Pre-Thanksgiving Celebrations

Our children are at the age where every holiday brings more crafts, activities and build-up than one could imagine.  That’s not true, I can totally imagine it all.  And not just because I’m living it now, but because I lived it 25 years ago and loved it then.  Truth be told I still love it now, even if it does often feel like pressure and stress.  Here’s to a resolution to making these things fun and not stressful!

Part of the problem with that stress thing is that once I do something special with the kids, I’ve set the bar.  And Sam remembers the bar, and often asks for the bar to be repeated if not raised going forward.  Example: I packed and “activity snack” for a road trip.  String your fruit loops onto a string, make a necklace, then eat it.  After that, Sam wasn’t pleased to be handed a bag of pretzels in the car and asked what the corresponding activity was.  Grr.

Such was the case with our Thanksgiving Turkey Snack this year.  I bought the supplies to use as an “activity snack” at the playdate I hosted for Annabelle’s class.  With the extras I let the kids make one gummy turkey per day until supplies ran out.  They LOVED it.  Score for me!  Until Thanksgiving was over and Sam asked what the Christmas equivalent would be.  “Oh, umm…I’m making 20 dozen cookies this weekend.  I’ll let you know when they’re finished!”

While I might have scored with the gummy turkeys, this mama definitely failed when it came to Annabelle’s Thanksgiving feast this year.  Last year I was Sam’s room mom, so I had to be there.  And yes, lots of parents were, but not all.  This year Annabelle’s class went all out – matching shirts that one’s grandma made, face paint, and all but 2 parents showing up.  Guess who one of the two was?  Yup.  Me.  I accidentally scheduled work on the same day and, because preschool was half day the next day, couldn’t change it.  So I have no pictures at the feast.  But I am told she ate 9 chicken nuggets.  And I’m still eating my mommy guilt.

Sam’s kindergarten pow-wow (really?  We can still do/call it that?) happened without any notice from the teacher and zero desire for parent participation.  A blessing and a curse.  We did, however, get to help with what turned out to be the coolest feather on their class turkey.  In what grade does “family homework” end?

The Friday before Thanksgiving Annabelle did get to attend an event together, a Thanksgiving Playdate at church.  In addition to playing, the kids made some cute little snack for themselves and some sweet cards for each member of the church staff.  Since most of the staff is off on Fridays, we were able to deliver their cards, and a snack, to their desks as a surprise upon their return to work.  They really enjoyed that.  And Annabelle received the sweetest thank you note from one of our pastors in the mail!  And I have to say, as much as our kids bicker with each other, it is clear that they miss one another when they’re apart.  Annabelle could not hear of heading home before she’d had a chance to make one Oreo turkey and one Goldfish/Popcorn turkey for Sam.

Finally, in case you are keeping track, this is in fact the second year that Annabelle has worn that same turkey shirt, and the third year she has been able to pull off the same Thanksgiving tutu.  Rock on my tiny girl!