4 Ways to a Less Stressful Thanksgiving at Your Home

 

Isn't Thanksgiving so great? It's one of the least stressful holidays for me personally. 

Fourth of July finds me worrying about burns and blown-off fingers and how many people are in the swimming pool. 

Christmas finds me frantically wrapping presents for days on end, holed up in the bedroom trying to hide what I'm doing, tossing a ring pop out the door now and then to keep my kids happy for a while. 

Comparatively speaking, Thanksgiving is a walk in the holiday park! Here are some ideas for making it even less stressful that I have learned over the years (since moving into our bigger house where we host a lot of parties!).

BEFORE: Instead of purchasing GladWare, saving up plastic containers (whipped cream, sour cream, lunchmeat, etc.), or loaning out your favorite Tupperware, (hoping it will come back to you someday), ask guests to bring a few small containers of their own to take leftovers home in. If they forget, put out some aluminum foil and paper plates for them. 

HOW THIS HELPS YOU: This puts the leftovers ball in their court and you can relax and enjoy the day while they are getting all packed up.

BEFORE: Put several extra empty trash bags at the bottom of your kitchen trash can.

HOW THIS HELPS YOU:  When a wonderful guest offers to take out the trash for you, they won't have to ask you where more bags are. You're hosting a party and you're busy! Sometimes during a party my kitchen is so full I can't even wade through the people to get to the empty trash bags, so that eliminates that problem as well. (Also, I tend to get distracted easily and forget what I was doing before I was interrupted, so...)

BEFORE: Yes, I know it's bad for the environment and clogs up the landfills. Just buy sturdy and large paper plates, as well as plastic cups and silverware. Don't forget to also purchase small paper plates for desserts. Forget the soda for kids and just get Capri Sun juice pouches (you know they make purses out of the empty pouches, right?).

HOW THIS HELPS YOU: Obviously you won't have to do dishes if they are all in the trash. If you have a compost pile, even better.

BEFORE: Put a cloth or paper tablecloth on the main table.

HOW THIS HELPS YOU: If it's paper, just take it off after everyone leaves and throw it away. If it's cloth, toss it in the washing machine. This saves you time wiping down a very messy table and then probably also having to sweep the floor as well. 

Now it's time to relax for the evening and watch Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Or check out my helpful post about How to Have a Happy Thanksgiving from 2015 :-)

How Breast Cancer Is Diagnosed – 5 Early Warning Signs

 

Breast cancer is far more prevalent than one might think. No one wants to consider that they may have this life-threatening disease, but there are a few things you can do to ensure that you pick up the early warning signs.

Apart from visiting your doctor and having a mammogram, there are a few things you can do to pick up the early warning signs that something may be wrong.

5 Early Warning Signs of Breast Cancer 

Here are five early warning signs of breast cancer that can help with early detection:

1. Finding a hard lump either inside your underarm or feeling a thickening or hard knot inside your breast tissue.
2. A swelling, redness, warmth, or a darkening of the color of your breast.
3. Changes in the size or shape of your breast.
4. The skin on your breast starts to dimple or pucker.
5. You detect a discharge from your nipple.

Should you experience any of these signs, then it is recommended by the FDA that you request a mammogram from your doctor.

Do Not Ignore These Warning Signs

If you experience the five warning signs above together with any unexplained weight loss, fatigue, fever, persistent pain, and signs of jaundice, then it’s best to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, more people are living longer after an early cancer diagnosis. The disease is generally easier to treat the earlier you can receive a firm diagnosis and receive treatment.

More research is required on the causes of breast cancer Orange county's City of Hope. is investing billions of dollars to break new ground in its quest to bring new information to light on this potentially devastating disease. Remember, routine screenings will help with an early breast cancer diagnosis.

How To Obtain Services When You're Homeless

 

Image by Q K from Pixabay 

On any given night, over 550,000 individuals in the U.S. experience homelessness. This is due to any number of conditions. No matter what the situation, they require assistance to get their lives back in order. 

Even though many of these people and families feel they're alone, numerous agencies are available to help them. Here are a few options to obtain services when you're homeless.

Basic Tips for Personal Investment in the Stock Market

 

Image by Ahmad Ardity from Pixabay 

Stock market investment is the most unpredictable form of personal investment. Such a high-risk-high-reward environment requires an investor to be on their toes for new financial opportunities. If you have recently acquired your first stocks or you are looking to invest, here are some basic tips to prepare yourself for a successful stock market career.  

Picture Your Investment Goals

You should ask yourself, why do you want to invest in the first place? Your investment aspirations should be attainable and entirely feasible. Do not try to use investing as a get-rich-quick scheme. This intention isn't realistic, and while it is possible to increase your personal wealth by investing in the stock market, it will not happen overnight. Growing your earnings will take a lot of time, dedication, and experience. Raw ambition may prompt you to invest unwisely.

Buy Low But Not Too Low

Buying cheap stocks, also known as penny stocks, may seem like a great idea if you're new to the world of stocks and bonds. You may think that they are a lower risk when compared to pricier stocks, but cheap stocks are actually more unstable because they are not subject to regulation, and you are more likely to lose money. Penny stocks are also inclined to be involved in penny stock scams, and they are harder to sell when you want to get rid of them.

Be Logical About Your Investment Decisions

In January of 2020, well-known entrepreneur Elon Musk tweeted about "using Signal." Investors started pouring money into a company with the word "signal" in its name, drastically inflating its stock prices. Musk later clarified that he was talking about a business that was completely unrelated to the one that had garnered so much attention. He also explained that his tweet was simply stating that people should use its app services more often, not that they should invest in it.

This incident illustrates how important it is to be rational about your investment decisions and not fall prey to hype. Letting emotions and impulsivity dictate one's actions is a common investing mistake to watch out for.

Stay Well Informed

Even if you lead a busy lifestyle, you should always make time to learn more about investing. Consider subscribing to a specialty magazine for personal finance articles or buying books on relevant topics. You can also surf the web for free informative content. Prominent bankers like Julio Herrera Velutini have a plethora of articles on their blogs for investors of all experience levels.

Don't Trade Too Often

Review your portfolio quarterly and keep track of long-term trends in all company stocks. Checking your stocks more often than that may make you feel antsy, especially if a company experiences a hiccup. Such changes are likely to be temporary and selling that stock could end up hurting you.

If the stock's decrease is severe, research the reasons for the downturn before making any permanent decisions.

Investing in the stock market doesn't have to be incredibly complicated, and you do not have to be a billionaire to get started. Following these general guidelines will help you make smart investment decisions.

75 (and Counting) Clean Movies with Minimal Sex/Nudity (updated regularly)

*"Clean" means different things to different people. My kids are 12 and up, so violence and cussing are not things I worry about as much as others might need to. It's the visual sex and the messages sent that I am now trying to watch out for. Definitely watch out for some of the PG-13 movies and make sure to read what others have posted.

I have to admit, we have watched some questionable movies. Sometimes we'll put on a movie for the family that we enjoyed once (pre-kids), and then we realize ... "Oh wow, I forgot about that inappropriate part." (examples: why does the guy have to be naked at the start of Die Hard 2, and why does there have to be a poster of a naked woman on the wall as Bruce Willis walks by in Die Hard?)

But it's never too late to turn things around! A quick trip to the IMDb website parent guide, which my best friend told me about now solves all that. (just go to IMDb site and search for the movie or show title, then scroll down to Parents Guide) If something is rated R, don't freak out. Sometimes movies are rated R for something like smoking ;-)

It goes further than Common Sense Media in that it explains specific instances and scenes. I'm okay with most language (hate when God's name is taken in vain though), and some violence is fine, but the sexual stuff that's inserted even in kid movies is just so unnecessary! There's a section at the top called Sex and Nudity and it shows instances and describes them so you can make an informed decision about watching the movie or not.

BONUS: Many of these movies are based on true stories and count as educational history!

Check out this list of movies, vetted by my girlfriend for her family of 7 boys and 2 girls 😀 plus a few of my own. And PLEASE leave your ideas in the Comments section or email them to me at mommykerrie@yahoo.com so I can check them out and add them!

All the Marvel movies (except for the Iron Man movies)

Captain Phillips

Courageous

Dunkirk

Godzilla movies (newer ones, 1998 and 2014)

Goosebumps

Hunger Games series (four movies)

In the Heart of the Sea

Inception

Interstellar

Lincoln

Night at the Museum (and 2 sequels) — We've seen this many times and I didn't realize how clean it was! Sam requested it for his 12th-birthday night movie after his homemade sushi dinner. 

Pacific Rim and sequel

Pursuit of Happyness

          Quiet Place 1 and 2 

Source Code

The Bourne Identity (and sequels)

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (we read the book first as a family for homeschooling, then watched the movie ... be prepared to be depressed afterward)

The Eagle

The Giver

The Greatest Showman (one of our family's favorites!)

The Impossible

The Maze Runner

There be Dragons

True Grit (the newer one)

Vantage Point

Walk the Line (Johnny Cash)

My Family's Recommendations (movies we have seen or want to see again or for the first time):

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Because of Winn-Dixie Just started this book with 12-year-old Sam (November 2021), then we'll watch the movie.

Cast Away (male butt cheek)

Cheaper by the Dozen (how could I forget this one?!) but NOT the second one

Chef (read the sex/nudity stuff before watching with your kids, depending on their ages)

Cinderella Man

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2012)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Evan Almighty

Good Will Hunting

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Little Women (2019) We've read the Junior Classics version of this book, and need to watch the movie!

McFarland USA (it says 7 instances, but one instance says "there is absolutely no sex or nudity" and then it goes on to talk about things like a married couple kissing or a brief shot of a shirtless man, so you do need to read it!)

Me Before You (fantastic date night at home movie, but the message about self-euthanasia is something to watch out for and discuss)

Moneyball

RED (Retired Extremely Dangerous) (my aunt recommended this one forever ago, so I recently checked it out and was shocked that it had zero sex/nudity and only 1 instance of profanity) (Update: if anyone in your household is triggered by being tied up or women with duct tape on their mouth and a bit of cleavage showing at the same time, skip this one. Keep an eye on the "violence" category in IMDB as well, because something like this was not in the "sex/nudity" category and also I didn't realize that people just like you and I are the ones leaving these notes.)

The Princess Diaries (2001) *Cheerleaders and bathing suits at a beach party*

That Thing You Do

The Terminal

Twister (I was typing up some Science stuff for homeschooling and this movie came into my mind, so I looked it up and it's clean!)

Wall-E

Walt before Mickey

Yes Day

Recommendations Found Online:

A Boy Called Po

A Little Game

All is Lost

Arrival

August Rush

Cool Runnings

Finding Neverland

Glengarry Glen Ross

Hachi: A Dog's Tale

Heart of the Country

High Strung

Locke

Major Payne

Martian Child

Mr. Church

National Treasure (cleavage)

Storm Rider

The Great Gilly Hopkins

The Intouchables (subtitles)

The King's Speech

The Truman Show

Waffle Street

Your Recommendations: 

Have seen but won't watch again with the kids:

Bedtime Stories (or anything by Adam Sandler, sadly)

Pixels

Image by Devon Breen from Pixabay