Im back. I'm not better than ever...and I'm pretty sure this is not going to be an ongoing thing.
But every once and a while, I have this urge to kinda to drag a soapbox out....over nothing noble....just over things I have an overwhelming urge to complain about. And I want to complain about this....
http://www.makeandtakes.com/memory-making-ideas-for-thanksgiving
10 ideas for making this year's thanksgiving more memorable.
I clicked on it....cause I needed to know....Darn it, I needed to know how to make my Thanksgiving more memorable. Because look at those two kids in the upper left hand corner...don't they look like that THIS year's Thanksgiving tops all. That kid is SO thankful. She has a sign that said it, so it must be true!!!
If you dont want to bother and click to find out how to have the most memorable Thanksgiving ever, I can save you the suspense...
The memorable thanksgiving ideas are as follows: (You may need to write this down)
1. You can make a Styrofoam turkey marionette while your Real Turkey bakes away in the oven. You can dance it in front of your mom and ask 20 times over, is the turkey done yet? Is it done yet? Is it done?
2. Mayflower place cards....These mayflower paper boats are filled with peanuts and Pumpkin candies. If you want to go authentic though...fill it with salted beef and stale cheese. Watch the children's smiles form and then...
3. Take selfies with those pilgrim and indian cutouts, to post on facebook, so you can assure your friends that YOUR Thanksgiving is whimsical and carefree.
4. Make some wreaths and a chalkboard sign...
5 And a banner that says Thankful...in case some one comes into your home....and they are not thankful....they can see the banner and the chalkboard sign and say, "ohhh...that's right...THANKSgiving. Thanks burlap."
6. Make Thankful turkey's and ignore the fact that your 4 year old will assure you they made these at preschool already, and at church, and at playgroup, as well as your 8 year old's pleas of "Do I have to make this preschool craft?" Assure her, Yes, you do. I need to post it on facebook so everyone knows you are thankful for food, your house, and your ipad. The site says this is to be done so your child doesn't think Thanksgiving is all about the food....which leads me to the next listed suggestion...
7.It's about the food...Pumpkin Rolls. ...Gosh Mom....remember when you made that Pumpkin Roll...Now THAT was some memorable Thanksgiving.
8. Exciting new side dish recipes. (That's how it was worded. And just when you thought Cranberry sauce couldn't get more exciting...)
9. Also not to be outdone by exciting new side dish recipes...there is also a link to ...hold your breath....exciting new dessert recipes. And...AND it's....it's ...no get this...it's pumpkin flavored. Pumpkin! The official gourd of fall. It's in your coffee creamer....its in your bread...and now it's in your dessert!
10. A link to a site where you need 911 help in case you forget how long your turkey is supposed to cook or when you are on the edge of ruining Thanksgiving because you don't have cream of tarter....
Ok all that being said....I have to say. I am a crafty girl. I paint. I do have my kids craft when the mood hits them. I have what seems like an endless supply of scrapbook paper and a tub of assorted acrylic paint. I make cutesy signs that say things like "ya'll" and "The Best Things in Life aren't Things" and stuff like that...so I am not naïve to the irony of this point that the craft girl is blogging about burlap banners.
But that's not really my point. ....
You think you know me so well...
My point is....the title of this bit.
10 ideas for Thanksgiving, to make this year more memorable.
None of this junk makes Thanksgiving memorable. None of it.
And while I love me some pinterest...I remember the mayflower boats, and the turkey puppets aren't what the kids are going to rememeber....
Well mainly mine aren't going to remember because, this mother is not making turkey puppets with them. I have to scout out Black Friday ads.
The crafts, the just so perfect place settings, the "exciting new dessert(- as advertised)", the 15 hundred thanksgiving pictures of your overflowing table you post on facebook with the hashtag "blessed"....no. It will be forgotten.
Do you know what I remember about Thanksgiving every year? Pajamas.
Pajamas. My brother and I would wake up sometime before 10ish to the smell of turkey, a whirring of a mixer which was either filled with canned sweet potatoes or pound cake batter and plop down on the floor to watch the Macy's parade, in pajamas until it was over. And that's pretty much my memories of Thanksgiving. Macy's Parade. Sweet potatoes. Pound Cake. Pajamas. And my family.
We don't have to try so hard. These kids, the things they remember, are not usually the things we put out on facebook. It's not the perfect picture we snap, on the 16th try. It's not the prep work. It's not any of this. It's in the moments where we step away from all that, and just enjoy the day.
My plans this year? I'll be with my husband's family....and I'm planning on jammies and Macy's. I'm not planning any facebook photos of that.
#memories
