THE FIRST THANKSGIVING WHAT WAS ON THE MENU?
Every Thanksgiving, we gather with our families and friends and pig out. Turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing, oh my! But did the Pilgrims actually eat all the same foods we do today? When we sit down at the Thanksgiving table, we are blessed with mashed potatoes, candied yams, green bean casserole, turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. However, if we wanted to be historically accurate, we would need to change up that dinner spread a bit. Historians know of a few foods on the table that Pilgrims and Wampanoags shared at Plymouth Colony in 1621. Wildfowl, corn (in grain form for porridge), and venison were sure to be served at the first Thanksgiving. Wild turkey was also a common and abundant food source but wasn’t likely the main course as it is today. A few days before the first Thanksgiving, the colony’s governor put four men in charge of hunting for birds for the feast, and they very likely returned with some turkey. However, as far as mashed potatoes are concerned, in the early 1600s, most Europeans and the Wampanoag had no idea what a potato was. They weren’t cultivated in North America until the 1700s. Likewise, cranberries were still very new to the Pilgrims, and they didn’t yet use them for food — instead, they used them to make dyes for fabrics!
Everything takes longer with kiddos! You can even set a false deadline for when you want to leave the house to ensure you get out on time. Charge Up Make sure all of your electronic devices are charged up well before you leave. You should also have some games and movies downloaded to entertain your children in the car or airplane. Even though most airlines have TVs, it’s better to always be prepared — and don’t forget the headphones! Have a Quality Stroller You won’t understand how helpful it is to have a good, quality stroller along with you on vacation until you have one. If you are visiting a theme park or other outdoor area or sightseeing on foot, you’ll thank yourself later for bringing along a lightweight, foldable, and reliable stroller. Bring the Snacks Nothing is worse than hungry, cranky kids! Before your trip, it’s a good idea to take the kids along with you to the store to pick out an abundance of their favorite snacks — this adds a level of excitement for them too! Going out of town with kids is never an easy feat, but these tips can help create a trip to remember this holiday season! Bon voyage! TRAVELING WITH KIDS MADE EASY BON VOYAGE! Although our Thanksgiving meals have changed over the years, it still is a fantastic time to get together and celebrate. In the spirit of evolving traditions, don’t be afraid to innovate to add your own personal traditional twist to the holiday as well! For dessert, pumpkin pie was not yet a thing either. Although the Pilgrims liked pumpkins, they didn’t have the butter and wheat flour needed to make pie crust. Instead, they hollowed out the pumpkins (just like Halloween!) and filled them with milk and honey to make a custard and then roasted them.
The holidays are here, and that calls for some cheer! However, traveling with your kids can be a hassle, especially while trying to remain healthy and safe! Getting out of town should be fun and exciting, so here are some tips to make traveling a little easier and less anxiety-inducing. Unruly kids don’t stand a chance with these tricks! Departure Matters Aim for late morning or early afternoon when booking flights or deciding what time to hit the road. The last thing you want is the added stress of being late or hitting rush-hour traffic when you're already worrying about making sure everyone packed the essentials. Also, waking the kids up super early for travel can be difficult, and nobody wants grumpy children. Time Is Your Friend When putting together a vacation itinerary, allow for lots of extra time in between events. The one thing about kids is that you never know when someone will need to use the bathroom, be sick, throw a tantrum, or need your assistance.
2 • WWW.GREATSMILESNJ.COM
Published by Newsletter Pro | www.NewsletterPro.com
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator