information about your posts. Note that for the Thankfulness Edition, two posts per blog will be accepted, so long as at least one of the posts focuses upon Thanksgiving, gratitude, celebrating one's blessings or a similar theme. If you have questions, be sure to review the Carnival guidelines before submitting your posts.

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