I was only scheduled to work on the Monday of that week, since the nanny kids would be with their grandma on Wednesday. So Monday morning I welcomed little Superman bright and early in the morning, and we spent virtually that whole morning in structured play--which certainly makes the time fly! Among other things, we worked on some turkey cookies to share between our families. Basically, we made a simple sugar cookie recipe, then decorated everything with some candy I had on hand from After-Halloween sales--m&m's and candy corn. They turned out fantastically (and were absolutely delicious to boot)!
I told the kids to smile for the camera...And they did smile. Just not for the camera... ;)
A sample of a finished product.
As it turned out, grandma wasn't able to take the kids after all, but my nanny mom got the day off on Wednesday, so it wasn't a big deal at all...She just needed me for a couple of hours that morning while she ran an errand that was of course much easier without her troupe in tow. So I enjoyed a late morning and lunch with my crew of 2+3, and their neighbors a couple houses up joined us for part of that time. Other than a somewhat fussier baby who made lunch-prep more complicated than it needed to be, it was a most enjoyable time. When the mom got home, I headed back to *my* home to get started on the Must-Have lemon meringue pies. I needed one for that evening for the Thanksgiving dinner our church holds, and one for the next day for Daddy's birthday. I should have had more than enough time to get those pies done, but about that time the Mini REALLY started giving me trouble. She was fussy, crying, needing me, refusing the bottle of milk I'd pumped that morning for her, not happy on Daddy, not happy being carried or bounced, just not happy. All she wanted to do was nurse, but then she'd tug on me while she did so. Somehow the pies still got done in time (barely), but not without a bit more stress and rush, and they weren't *quite* right this time around...a bit too soupy, even though they tasted fine. That was definitely the biggest bump in my Thanksgiving prep...and really about the only one.
Fortunately, my little Wild Card was much easier to care for on Thanksgiving itself. She just slept or quietly watched us most of the day. In the morning of course, not knowing how she'd do for the rest of the day, I hurried about doing anything that could be done ahead of time, without actually doing any cooking yet (though I did make the cranberry sauce..it needed time to chill). I cut veggies, mixed stuff and put it in the fridge to be cooked later, and cleaned the house up a bit. The one thing that did start cooking right off was the turkey. I'd found a crock-pot recipe for a turkey breast (much better for a small gathering than a full bird), and Daddy worked hard that morning to get it all put together. That bit of bird barely fit in the pot...but it cooked up fantastically, and was very much enjoyed by the carnivores. ;)
We'd invited a friend from church whose family doesn't live nearby to come over for the day, and she showed up a little after lunch. We hung out and talked and played a game she'd brought with her called Story Cubes, which is most entertaining for the imaginative mind, as it requires the players to come up with stories based on pictures on dice. The Munch very much enjoyed listening to our (extremely random but somewhat sensible) storytelling--a turtle who need a light, an alien who buys a house for beetle, a preschool class that takes a trip to Egypt... :) About midafternoon, the Mini still complying so nicely by taking a good sound little nap at just the right time, I got started making the rest of the food--a pretty straight-forward fare of stuffing, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, green beans, and sweet potatoes. It all turned out very nicely, but, I have to say, the sweet potato recipe was my highlight for the evening. Daddy likes sweet potatoes about as much as he likes squash: Basically, he will find any reason he can to not eat them, which is most tragic, in my opinion. The Munch and I and our friend like them very much though, so I found a recipe that wasn't quite as large that I figured would suit our needs. Daddy, to be polite, took a small serving to try...and then when he got seconds of a bunch of things, he took another, larger serving of the sweet potatoes!!! I was shocked...and thrilled. :) This recipe wasn't mashed or drowned in marshmallows like they often are; instead the potatoes had been 'mashed' when raw in a blender (which essentially just meant they got chopped into tiny bits), and had a chopped pecan topping on it. Apparently those 2 differences were enough to please him immensely with the outcome...And he's actually disappointed that *I* was the one to finish off that dish's leftovers today instead of him! :D Now if I could just find a way to get him to like squash..........
Our friend ended up staying the night and far into Friday as well. Partially it was a practicality...she doesn't have a car, it was frigid that day, and buses were on holiday schedules--which means very long, cold waiting times. Plus if we wanted to do any other games or activities that evening, it would make it that much later before she would be getting home--or we'd have to call the games too early. So it made sense to maximize our time together by just having an impromptu overnight guest. But it was also just the fact that she's a gal I think I could spend an entire day or 2 or 5 just sitting and talking with before we'd even begin to think we *might* be running out of things to discuss. I think we said it was time to wrap up and get her home about 4 times over the course of 3 or 4 hours on Friday before we actually finally did so. Excellent times were had by all. :)
There was one other little thing that happened during dinner that deserves its own highlight...At one point, conversation happened to center around the issue of having kids eat what is served versus making 'special orders'. I commented that if I were to slide into special order habits, I would be serving mac 'n' cheese every day to my child. Except I didn't say "Mac 'n' Cheese" because I didn't want the Munch to start asking for it when it was clear she would be denied it. So instead I spelled "M-A-C", and was perfectly understood by all adults at the table. Conversation progressed a couple of sentences, and then suddenly, the Munch shouted out, "MAC! Mmmm-Aaah-Kuh spells MAC!" to which I exclaimed, "Oh Shoot!" and clapped my hand over my mouth in surprise and laughter (our friend says the look on my face was priceless). Apparently, being able to spell over a kid's head is already out of the picture for us in this house! Yikes. :)
We celebrated Daddy's birthday a little after dinner, before the Munch went to bed. There were a couple little hiccups with that...I'd forgotten to purchase some number candles, and of course we didn't have enough candles to properly represent his age, so creativity again came into play with candle placement. Then as I tried to strike the match, the matchstick broke (they are *really* long wooden matches). Daddy grabbed the piece of match that needed striking before I could pick it back up, lit it, and proceeded to light his own candles before then blowing them out again...
We were all quite entertained. :)
We did a family picture that evening before the Munch went to bed...
...and a second bunch of pictures with just Mini and me, as I realized, after all the struggle we had to get the Munch to look at the camera for the family shots, that my hand had been covering up the picture on the Mini's outfit. Can't win them all...
The following morning, as a close to the holiday and birthday celebrations, Daddy and the Munch headed down to a sports arena where the Ringling Brother Circus was performing. It provided a fun excursion for them (the Munch's first circus!), and left the morning open for me and my friend to hang out and just chat away...Which we did with gusto; she didn't actually leave until shortly before they came back around 2 or 2:30 that afternoon.
Ready to go. Daddy specifically dressed her in the red sweater, "So that everyone will know we belong together." :)
Both of them had an excellent time...and frankly, not having to go and being able to relax at home, so did I! :) It's been a good week.
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