Category: health

Have Your Kids Help Reduce Holiday Stress

If your house is full of kids with extra energy and you’re feeling the pressure of a long holiday to-do list, you’re not alone.

The Christmas season can be joyful, but it can also be overwhelming when it feels like everything is on your shoulders.

That’s why iMOM.com suggests letting kids be part of the holiday prep. With simple, age-appropriate tasks, kids get to contribute, feel proud of their role, and help make Christmas meaningful — and parents get a little breathing room along the way.

Earlier on The Morning Thing Monday, we shared a list of holiday helper ideas broken down by age to make it easy to get everyone involved.

Click HERE to see the full list from iMOM.com

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The WNZR staff shares what they are thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day!

Today on the Morning Thing we got the chance to talk with many of our fellow staff members!

The Big Blue Crew shared what they are thankful for on this special holiday. We are thankful for YOU! Thanks for listening and supporting WNZR! Happy Thanksgiving!

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Pop-up food distributions are happening!

We sat down with Austin Swallow, the Food For The Hungry Board President! They are getting started early this year by helping families with some pop-up food distributions in our community.

Austin tells us the motivation behind these events and he gives us the details on one happening very soon! He also talks about the upcoming Food For The Hungry Drive happening in December.

To learn more about FFTH click HERE!

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Thanksgiving is 1 week away! Are you ready?

Today, The Morning Thing shared some great advice on how to prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Here are some great tips that we found online to help you plan ahead and be ready to enjoy this special holiday.

🛒 1. Plan and Shop

  • Finalize your menu. Decide exactly what dishes you’ll serve (and what guests might bring).
  • Make a detailed grocery list. Include all ingredients, drinks, and supplies like foil, plastic wrap, and napkins.
  • Do your big grocery run. Get non-perishables, frozen items, and anything that can store well for a week. (Avoid the last-minute rush!)
  • Order your turkey. If you haven’t yet, make sure it’s purchased or reserved.

🦃 2. Prep the Turkey

  • If you bought a frozen turkey, move it to the fridge to thaw — it can take up to 4–5 days depending on the size.
  • Check you have a roasting pan, thermometer, and carving knife.

🍽️ 3. Get Your Kitchen Ready

  • Clean out the fridge to make space for ingredients and leftovers.
  • Sharpen knives and clean cookware, baking sheets, and serving dishes.
  • Label serving platters or sticky-note them (“mashed potatoes here,” “stuffing here”) to stay organized.

🏡 4. Prepare Your Home

  • Clean main areas (kitchen, dining room, bathrooms, entryway).
  • Plan table seating and décor. Make sure you have enough chairs, plates, glasses, and utensils.
  • Set aside time to decorate — candles, fall centerpieces, or a festive tablecloth go a long way.

🕒 5. Plan the Timeline

  • Create a cooking schedule for the week and Thanksgiving Day. (e.g., pies the day before, casseroles in the morning, turkey in at noon.)
  • Make a to-do list for each day leading up to the holiday.

👪 6. Coordinate with Guests

  • Confirm who’s coming and what time they’ll arrive.
  • Double-check who’s bringing what dishes or drinks.
  • Plan for any dietary needs (vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.).

🍰 7. Start Early Prep

  • Make and freeze pie dough, casseroles, or rolls if possible.
  • Chop veggies ahead of time and store them in labeled containers.
  • Prepare any make-ahead dishes like cranberry sauce or gravy base.
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Get Out and Experience God’s Beauty During Fall!

We love the “Places to Go This Fall” Planner from Ordinary & Happy because it encourages you to look a little closer to home. Sure, those famous parks and big cities are stunning this time of year—but sometimes we miss the beauty, the community, and the fun happening right in our own towns.

This planner is a great way to think about nearby parks, local events, and simple meet-ups with friends and family to soak in the season.

Click HERE to see the list at Ordinary and Happy.com

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Are you ready for some Fall FUN with your family?

Today on The Morning Thing, we shared 20 different ways to spend some quality time together as a family. This list of great ideas comes from Crosswalk.com

Click HERE to see the full list.

Here are some of our favorites:

* Host a Family Movie Night

Everybody loves family movie night. Typically, there is a theme like all the movies in a series or even a certain genre. 

* Cook Together

Cook a cozy, comforting meal together. We all know that family dinner time is important, so make it more special by preparing a meal together. Think meatloaf and mashed potatoes, cozy casseroles, and comforting soups. You could even try a recipe or two that you’ve never made before to shake things up. It can be as extravagant or as simple as you wish. 

* Make a Thankful Wall

Get a whiteboard or bulletin board and hang it where everyone in the family can see it. Buy either dry-erase markers or post-it notes and push pins. Each week, have everyone write what they are thankful for so everyone can see it. Then on Friday nights at dinner, talk about your week and the things you are grateful for. 

* Go Out for Breakfast

Breakfast is not only the most important meal of the day, it’s also cheaper than going out to lunch or dinner. Get up early on a Saturday morning and head to your favorite breakfast joint. Don’t forget to keep an eye out online, in your email, and also your snail mail for coupons. You can also go directly to the website and see if there are any specials going on as well. Enjoy the restaurant’s fall specials, like pumpkin pancakes or pumpkin spice coffee.

* Attend a Fall Festival 

Do some research and see if there are any fall festivals in your town or neighboring towns. If so, spend the day together as a family. There will be lots of things to see and do, and it will do you good to be out in the crisp, fall air.

* Make S’mores

S’mores are a staple in the fall, so fire up the bonfire or fire pit and gather ‘round. However, you don’t always have to make the traditional graham cracker, marshmallow, and Hershey bar kind. There are tons of variations online. 

I have seen s’mores made with horizontal slices of granny smith apples with caramel melted in the middle. Chocolate chip cookies with marshmallows and a chocolate bar melted in the middle. And s’mores made with chocolate graham crackers, peppermint patties, and marshmallows in the middle. There are lots of delicious variations, so have fun. You could even make several kinds and have friends over to enjoy after family dinner. 

* Sleep Under the Stars

Pitch a tent or two and sleep under the stars one night as a family. Sit around the fire pit and talk, admire the moon and the stars, and thank God for his creation. Slow down and enjoy the surrounding nature.

Thanks to the author for these great ideas!
Carrie Lowrance is a freelance writer and author. She has had her work featured on Crosswalk, iBelieve, Huffington Post, and the Penny Hoarder. She is also the author of three children’s books, three clean romance books, one romance novella, three books of poetry, and one non-fiction book. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and baking, reading, and hanging out with her husband, and sweet cat, Cupcake. You can find out more about Carrie and her writing at www.carrielowrance.com.

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Do you want to simplify your life? Check out this blog!

Today, The Morning Thing shared some small ways to make life simpler. These tips are from The Positivity Blog. They remind us that life does NOT have to be so hard.

See the full list of 23 small ways to make life simpler HERE.

Here are some of our favorites:

1. Breathe.

When stressed, lost in a problem (or a mistake) or the past or future in your mind breathe with your belly for two minutes and just focus on the air going in and out.

These deep breaths will calm your body down and bring your mind back into the present moment again.

2. Do one thing at a time.

You’ll get better results and feel better and less stressed while doing those things.

3. Write it all down.

Use your mind for better things than remembering what to do. And the mind is often like a leaky bucket.

So write down all your great ideas, insights and thoughts before they go missing somewhere and add what you need to do to a to-do list.

4. Stop trying to do things perfectly. 

It will only get you stuck and drain your self-esteem.

Go for good enough instead and when you are there you are done. Get things all the way to done this way and then move on to the next thing.

5. Pack your bag before you go to bed.

Then you don’t have to get stressed out by that in morning and you are less likely to forget something.

6. Ask yourself simplifying questions every day.

Questions like:

  • What is the most important thing I can do right now?
  • What is one small step I can take to simplify this situation?

7. Keep everything in its place.

If everything has its own place then it is whole lot easier to keep your home reasonably ordered and decluttered from day to day.

This also helps you with your inner stillness as the outer environment affects how you feel on the inside.

8. Write shorter emails.

I tend to write emails containing only a few sentences, usually between one and five. If you focus on keeping it short and focused then you’ll probably discover that this is a good solution in most cases.

9. Ask instead of guessing.

Reading minds is hard. So, instead ask questions and communicate.

This will help you to minimize unnecessary conflicts, misunderstandings, negativity and waste of time and energy.

10. Check everything just once a day.

I check my email inboxes, blog statistics, my online earnings, Twitter and Facebook just once a day.

I combine all that checking into one small daily ritual at the end of my workday so I don’t slip and go checking it more during the day and waste my energy and attention.

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WNZR talks with Amy Seward from the Knox County Emergency Management Agency!

We got to talk with Amy Seward, who is the Deputy Director of the KCEMA! In honor of it being National Preparedness Month, Amy wanted to tell us why and how we should be preparing for disasters. She also details her role, what they do, and how you can stay connected!

For more information on National Preparedness Month, click HERE!

Click HERE if you want to know more about the Knox County Emergency Management Agency!

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How to be Happy!

Today on The Morning Thing, we celebrated Happiness Happens Month! This is a month that highlights the things that make you happy on a day-to-day basis.

We shared some daily, monthly, and even yearly habits that are geared towards making you happier! With a little time and practice, you’ll be able to figure out which habits are good for your lifestyle.

To learn more about Happiness Happens Month, click HERE!

For the full list of habits, click HERE!

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There is still time for summer!

Today, on The Morning Thing, we shared some great ideas for a late summer picnic! There is still time to get outside while the weather is good, so take this opportunity, grab some food, and have some fun!

There is 100+ great ideas for creative and classic food!

Click HERE to view the full list!

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