Lots of our friends travel several hours – or more – to be with family at the holidays. Overnight visits, early morning flights and cranky kids (or husbands) are par for the course. Other people I know host huge gatherings in their homes, cooking enormous turkeys that require brining or stuffing or something, cleaning every corner and decorating every surface.
Our holidays are a bit simpler, although still stressful. (Let’s be honest – what occasion that involves family isn’t?) Because we’re fortunate enough to live near both of our families while still living in a small (read: not big enough for a crowd) house, we get the pleasure of driving all over the metropolitan area for three days.
I think it’s safe to say that whether you travel or “stay home” like we do, this week is the beginning of a month-long marathon.
All [three] of our family dinners are potlucks. I really can’t imagine showing up at a family dinner without a casserole dish full of something, to be honest. This is how our families have always done it, and I like it that way. I’m not saying that nobody wants to eat a whole meal prepared by my dear grandma, but, well, we don’t. Besides, this gives me the chance to try out a few new recipes.
Here are my plans for the rest of the week:
Thursday:
- Wake up early enough to shower before Annalyn gets up.
- Fix – and eat – a real breakfast, so I’m not tempted to nibble all morning long!
- Enjoy watching the Macy’s parade without Mark’s usual [annoying] commentary (because he’ll either be still at work or asleep).
- Make baked beans (Mark style) and green bean casserole (Pioneer Woman style).
- Head west for Thanksgiving lunch at my cousin’s house.
- Let my parents feed Annalyn. Let my cousin think that Mark made the beans. (Shhh! Don’t tell!)
- Go home in time for a late nap – for everyone.
- Enjoy a quiet Thanksgiving evening at home and watch the Plaza lights come on…on TV.
- Try to convince Mark to rent Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
Friday:
- Get up early to do only the most necessary Black Friday shopping.
- Or not. I haven’t decided yet.
- Wave goodbye to Mark and Annalyn as they leave for a day at my father-in-law’s farm.
- Convince myself to make the most of my day “off” with productivity and not relaxation.
- Make broccoli and rice casserole, two pans of cheesy potatoes and creamy cheese grits with chilies.
- Vacuum and clean the bathroom. Decide that’s good enough.
- Relax in the little time “off” I have left, probably picking up a book off my fall reading list.
- Get the whole family – and the food – into the car. Head to my parents’ house.
- Enjoy family togetherness and (hopefully) little-to-no drama.
Saturday:
- Get up – and moving – super early to get the whole family dressed for photos.
- Make it to the portrait studio early – or, more realistically, on time. Endure photo torture.
- Drive to my aunt’s house to make candy with all the “girls” in the family.
- Join my family for lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant.
- Go home and take nap. Or get ready for dinner. But I suspect the nap may win.
- Serve dinner to in-laws.
- Count minutes until Thanksgiving is officially over.
- Catch up on missed TV shows on Hulu with Mark.
Sunday: REST.
What about you? What are your plans?
We’re moving. Yep. Happy Thanksgiving! It’s actually a good move for us – from Iowa to Texas {where we’re from}. So for the first time in ages, we will be celebrating the holidays this year with family. Before this, we always stayed home – didn’t have time off work and driving 12+ hours with two kids wasn’t feasible for a three day trip.
First off.. Doesn’t Pioneer Woman ROCK!!! Seriously! I’ve never made her Green Bean Casserole, but it’s on my list.. Looks good, and I’m not a fan of the regular GB casserole.
Well, since we live in the great state of Texas, I’ll be getting clothes ready considering the high today is 83 and the high tomorrow is like 50..
We do all our traveling in one day. We leave around 11, drive 2hrs southwest and hit the inlaws for a short visit…(Thank you Jesus). Then we head an hr north to my family where it will be food, chaos and screaming kids for the next 5 or six hours. We will head home that even and hope our son sleeps for the 2 hr drive back home so we can NOT listen to Nemo.. Then Friday, I will cook just my little family our Thanksgiving dinner and we put up the Christmas tree. Saturday, we forget all the holiday mess and head to a Mavs game… Sunday.. Sunday is a day of rest.. (after church).. Awe.. the holidays… Have a Blessed Thanksgiving…
Oh, by the way.. have you checked out dealspl.us? I’m probably behind, but I just found this little treasure yesterday and I think it will take the place of my black friday shopping. May not save as much, but not having anyone steal things from my buggy makes it worth it to me.. =)
we are simply going to my inlaws house for the day. I’m bringing an appetizer (Texas Caviar) and rolls. The girls and I are going Black Friday shopping (only because they want to…I don’t have much of a desire to). Then we actually leave on sunday or monday morning for vacation.
My husband always does Thanksgiving parade commentary too. I don’t expect silence or anything while we watch it (because I am generally frantically trying to get a few things done), but I could do without quite so many comments too.
Have safe travels! Sounds like a busy weekend.
Mary, I honestly have to say that reading this makes me thankful for my uneventful, just-the-five-of-us, slightly depressing and lonely, Thanksgiving. Our families are all far away (we see them at Christmas) so Thanksgiving is just our little family. And . . . get this! . . . you know how much I love to cook . . . we’re going OUT for Thanksgiving dinner. To Maggiano’s. Yum! My kids are excited about this. Probably because I cook so much during the rest of the year, they don’t worry too much about my not cooking Thanksgiving dinner. And that’s pretty much it. Whew!
Ohhhh, Maggiano’s for Thanksgiving. What a fantastic idea!! If we didn’t have so many family obligations, I would definitely do that.
That is one heck of a schedule! I am off to make brussels sprouts (blech, but my husband loves them) this morning. I’m also making this yummy looking dip: http://memoriesoncloverlane.blogspot.com/2010/11/recipe-that-will-make-your-life-easier.html. It’s kind of like a Greek brushetta I guess? I’m going to pass on Black Friday shopping this year. There are too many good deals online, or I just go to TJ Maxx. We are only really buying for the kids in the family this year, so it’s not too overwhelming. Tomorrow we are going to see my family and I’m making PW’s mocha brownies. Chocolate. Coffee. Frosting. Ahhhhhhh. Happy Thanksgiving!