Christmas Decorating, Door Updates & Keeping the Little Ones Busy this Thanksgiving

Will you have little ones visiting your home for Thanksgiving? With two wiggly, little boys headed my way, I’ve been thinking about fun things to keep them from getting too bored while they are here. I still have a few of their dad’s toys here, but the majority of those have already been taken to their home during my previous visits.

I picked up a few things over this past week that I think they will enjoy while they are here. I thought I would share them with you today because many of the items I have purchased would also make very affordable Christmas presents if you have little ones on your Christmas shopping list.

Before we dive into those, I have a few updates to share. The new screened doors were painted recently when I had the front porch painted. I think I have an installer in mind for hanging them. Unfortunately, that will probably take place after Thanksgiving, but at least they are painted now and ready to go. The screen that was ripped during shipping has also been repaired. Looking forward to sharing these installed in the coming weeks.

 

The tree is decorated except for its topper. Last year I purchased a star that turned out to be way too big for the tree. I think I ended up using an angel on the top, instead. I just ordered another star, keeping my fingers crossed that it’s the right size. I love seeing a star on the top of a Christmas tree, just finishes it off so nicely. I’m currently in the process of wrapping gifts, including some of the goodies I purchased for the boys to enjoy while they are here.

 

My youngest grandson loves to draw so he’ll get to enjoy these during this visit. The drawing pads and twist-up crayons are available here: Drawing Pad and Twist-up Crayons. I think the Twistable Crayons will be easier for him, they seem a lot sturdier than regular crayons.

 

Over the years, I’ve given my grandsons a lot of games, especially this past summer when they were stuck at home so much. These games below are three that they do not currently have. All are all very affordable and would make great Christmas gifts.

I’m going to encourage the boys to take them back home with them when they leave. I had thought about keeping them here for them to play with when they visit, but since they only get the chance to visit once or twice a year and since their state has just closed their schools again, they definitely need to take these back home to enjoy during the winter months ahead.

 

All these games would make great Christmas gifts and as mentioned, are super affordable. They are available at the links below:

Guess Who? 

Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots

Let’s Go Fishing.

 

I also picked this up recently for a possible movie night while they are here. If we don’t do a movie night, I’ll just make this a gift for Christmas. You’ll find this fun “Movie Night” kit available here: Movie Night for 2.

 

Of course, the boys will each be getting these fun shirts I shared recently. These shirts are so much cuter and more colorful in person, I just couldn’t capture the bright colors when I took this photo. You can see how this one really looks here: Dino Gingerbread Shirt.

 

And this one is available here: Tree Rex Shirt.

 

The gift I bought that I think they’ll be most excited about are these Cornhole Boards below. My son and a friend of his actually built cornhole boards from scratch a few years back and my son, daughter-in-law, and grandsons play almost every weekend, especially during the summer months.

My grandsons (ages 4 and 6) have just gotten big enough to start playing with their parents–we move the boards a little closer together to make it a bit easier for them. Anyway, if it doesn’t rain the whole time they are here, I think they will really enjoy these. My front yard is flat so it should be perfect for setting these up. If it is raining, we’ll probably set them up in the basement.

 

I’ve ordered cornhole boards in the past and promptly returned them because of how poorly they were constructed. I was very happy with these when I opened them up and I think my son will be impressed when he sees them. I’m thinking of buying another set for two friends of mine since these are such nice quality and the price is great for quality Cornhole boards. If I do buy a set for my friends, I think I’ll just have them shipped right to them.

If you are looking for a great gift for the whole family, I very much recommend these. You’ll find them available where I purchased mine, here: Cornhole Boards.

 

 

The bags that came with this board are okay but most lovers of the game always prefer bags that are filled with real corn. They just work/throw better. My son is especially picky about that 🙂 so I ordered these bags below. They match the Cornhole Boards perfectly! If you buy a set of these, don’t leave them in the garage or outside. They are irresistible to squirrels! lol Best to keep them inside or if keeping them in a garage, buy a plastic container to store them in.

You’ll find these Cornhole Bags filled with real corn here: Regulation Cornhole Bags.

 

Before I close out this post, Talbots has a killer pre-Black Friday sale going on right now. I love this Black Watch coat!

 

I’ve always loved green and navy paired together so may have to add this to my wardrobe while the sale is going on–it’s currently 40% off. You’ll find it available here: Black Watch Plaid Coat.

 

There are so many things to love in their winter clothing line this year! You can see everything that’s included in the sale here: Pre Black Friday Sale.

 

Okay, I’m off to give the screened porch a good vacuuming and dusting, then it’s time to decorate! Hope to share some porch decor for this week’s Met Monday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Comments

  1. Franki Parde says

    You CERTAINLY must be “feeling better!!” A dynamo @ work!! Looking forward to more reveals!! Go git em!!! franki

    • Thanks, Franki! Yup, I’ve been better now for a few weeks, got over pneumonia very quickly, thankfully! No time to be sick during the holidays. lol
      Happy Thanksgiving to you!

  2. Hi Susan. I am wild about your screen doors! I’ve not been following your blog lately, as I’ve been otherwise occupied. Are the screen doors recently acquired, or did you already have them and just had them refurbished and painted? If they are new, I would love to know where you found them. I hope you and your family have a lovely and safe Thanksgiving. I’m sure I can speak for many, when I say I will be elated when COVID is past us! Take care.

  3. Love it when the grandchildren visit. Unfortunately, they won’t be able to this year. When they are here, I plan a scavenger hunt that involves the family winding its way through the downstairs. Children or parents read the clues (lots of them) and search for the end prize (one per child or family game). Lots of fun. I also have a “seasonal hunt”. Cutouts for each child to find. One has to search for mittens, another snowflakes and the third has to find sleds. It makes it more fair to have individual items per child as the oldest will always find them first if only one is used. I use different colors when doing it at another time of the year. They totally enjoy it. I have created gameboards for original family games. One is Christmas trivia, with stops along the way to get a treat from the “treat trick” (red Christmas truck cookie jar filled with small treats). I print copies of Christmas Bingo and ALL play. Of course, treats are prizes and the winner gets to be the new caller. Last time, the stuffed animal that was playing with the three year old won! When all are involved in activities, memories are made.

  4. I am always so impressed with the energy you have, Susan. I am amazed at how much you are able to accomplish in the course of a few days! It sounds like your Thanksgiving is going to be marvelous!! My husband and I will be Zooming with our families (4 daughters, 4 sons-in-law and 9 grandchildren between them!) as we are hunkered down. Enjoy your time and the results of your labors!

    • Thanks, Rosie! I try to make lists at night for the following day and just check as many off the next day as I can. Things don’t always go quite the way I plan, though. Thankfully, travel is allowed between our states. I’ll be heading up to see them twice in December, looking forward to that! I hope you have a great Thanksgiving. Hopefully next year things will be more normal in your area. We’ll have the vaccine by then, too.

  5. Susan, glad to see you feeling better. The games will be fun for the boys. Such good activities! Have fun decorating. I’ve yet to start, but hope to move that direction soon.

  6. My girls had Guess Who and Let’s go Fishin’ – I loved them both! I have a really cute picture of my #2 standing on a Little Tyke chair and fishing in the kitchen sink. 🙂
    Susan, have you seen paint by stickers? Check them out on Amazon, they’ve got some really great ones. I just quickly glanced, and they have dinosaurs! My 4 yr old niece just got some and loves them, and a friend who manages adult assisted living also has them on the wishlist for residents!

    • Oh, that sounds sooo cute, Rita! I hope the boys will enjoy it as much as your girls did.
      Yes, they do love the Paint by Sticker. They were given some by an Aunt the year before at Christmas, I think…then I bought some for them when I was there this past summer. I did buy them a dinosaur one and they loved it! Thanks for mentioning those! I should probably buy more for them since they enjoy them so much.
      Hope you guys have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Rita!

  7. Have you started the boys on Lego’s yet? My grandson who is 11 just loves them and I started him around 4 or 5. All my teacher friends say it’s good that he can do the over 900 pieces as it teaches him to follow instructions. I tell them that’s it’s really the pictures that he follows but they say that’s okay also.
    The sugar cookie paint worked out wonderful. thanks again. rls

    • Yes, they love those! They also really love the K’Nex Building Sets. I’ve purchased several sets of those over the years because they enjoy them so much. I love open-ended toys like Legos, building block, K’Nex, etc…
      Oh, I’m so glad it turned out great! Thanks for letting me know!

  8. We don’t have any little ones in the family at all anymore, so nobody to buy games for except us! 🙂 But I’d LOVE to buy that green and navy coat – it’s absolutely darling! Excited to see your doors in action, too. Hope you have a lovely weekend decorating!

  9. Your tree is breathtaking, Susan.

    Love all your gift ideas for the boys. Wanted you to know those twist Crayons – only ones I use now. They are AWESOME. Yes, we color a lot around here. Even when I am alone – my daughters do too. LOL. What can I say? We love to color and those are the smoothest greatest crayons of all time.

    How nice they’ll be coming for Thanksgiving – wishing you all safety during this dangerous time to be traveling due to Covid concerns.

    Glad you’re feeling better. Hugs.

    PS – Please pop on over to enter my little giveaway! Great gift ideas there, too.

  10. I love the chargers you used with Thanksgiving table. Where did you get them? Thanks

  11. Bobbi Duncan says

    Susan, your living room looks sooo cozy, and the tree beautiful, as always. So many great items for the kiddos; just ordered the drawing tablets and twist-up crayons for a Thanksgiving gift for my grands, so thanks ever so much for mentioning them! My two grands will sit for hours drawing pictures, and they are both quite artistic (they did NOT get that gene from me lol!). Hugs!

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