Not so thankful

So Thanksgiving is coming up. Not a huge stressful holiday for us like it is for many people. We don't hate our families, we don't have to travel far, etc. However, we are having a little issue this year. Typically, RF's grandma hosts lunch at noon. She has done this every year for the past 30 and every one is expected to be there. My family doesn't always do something for Thanksgiving. Usually every other year or so. In the past, we have vacationed on the holiday (we went to Grand Bear a couple of years ago to the indoor water park and had a blast) or just done a dinner either at the house or at a resturant, when we aren't feeling like cooking. Well this year is the year for my family to have something and my mom has decided to have it at 12:30.

My issue with Thanksgiving at RF's grandma's is first up, I don't get along with either of his uncle (and only barely with the aunts). One uncle and I got into about the pending smoking ban a few years ago and he hasn't spoken to me since. Basically, he thought that he could get me to back off by being a smart ass but any one that knows me, knows that isn't going to fly. So he and his wife don't speak to me. Super fun family gatherings, that. The other uncle is religious fanatic who will pin people down and preach at them if he can catch them. He also likes to talk, loudly, about many things he has no idea about and then he busts out the scripture when someone dares disagree with him. So I don't do well when I have to interact with him. I do my best to ignore him but every so often, he will get right in my face. The other issue, which is much more important to me than the personality problems of his family (MIL FIL and GMIL are great, it is just the extendeds that bother me) is that they have weird food. Besides turkey, there is very little that either I or the kids will eat. Last year, MT had pie and chocolate candy for Thanksgiving dinner because there was NOTHING else there she would even look twice at. TB does slightly better because he will eat meat, so he will eat turkey with his pie and candy. :(

On the other hand, my family makes stuff that we will all eat. We have noodles and mashed potatoes and dressing (not stuffing, sage dressing) as well as turkey and roast beef, some other side dishes and dessert. Plenty of stuff for the kids (ane me, who eats like a kid LOL) and if that isn't enough, if they simply refuse to eat the dinner, there is kid friendly food handy and I could just nuke them some easy mac.

So now RF is irritated that I don't want to go to his family dinner. I suggested that we go out at 11, see his family for a bit, leave at noon and be back here for our dinner by 12:30. He didn't seem to think that was a feasible idea but the other option is that the kids and I will pass completely. So we will see how things shake out on Thanksgiving :)

Getting going

This girl needs some serious work on getting moving in the AM. My kids leap out of bed, ready to get on with the day. Not DSD. I know she likes to sleep in, but she is sleeping in the living room and that doesn't happen around here. This morning, I woke her up at 8 when I got up at 9:30, I had to threaten to make her leave in her PJs to get her to ACTUALLY get dressed. I must have said "alright, get up and get dressed so we can leave, we are all waiting on you" at least 10 times before I finally took her blanket and she finally sat up but wouldn't get dressed. At 9, I told her "the kids are going to watch this episode of Handy Manny and then we are leaving, you have the choice of getting dressed or going to BK in your jammies" At ten after, I asked if she was going in her pajamas or if she was getting dressed. She said dressed. By 9:15, she finally had her shirt changed but she was still in her bottoms. At 9:25, I reminded her AGAIN that if she didn't get moving she was going in public in her pajamas. At 9:30, I turned off the TV and herded the littles upstairs to get shoes. She was a few moments behind but did manage to finally get her jeans on (she insists on wearing jeans no matter how hot it is). It just drives me crazy that it takes her that long to get moving in the morning, especially when I tell her repeatedly to get moving.

Tomorrow, we go boating then she going with MIL and FIL Monday Tuesday and Weds then back next weekend and so on. I'm not totally sure when she is leaving because MIL said before the 4th but she said July 6th.