ThanksgivingPrepfor theWholeFamily Let KidsPlay aRole This Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is more than just a feast; it’s about coming together as a family and being thankful for one another. So why wait to get into the spirit until everyone is seated at the table? Here are a few ways you can make the actual preparation of Thanksgiving dinner fun and engaging for the whole family! GIVE EVERYONE A ROLE No, not those rolls — yet. Making the feast a family project can turn the day from a hectic list of chores into a magical bonding experience. It’s important to match each family member to a job that best fits their abilities. Young children can mash potatoes or rinse ingredients in the sink. Older kids can take on more responsibility, like measuring ingredients, keeping an eye on timers, and setting the table. Teens and young adults can supervise their younger siblings and cousins in these important tasks and
may be called upon to stir what’s on the stove while an adult checks on the football game. ROLL OUT THE DECORATIONS Still not talking about bread. Not everything in Thanksgiving preparation needs to be tied to the kitchen. Creative family members of all ages can work together to bring some seasonal flare to the dining room. Maybe this means picking up some Thanksgiving coloring books, or perhaps the family can venture outdoors to collect autumn trimmings for crafts. It’s a great way to let each family member put their own personal spin on the holiday! HAVE A ‘ROLLER DERBY’ Finally. While an adult should be the one to put these delicious baked goods in the oven, the whole family can help shape the dough. In fact, Care.com
recommends making this a contest. Set aside a time when everyone can vie for the title of Fastest Roll Maker, and you’ll have plenty of warm, flaky, delicious treats come dinnertime. Letting everyone play a part may take a little more planning and add slightly more chaos to your Thanksgiving preparations. But it’s sure to produce a lot of great memories and bonding moments among your loved ones. And by the time you sit down to eat, you’ll all have something to be thankful for right in front of you — Those. Delicious. Rolls.
MORE TO THE STORY Small TownGoes Bankrupt Over aPothole
There’s something endearing about a small town where people say hello to each other on the street and everybody knows everybody else. With a population of 913, Reed Springs, Missouri, is this kind of small town. Bearing this in mind, it’s not surprising that people were furious when Reed Springs had to file for bankruptcy after being sued by a woman who tripped over a pothole. National news outlets were quick to ask what kind of greedy, careless villain would ruin a sweet town just to make a quick buck. This “villain” is Sally Stewart. She was out shopping when she tripped over a pothole hidden beneath some overgrown grass on the sidewalk. The accident injured her ankle so badly that she needed surgery. Stewart had never sued anyone before, but she needed help paying her medical bills. It was unclear who was
responsible for the sidewalk’s upkeep, so Stewart initially filed a lawsuit against the owners of the store in front of the pothole. It was the Missouri Court of Appeals that determined the city was responsible. The City of Reed Springs was ordered to write a check for $100,000 — almost half of the town’s annual budget. This loss forced the city to declare bankruptcy. In normal circumstances, the city’s insurance would have covered the loss, and Reed Springs would have been fine. Unfortunately, at the time of Stewart’s accident, the city’s mayor was a man named Joe Dan Dwyer who, to put it kindly, was terrible. Dwyer left office while being investigated for insurance fraud, child pornography, statutory rape, bribing witnesses, and perjury. It was under Dwyer’s watch that the town’s insurance policy lapsed. Whether this was negligence or one of Dwyer’s many schemes remains unclear. But without insurance, Reed Springs had nothing to fall back on when Sally Stewart got hurt on their street. Had the news outlets reporting the story dug a little deeper, they would have found that the real villain wasn’t an injured woman but a corrupt politician who took advantage of his town’s trust. This is yet another example of how easy it is to turn public opinion against personal injury claimants.
2 www.blocklaw.com
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