Thanksgiving Traditions: Turkey, Pies and 'Thankful Tree'

Written by

Shelle Lenssen

All families have their own way of doing Thanksgiving and passing on traditions. Growing up, I thought my family's Thanksgiving Dinners were pretty typical. We'd have a big turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and Jell-o salad. We'd go around the table and each say something we were thankful for, stuff ourselves silly and take a break to clear the table. Then, the assortment of pies would come out and the real eating would begin.

Learn more about The Moms Code and the tenets of being a happy Mom.

Sometime in my childhood, my dad decreed that on Thanksgiving, we would have the same number of pies as there were people at the table. That meant if it was just our 5-person family at dinner, there would be five pies, and we'd just keep adding pies as we added guests. The more people around the table, the more pies to choose from. Classic pies, such as apple and pumpkin, are always served. Cherry, blueberry, and pecan pies are also regular favorites. We've had various cream pies, custard pies, and my favorite, peanut butter pie. The number of pies really is ridiculous, but the tradition continues and no one complains. Guests leave with their own to-go box of pie slices and those remaining eat pie for breakfast for the next week.

My second-grade daughter is preparing for her class's annual Thankful Feast next week. The children are supposed to bring a food item that is traditional to their family's Thanksgiving meal. When talking with me about this project, my daughter was a little frustrated because she didn't think we had any unique Thanksgiving traditions. To her, a dessert table overflowing with pies was just something she'd seen her whole life and assumed other families did the same thing. She was pleasantly surprised to learn the abundance of pies was indeed unique to us and is happy to share this tradition with her class. Together, we’ll assemble 25 mini peanut butter pies and she’ll proudly pass them out and talk about her family’s Thanksgiving pie tradition.

Many proud parents just like you appreciate multi-cultural education for your children.  Find this award-winning book series by clicking here. 

While our pie tradition has been around longest, my husband and I are working to make other Thanksgiving attributes, such as gratitude, generosity, and service, part of our annual event as well. For the past three years, we’ve cut out a paper “Thankful Tree” and decorated it with leaves listing out the many things we’re thankful for. Everything from family members, pets, and friends to chocolate and favorite toys gets listed and by Thanksgiving our Thankful Tree is just as overcrowded at our pie table. We’re adding in a new service tradition this year and our family will be volunteering to fill the shelves at our local food bank. We’ve been talking with our kids about helping others and now it’s time we put words into action. As much as we enjoy our pie tradition, creating a heritage of gratitude and service is ultimately more rewarding.

Thanksgiving Traditions: Turkey, Pies and 'Thankful Tree'

Written by

Shelle Lenssen

All families have their own way of doing Thanksgiving and passing on traditions. Growing up, I thought my family's Thanksgiving Dinners were pretty typical. We'd have a big turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and Jell-o salad. We'd go around the table and each say something we were thankful for, stuff ourselves silly and take a break to clear the table. Then, the assortment of pies would come out and the real eating would begin.

Learn more about The Moms Code and the tenets of being a happy Mom.

Sometime in my childhood, my dad decreed that on Thanksgiving, we would have the same number of pies as there were people at the table. That meant if it was just our 5-person family at dinner, there would be five pies, and we'd just keep adding pies as we added guests. The more people around the table, the more pies to choose from. Classic pies, such as apple and pumpkin, are always served. Cherry, blueberry, and pecan pies are also regular favorites. We've had various cream pies, custard pies, and my favorite, peanut butter pie. The number of pies really is ridiculous, but the tradition continues and no one complains. Guests leave with their own to-go box of pie slices and those remaining eat pie for breakfast for the next week.

My second-grade daughter is preparing for her class's annual Thankful Feast next week. The children are supposed to bring a food item that is traditional to their family's Thanksgiving meal. When talking with me about this project, my daughter was a little frustrated because she didn't think we had any unique Thanksgiving traditions. To her, a dessert table overflowing with pies was just something she'd seen her whole life and assumed other families did the same thing. She was pleasantly surprised to learn the abundance of pies was indeed unique to us and is happy to share this tradition with her class. Together, we’ll assemble 25 mini peanut butter pies and she’ll proudly pass them out and talk about her family’s Thanksgiving pie tradition.

Many proud parents just like you appreciate multi-cultural education for your children.  Find this award-winning book series by clicking here. 

While our pie tradition has been around longest, my husband and I are working to make other Thanksgiving attributes, such as gratitude, generosity, and service, part of our annual event as well. For the past three years, we’ve cut out a paper “Thankful Tree” and decorated it with leaves listing out the many things we’re thankful for. Everything from family members, pets, and friends to chocolate and favorite toys gets listed and by Thanksgiving our Thankful Tree is just as overcrowded at our pie table. We’re adding in a new service tradition this year and our family will be volunteering to fill the shelves at our local food bank. We’ve been talking with our kids about helping others and now it’s time we put words into action. As much as we enjoy our pie tradition, creating a heritage of gratitude and service is ultimately more rewarding.

Halloween: Tiara's, Puppies, and Avoiding Melted Chocolate on the Car seat

Written by

Shelle Lenssen

The past few days have been filled with glittery wings, sparkling tiaras, a little girl stepping on her own tail, and floppy puppy ears. No, we haven't been whisked off to a magical fairy tale land, but Halloween is just around the corner, and according to my two daughters, that's pretty much the same thing.

I didn't really grasp this in my pre-kids days, but Halloween is a really, really big deal. My seven-year old’s imagination has been in overdrive and she’s been discussing costume ideas since June, finally settling on being a fairy. But she didn't want to be an ordinary fairy; she wanted to be a winter fairy. Apparently winter fairies wear iridescent white gowns, snowflake tiaras, and adorn their faces with glittery make-up. I'm inclined to go along with her plans for three reasons. 1) The costume was inexpensive, 2) The costume easily accommodates full-length leggings and a long-sleeved insulated top, both necessary for a chilly evening, and 3) It's going to be a lot of fun helping her get all decked-out and I'll earn some major mom points for letting her wear make-up.

Learn more about The Moms Code and the tenets of being a happy Mom.

The two-year old, on the other hand is just adorable. She's just now grasping the concept of knocking on a neighbor's door, saying something cute and receiving candy as a reward. She doesn't typically get candy on a regular basis, so this new found knowledge is rocking her little world. Add the bonus of wearing a puppy costume and getting to bark at whomever she wants, and this dear girl is in heaven. She tried on her puppy costume after dinner a couple of days ago and she instantly imagined herself to be a real brown fuzzy puppy. She spent the rest of the evening crawling around on all-fours, barking at her sister and licking anyone who got close to her. We weren't allowed to call her by her name and she was our "Sweetie Puppy" for the night. Toddlers really are the cutest things ever at Halloween and seeing our little girl’s imagination grow and develop is such fun.

While our town has a myriad of Halloween Parties and Harvest Festivals leading up to the 31^st, this year we’re sticking with one party and we’ll go trick-or-treating on Halloween night. Previous attempts to cram too many candy-filled evenings into one week have resulted in tired, whining children, frustrated parents, and a car backseat smeared with melted chocolate. By limiting the number of events, hopefully we’re making them feel a bit more special, and saving the collective sanity of our family.

Many proud parents just like you appreciate multi-cultural education for your children.  Find this award-winning book series by clicking here. 

Other holidays throughout the year are given more importance due to their deeper meaning or long-held family traditions, but in our house Halloween is simply about having fun. It’s about planning out the perfect costume and getting dressed up. It’s about too much candy. It’s about the parents swiping some of that candy, and it’s about enjoying our kids while they still have big imaginations.

Back To School Challenges

Guest Blogger 

By Shelle Lenssen

After a fairly relaxed and laid-back summer, our family is in full-on back-to-school mode. Bedtimes are enforced, homework is done, backpacks are checked, and clean clothes are laid out nightly. Even though we’ve done this back-to-school routine for a few years now, this new school year feels a bit different.

The Moms Code author Eileen Wacker also writes the acclaimed childrens books The Fujimini Adventure Series.  Find the book series by clicking here.

This is the year my oldest daughter transitions from being one of the little kids in her elementary school, to being considered one of the big kids. The hand-holding days of kindergarten and first grade are behind us and my big second grader is required to take on more responsibility for herself, her work, and her belongings. My head understands this is the healthy and natural progression of things, and I ultimately want to raise a confident, independent critical thinker, but my heart feels otherwise. I still see her as my little baby and my heart aches to do everything for her. It’s been taking intentional thought and action for me to step back and let her do it herself. Often that means sloppy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in her lunchbox and mismatched socks on her feet, but a growing confidence inside a growing girl.

Second grade is also the year that students in our school have the wide world of afterschool clubs and sports opened to them. In our family, this means more days than not, my daughter will not go to her trusted after care program, and will instead stay at school for her extracurricular activities. She’ll have the option to try various activities such as volleyball, basketball, soccer, cheer, robotics, gardening, and choir. I’m grateful she has these wonderful opportunities to learn and grow, but unlike years past, parents aren’t required to attend with their children. Her coaches and club advisors will be her guides and mentors, not her parents. I guess my little girl really is growing up. 

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In addition to dealing with the emotional aspects of watching my daughter grow up, I've got to deal with the new logistical issues that arise. Having my second grader take on more responsibilities means she'll be making more of her own lunches, so I've got to have the refrigerator and pantry stocked with easy-to-assemble lunch items. After school activities mean hurried or late dinners, so I better re familiarize myself with my slow cooker and come up with a solid meal plan before each week begins. My Pinterest boards and recipe binder are currently being filled with easy lunch and dinner ideas that will hopefully make busy days run a bit more smoothly. The extra activities also mean more driving for pick-ups and drop-offs. My husband and I have stepped up our communication to coordinate all of our schedules to make sure everyone is where they need to be, when they need to be there.

While it’s my daughter’s growth and development we’re focusing on, as a family, we all will need to rise to meet the challenges of this new school year.