Resolutions are great. We promise our selves to make changes that will benefit us (and our families) over time. Resolutions are fulfilled when we are able to carry them out. The best way to see our New Year Resolutions stick around is to adjust our routines for the long haul. Unless, we manage to change our habits, then even the best resolution will quickly fade away.

You’ll want to check out the following blogs which will help your family get on a healthy track in 2009. The place to begin is at the grocery store and in your kitchen.

The news for 2009 is mixed. First, the good news, gas prices are down (and so are lottery ticket sales). The rest of the news isn’t so good: The stock market fall was the worst in seven decades, the auto industry is in the tank along with our banks. During the evening news, I heard that grocery prices were up 13 percent. Even with that gray cloud, there is a sliver lining. You can improve your family’s diet and not go broke in the process.

Go Organic without Breaking the Bank
What does organic mean? To earn the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s organic certification, the land must be free from prohibited substances such as synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and other toxins for at least three years. For most, organic means less processed or unprocessed foods. The top reasons for organic usage are the absence of pesticides and growth hormones. Consuming fewer pesticides and growth hormones is a good idea, but, are organic foods any healthier than conventionally grown produce?
> CLICK HERE to find out how you can purchase organic foods without breaking the bank.

Whole Foods with Food Stamps
The Sunday Denver Post ran the article “Healthy Lessons,” about the cost of school lunches. Most of the article discusses the school lunch program. Some schools are now including salad bars, fresh fruit, and other healthy food options. A Big Nonna Hug to them! Regrettably, the article also reinforced the notion that preparing healthy foods at home is expensive. Interviewed were parents who stated that it wasn’t easy to prepare inexpensive healthy meals for their families.

Bridget, a single mom of four, struggles with making healthy meals. She admits to using Hamburger Helper, even though the family doesn’t like it. She told the Post, “If you want a meal to be healthy, it takes time and money.” Yes, preparing healthy meals may take a little time, especially in the beginning. It’s essential to shop for the best nutritional value and then have a resource of healthy easy-to-make recipes.
> CLICK HERE to find out how to purchase whole foods, even on a food stamp budget.

Do Your Veggies and Fruit Fight?
Did you hear that? Bang, Kaboom, Pow! It’s my fruit and veggies fighting again! You may think your kids fight a lot, but fruit and vegetables don’t like each other at all. They’re probably fighting right now in your refrigerator, too! The solution for happy produce is to keep fruit and veggies apart from one another. Manufacturers understand this; that’s why they construct refrigerators with separate bins for each. For a long time, I didn’t know that it was important to separate fruit from veggies, so I just shoved produce into which ever bin had the room. I was just asking for a fight to break out. >CLICK HERE to find out how you can save money by making your produce last longer.

A S.A.D. Diet
Baby Bites began thirty years ago. I was like most moms, not having a clue as to what was in the food I was purchasing. Our family ate the Standard American Diet, which is S.A.D. My journey to whole foods began when Jenny, my third daughter, was diagnosed as hyperactive. Her pediatrician wanted to write a prescription at her two-year check-up to control her symptoms.Jenny was constantly moving and she had a short attention span. We found ourselves adjusting our routines just to accommodate her.  More worrisome, Jenny had great difficulty falling asleep. Bedtime took hours for her to settle down.
>For the rest of the story.


No More Food Battles
Did you know, my grandson, Joshy, was the inspiration for my book, Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater? He regularly at only a few foods, while refusing to eat most foods. In fact, he wouldn’t even touch foods he’d predetermined to be “yucky.” He was such a picky eater that it had begun to affect his health. Despite Julie-ann and David’s best efforts, food battles were the norm. They tried every parenting trick and were at a loss what to do next. If you have a picky eater, you know firsthand how frustrating it can be to get her to eat one nutritious tidbit.
>There’s More.

Picky Eaters Can Love Veggies
The only vegetables six-year-old Heather eats are French fries and ketchup-and that’s using the term “vegetable” loosely. What’s alarming is that she’s not alone. Today over 60 percent of children, ages two to nine, don’t consume the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. You might be surprised, but even the most resistant child can learn to love healthy foods.
>There’s More.

Presents make all kids happy!

1) It makes sense to feed your family a light healthy snack before going to a holiday gathering. Parents often don’t have much control over what their kids eat at other people’s homes (especially Grandma’s house). The trick is to eat whole foods first. Chips, candy, cookies and other sugary foods won’t be so tempting, if your child’s tummy has previously eaten a whole food.

2) At the party, load up your (and your kid’s) plate with veggies, fruit, cheese, and slices of turkey or roast beef. After you and your kids have feasted on real food, indulge in the holiday’s treats. You won’t eat as much, because you’ll already be satisfied with whole food. Keep a look out for super foods: blueberries and other fruits, veggie slices, salmon, deviled eggs, and nuts.

3) Foods to avoid or at least hold off eating until you’ve had some real food: Crackers are the worst for altered fats. It’s hard to find a cracker that doesn’t have interesterified  fat as an ingredient. Candy and cookies are loaded with sugar and food colorings. Baked goods usually are made with white flour, lots of sugar, many times have altered fats, and are devoid of nutrients.

4) Choose your beverage wisely. Soda pop has approximately 10 to 14 teaspoons of sugar in one can. (I say, save your sugar consumption for chocolate, and the darker the chocolate the better it is for you!)

5) Keep a proper perspective. If you over indulge in junk foods, get back on track New Year’s Day.

For more information about Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater, CLICK HERE. 

Liked this posting? Read Surviving the Holidays with a Picky Eater: CLICK HERE.

It’d been a while since I last ate at a salad and soup restaurant. Dick, my husband and I used to enjoy eating at Sweet Tomatoes, another salad/soup restaurant in our area. The choices are numerous and you can eat as much as you like. My mom was a picky eater and loved soup and salad restaurants, because she could choose whatever she wanted to try and if she didn’t like it, she could go back for something else.

Grace and Elijah are happy to hear
some restaurants are transfat free.

I stopped eating at salad and soup restaurants, when I read the information on the additives, especially transfat, that were found in their food items. I was surprised when I saw transfats were in more than bakery products. They were in things you wouldn’t normally expect, like creamed soups. So, I was happy to see that Souper Salad posted signs stating they were “transfat free.”

Later, I checked out the Souper Salad website and contacted their “food scientist” (I wasn’t sure what a food scientist is, so I checked it out online. A food scientist works in research and development of food processing companies. They analyse food content.), just to be sure. This is the reply I received from Karen Schroeder, their food scientist:

“Regarding fats:
Gingerbread uses palm oil—0 trans fat
Blueberry bread uses palm oil—0 trans fat
Bread-sticks uses soybean oil—0 trans fat
Cornbread uses partially hydrogenated corn and cottonseed oil—0.11 grams / square. (This is a transfat.)

The government allows us to claim 0 trans fat if a serving size has 0.5 grams per serving or less. Some items contain naturally occurring trans fat so it would be impossible to claim 0 trans fat for everything without this government disclaimer.”

While I was at it, I asked about MSG. This answer was also encouraging:

“There is one product at Souper Salad that contains MSG. It is in trace amounts in our Jalapeno Cheese Sauce that is found near the baked potato section of our bar.”

Then I asked about one of the worst sweeteners, High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). I am happy to say that there weren’t a lot of items on this list. As you might expect, HFCS is in some of their desserts. This is the list of products containing HFCS:

“Caramel Topping
Ketchup
Oreo Cookies
Crushed Pineapple Topping
Chocolate Pudding
Fruit Smoothies
Chocolate Syrup

Our breads do not contain high fructose corn syrup.”

The only way you’ll ever know what you’re eating, is to check out your favorite restaurant yourself. Obviously, if you or a family member is sensitive to other food additives, eating out is more of a challenge. Today, most restaurants have websites offering nutritional information. Understand, that you probably will have to email their “food scientist” from their webpage to get the information you really need.

Learn more about transfat, CLICK HERE.
Learn more about High Fructose Corn Syrup, CLICK HERE.

Having a child with ADD/ADHD, who is a picky eater, initially takes more work. You may have a child self-limiting the kinds of whole foods eaten, but the child with ADD/ADHD most likely prefers the very foods causing their problem. Because each child is unique, the chemicals and additives triggering symptoms can vary.

Joshy shows us that his tongue is colored red, after eating a piece of birthday cake. For kids who can’t tolerate food colorings, the tinest smidgen could produce ADD/ADHD symptoms for several days.A small drop of something they cannot tolerate may prompt symptoms of hyperactivity, sleeplessness (sometimes nightmares), and irritability. So, a parent needs to be vigilant, especially in the beginning. You’ll find, as I did, “accidental double-blind studies” will pop up. You’ll become a master sleuth, ferreting out unwanted food additives.Cleaning out the pantry is vital. With over 3,000 additives in our food supply it can seem like a gargantuan task. You’ll be glad to know that it’s not impossible, but it will take some determination on your part.  I wouldn’t even want to try to put a child on a different diet than the rest of the family. When you’re talking about whole foods, why not improve the entire family’s diet? Take time to read the labels of the foods you usually purchase. See where you can change to a more healthy brand. Reading labels is vital. You might be surprised at what you find.

When my daughter, Jenny, was a child, she could not tolerate most of the additives in our food supply. Nitrates would always trigger ADHD symptoms. They’re in all packaged lunch-meats, and most pork products like ham, bacon and sausage. She’s grown and married now, but, today, nitrates still give her headaches. Red and yellow food colorings were the worst additives for Jenny and would immediately trigger symptoms of hyperactivity. MSG is another additive that can cause problems. It often produces headaches (MSG actually kills brain cells), not just in people with ADD/ADHD, either. MSG can be hard to identify on products, as it hides in a multitude of names. ( CLICK HERE for more MSG info.) MSG can be found in almost ALL fast food.

Sugar, especially High Fructose Corn Syrup, is in just about all processed foods. All these years later, sugar still makes Jenny irritable. Still, once you get in the habit of avoiding sugar, it’s not too hard to eliminate. For sure, you’ll want to avoid High Fructose Corn Sugar which is found in most bakery goods, soda pop, and in packaged foods!

It’s not as difficult as you might think to eat whole foods. Of course many foods available in the grocery store are processed, but you’ll want to purchase products with the least amount of additives and chemicals. I still don’t purchase products with artificial colorings, flavorings, nitrates, or MSG.

I’m not a nutritionist or a dietitian, but I’ve found a few dietary supplements are extremely helpful for kids with ADD/ADHD, even Sensory Processing Disorder and Autism. In fact, many times with dietary changes and the addition of these supplements, positive changes are often seen in a couple of weeks:
1) The first is cod liver oil. I purchase Carson Norwegian Cod Liver Oil and I take it myself. The lemon flavored one is tasty. Cod liver oil is high in vitamins A and D.
2) The other is a good kids’ probiotic, purchased in the refrigerator section of a whole foods store. Without fail, kids with ADD and ADHD need to have their gut function improved. The gut feeds the brain. When a child has good gut function, their brain functions better as well.
3) The third is that almost ALL people in the U.S. are vitamin D deficient, even kids. A simple test that your pediatrician can do will tell you what your child’s vitamin D level is. In fact, everyone should have their vitamin D level checked. My husband, Dick, and I found we had low levels ourselves. The optimum levels are around 50, but most people are way under that. (Cod liver oil is high in vitamin D, but if your child is extremely low you may want to add this supplement. If you can’t convince your child to take the lemon-flavored cod liver oil, then vitamin D3 supplement is an alternative.)

You, will of course, need to take allergies into account. If your child is allergic to wheat, dairy, or nuts, these foods will need to be eliminated as well. Today, I won’t go into GMO foods (genetically modified organism). This is another issue. My eldest daughter, Julie-ann, thought she was allergic to corn. Then found out it was GMO corn that she couldn’t tolerate. If a product says it’s certified organic, then it’s by default, GMO free.

You can save on organics at big box stores like Sam’s Club and Costco. Since there’s not a Sam’s Club near me, I have a Costco membership. “Costco Organic Products” is a list I just put together for my son-in-law. He has a Costco membership, but lives a distance from a store. Because he will be the one driving to the store and shopping, he wanted to know what organic food products I found at Costco (Sam’s has similar products) and purchase from the store. I’ve put an unofficial list together for him. I’m sure there’s more, but at least it’s a start. CLICK HERE to see it.

If you liked this article, then you’ll want to read: “A S.A.D. Diet”: CLICK HERE

When you sign up for the Baby Bites Ezine on the right side of the Ezine information page, I’ll send you two helpful reports: “Be Frugal Save Grocery Dollars” and “7 Tips for Healthful Grocery Shopping.”

CLICK HERE for the Baby Bites book.

Although, I frequently shop at a whole foods store, you can save on organics at big box stores like Sam’s Club and Costco. Since there’s not a Sam’s Club near me, I have a Costco membership. You’d think that Costco would have a list of organic products carried online, but I couldn’t find one. This is my unofficial list. This list is not inclusive and because items are constantly being changed, the list will change.

Organic Frozen Foods
Blueberries (Scenic Fruit) - use for fruit smoothies and breakfast cereals
Corn ( Bybees)
Green Beans (Lisa’s)
Peaches (Wawona)
Salmon (check to see if it’s from the Pacific Coast and not farmed)

Organic Produce
Carrots
Mixed Lettuce
Spinach
Apples and Pears — occasionally are organic
Roma tomatoes aren’t organic, but pesticide free

Not organic produce with peels or shells, so you’re throwing away most of the exterior pesticides.
Avocados
Bananas
Garlic
Onions
Oranges
Potatoes
Nuts in the shell seasonally

Organic Dairy
Butter (Kirkland)
Cheese (Organic Creamery Sharp Cheddar)
Cage-Free Eggs — but not organic see “ Free-range Chicken Eggs“ 
(I believe that Sam’s Club carries organic eggs)
Milk, but it’s 1 percent (Whole milk is a whole food, children need healthy fats, see “ Whole Milk Challenge.”)

Organic Meat
Organic Chicken Breasts
Beef (grass fed is better than corn fed, but organic fed is a step up from commercially grown beef)

Other Organic Products
Beef Jerky
Chicken Broth (small amount of sugar)
Coffee (Magnum)
Granola (Udi’s)
Maple Syrup
Olive Oil (extra virgin)
Peanut butter
Rudi’s Bread
Raisins (Sunmaid-comes in 2 two-pound packages)
Soup (Amy’s Lentil & Pacific Red Pepper)
Spaghetti & Macaroni (Garogalo Organic whole wheat)
Tomatoes (canned, brand changes)

Organic, Not Necessarly Healthful, Because They Are Highly Processed (may have added sugar)
Candy (The ingredients shouldn’t contain additives such as artificial colorings and flavorings.)
Cake mix (Sof’ella Gulten-Free Chocolate Cake and Frosting.)
Cereal (Kirkand Raisn bran & Kashi Autumn Wheat)
Granola bars (Nature’s Path)
Macaroni and Cheese (Annie’s)
Healthy Handfuls (organic toddler cookies, not necessarily healthful, but organic)
Oatmeal (Kirkand instant)
Sugar (not healthful at all, but there may be times when a little sugar is needed)

Products which are NOT organic, without too many additives or sugar
Chicken Breast for sandwiches and salads (Kirkland)
Crackers (Milton’s Multi-grain & Crunchmaster Rice Crackers are trans fat & interestifed fat free )
Fruit Leather (Stretch Island Fruit Co. no artificial ingredients)
Mushrooms (canned)
Marinara Sauce (White Linen Collection-needs some added Italian seasonings)
Tuna (Chicken of the Sea Chunk Light Tuna)

*These are the brands that I have purchased from Costco, but they can change. If you purchase an organic food item from Costco and it’s not on my list, leave a comment. I’ll add it to the list. Thanks

CLICK HERE for “The Picky Eater and ADD/ADHD”

When you sign up for the Baby Bites Ezine (on the right side of the Ezine information page) I’ll send out two helpful reports: “Be Frugal Save Grocery Dollars” and “7 Tips for Healthful Grocery Shopping.”

CLICK HERE for the Baby Bites book.
 

First the good news:
Dark chocolate has been found to have more flavonoids than any food tested so far, including blueberries, red wine, and black and green teas! In fact, dark chocolate has four times more flavoniods than tea. Dark chocolate has been found to have more flavonoids than any food tested so far, including blueberries, red wine, and black and green teas! In fact, dark chocolate has four times more flavoniods than tea.

Can you guess what hot drink Angel is wishing for?…Hot Cocoa
Studies suggest eating chocolate with at least a 70 percent cocoa content, in moderation, can be beneficial in conjunction with exercise and a healthy diet. If you eat chocolate, only eat DARK chocolate. Dark chocolate has antioxidant properties, which may actually help to protect the body from damaging oxidative stress.

Chocolate is derived from plants, as are fruits and vegetables. Flavoniods are plant pigments, which have antioxidant activity with health promoting benefits: they have anti-allergic, anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral properties.

Dark chocolate is far better than milk chocolate, as some say adding milk cancels out the chocolate’s antioxidant effects. However, just because chocolate is dark, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s healthy. Are you ready for the not so good news?

Even though chocolate contains flavonols and calcium, both said to have a positive effect on bone density, chocolate also contains oxalate, an inhibitor of calcium absorption, and sugar, linked to calcium excretion. Oxalate is a naturally occurring compound, which in large amounts may inhibit absorption of calcium. They occur in many plants, especially greens like spinach, Swiss chard, beet greens, rhubarb, and the cocoa bean.

This is disappointing news for those of us who love chocolate. Some research suggests that regular consumption of chocolate may weaken bone density. This could increase the risk of health problems, especially for women, such as osteoporosis and fracture.

According to a study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women who eat chocolate daily have an overall bone density about 3 percent lower than those who consume it less than once a week.

The study found that women, who ate chocolate less than once a week, had significantly stronger bones than those who consumed the treat on a daily basis, with calcium supplementation having little effect on the results. Additional studies are needed to confirm these observations.

In fact, another study from the Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, contradicted these findings. They said the body absorbs calcium just as well from chocolate milk as it does from unflavored milk. Because, milk contains much more calcium than oxalate so there’s plenty of free calcium left over. Only 6 milligrams of calcium is tied up, out of the 250 milligrams in a glass of milk.

These studies manage to really confuse the chocolate issue, don’t you think? One study links chocolate to weaker bones, another says the body absorbs calcium with chocolate just fine. There’s a lot were not told. What type of chocolate was eaten in each of the studies? How much did sugar compromise the results concerning weaker bones?

Chocolate Lovers Should Be the Healthiest People on the Planet

Did you know each person eats approximately 11½ pounds of chocolate in a year? Of course, real choco-halics eat more. Although chocolate-lovers often quote the study finding flavonoids in chocolate to be heart-healthy; they often ignore the fact that they may be eating inferior chocolate and sugar, which destroys the very benefit they’re hoping for. They also ignore the part about moderation, a healthy diet, and exercise.

Most cocoa is processed in ways destroying the majority of the beneficial flavanoids. Consumers are generally unaware that standard manufacturing removes as much as half the flavonols. But, you can safely assume all milk and white chocolate do not have these beneficial nutrients.

While the verdict may be out on chocolate, we know sugar is detrimental to health. Chocolate, even if it’s dark, it still contains sugar, and eating sugar compromises your immune system. A good rule of thumb is to eat dark chocolate occasionally and only eat it if you’re healthy.

CLICK HERE for sugar information.

For more information about Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater, CLICK HERE. 

Thanksgiving may be over, but don’t stop giving thanks. Initiate your supper with a prayer of thanksgiving. Take a few moments at the beginning of each meal to acknowledge the Creator and the blessings your family has received during the day. What a better time is there to thank God than when the family sits together to break bread?

Photo: Mealtime is happy time for cousins Angel and Ally.

The table should be a stress-free zone, especially for the picky eater. Enjoyment of food is directly tied to the mood around the table. Leave financial stresses or other matters of concern to be tackled at another time. Save corrections for your children, such as poor grades or messy bedrooms, for after-dinner discussion. The focus at dinner should be on your family and what each has done during the day.

Take time to enjoy your family and your dinner, don’t rush away from the table to watch the latest sitcom episode. You’ll be glad you did. Two of my daughters have begun a tradition during their family meals. They ask their young children what’s their “rose for the day” and “thorn for the day.” This simple question makes dinnertime special, even for the smallest children. It includes your youngsters in the dinner conversation, and lets them know they’re important, too.

CLICK HERE for “TV ads impact kids health.”

If you know a picky eater who doesn’t eat many foods, you’ll want to purchase Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater. You can save when you purchase one for you and one for a gift: CLICK HERE.

Our traditional holiday foods only make it more difficult for parents of a picky eater, because they are mostly simple carbohydrates. Even if you attempt to limit the amount of cookies and candies your children eat, they are everywhere. Well-meaning adults (especially Grandma or Aunt Britney) can sabotage your efforts to limit junk foods. You’ll NEVER convince a child who has just consumed a candy cane or gingerbread cookie or a piece of fudge to eat his dinner. Do your best to convince well-meaning relatives to reserve candy and other sweets for after meals.

Sweets are everywhere during the holiday season.
Save them for after meals.

Baby Bites is about better nutrition, although, there’s room for splurging, now and again. When attending parties and celebrations, take a preemptive approach with your picky eater. Feed your kid whole foods BEFORE attending the party or family gathering. If your child isn’t starving from hunger, then it’ll be easier for her to use self-control. Even if she doesn’t, all isn’t lost, because the first thing in her tummy was a whole food. Hopefully, that will be enough to minimize the amount of junk food eaten.

Even adults have problems with self-control. The good news is anyone can learn self-control and choose from the sugar smorgasbord, but it takes practice. Suggest to your child to take her time and choose two or three treats to eat from the tsunami of sugary treats. Explain that eating too many sweets might result in a stomach ache. Unless you offer the freedom of choice, and of course, don’t send her off to the gathering starving, it’ll be a loosing battle.

When you’re the one entertaining, offer nutritious snacks. There’s plenty of whole foods which are fun and nutritious: carrots, celery, broccoli, and cauliflower served with a dip, cheese and nuts, and of course popcorn, but not caramel popcorn. Make mini sandwiches and other fun finger foods.

If you’re eating out or you’re at your relatives and you can’t offer the nutritious foods your picky eater readily eats, don’t panic. Also, it’s a good idea to hold off introducing new foods to the picky eater until after the holidays. When you back on track in a normal routine, you can pick up, where you left off adding whole foods to your picky eater’s diet.

Like this posting? You’ll want to read 5 Tips for Healthy Happy Holidays:  CLICK HERE.

CLICK HERE to find out how you can transform your picky eater.

CLICK HERE for more sugar information.

If you know a picky eater who doesn’t eat many foods, you’ll want to purchase Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater. You can save when you purchase one for you and one for a gift: CLICK HERE.

Yes, the day is a reminder of the cooperation and friendship between the Indians and Pilgrims, but it’s not about that either. It began with the Pilgrims inviting the Indians to their celebration of thanks to God for His provisions. They had plenty of trials, but they were still grateful.

We spend a lot of time preparing the food. So much so, we are overwhelmed with the bounty on our tables. There is excitement over family and friends coming together. And, advertisers tell us it’s all about the turkey. If we forget to be thankful, then the focus is on the food.

At our home, we begin our annual feast with my husband, Dick, giving a corporate prayer of gratitude, thanking God for His many blessings. We always end the meal with a family tradition where each person gives a personal story of why they are blessed and thankful. We used to do this before the meal, but our food would get cold, so we moved it to the end of the meal.

Sometimes there is laughter. Kids are always sure to surprise you when they share why they’re grateful. Teens can be another matter altogether. One year, a cranky teen, sitting at our table laden with scrumptious food and surrounded by people who love her (I’ll not say who it was, but I’m sure my daughter Joy remembers this), said she didn’t have one thing to be thankful for! So much for the teen years. If you have a cranky teen at your Thanksgiving table, you can be thankful that cranky teens grow up and become loving, grateful adults.

Sometimes, our thankfulness brings tears. Last Thanksgiving was difficult for our family, because my mother passed away three weeks earlier. We were sad and thankful at the same time. I remember another Thanksgiving where we gathered at Jackie’s (another daughter’s) home. She asked that we all say why we were thankful for someone at the table. We pretty much bawled through the entire thing.

Most Thanksgivings, we have guests other than our immediate family. A few years ago, Karen, a business acquaintance of ours, had just moved to Colorado and shared the festive meal with us. My granddaughter Ally, who was seven at the time, sat next to Karen at the table, and when it came time for Ally, to say what she was thankful for, she said she was thankful for her new friend, Karen. We bawled again. Okay, we’re a bunch of crybabies.

Another Thanksgiving, our dear friend, Guy, survived a year-long battle with cancer. He has spent many Thanksgivings with us and was very familiar with our tradition. When it came time for him to say why he was thankful, he whipped out a pre-written note and read us a beautiful, thankful, message of God’s blessings. Yes, there wasn’t a dry eye at the table.

This Thanksgiving, make it a thankful day, not Turkey Day. Thank God, especially in your most difficult times… God is providing.

CLICK HERE for “Have a Natural Thanksgiving.”

CLICK HERE for “What Ya Gonna Do With Those Leftovers?”