Eating Big, Playing Hard, and Shopping Small

Well, we’ve survived Thanksgiving weekend (so far). I’m not calling it a complete success until we get everybody out of bed and off to school Monday morning after nine late nights and Wii-filled days.

Here are a few highlights from the last few days…

•I finally put a crowbar in it and got Elfie some new ski clothes. The good part is, we won’t have trouble spotting her.

•Thanksgiving was “okay.” It was the first holiday we’d celebrated at my parents’ house since my mom died three years ago, and in hindsight, probably not the smartest choice since my cousin just died two months ago. Talk about a potentially loaded day. But we made it through. Newt  hung the second edition of his now-annual Thanksgiving poster. I personally like the guy in drag with the fork.

And I got to wear my new, rockin’ Athleta socks with a skirt and boots. Which is so adorably girlie and most unusually me.

Oh, and my husband almost poisoned us with a bloody, undercooked turkey that he’d stuffed with garlic because he has some compulsion to experiment with cooking, even for “big” events.

•We had second (leftovers) Thanksgiving the next night at my house with just my aunt and the kids. The best part was probably the board games, except when Newt flipped out and tossed the Trouble board because he was losing (I guess they don’t call it “Trouble” for nothing). He got his revenge during Apples to Apples, which meant so much more since, you know, that’s a game of skill, not luck.

And Elfie kicked Jasper’s ass in Twister. It happens when you don’t know your left paw from your right. And when you don’t have actual hands.

•We avoided Black Friday like the plague (bu-dum-dum) and finally poked our heads outside today during Small Business Saturday to pick up our season rentals at Bobo’s Mogul Mouse. We love it there because everybody knows us and yet they still let us in. Even after the time I spent five hours trying on boots over a two day period…

And we hit our favorite toy store, Learning Express Toys, where they also know us. Which makes me proud because it shows I do try really hard to shop local and stay out of places like Walmart. But it also disturbs me because, well,  people actually know me at a toy store.

The best thing about buying this huge, obnoxious Sponge Bob was that it was free because I signed up for some $25 Small Business Saturday dealie with American Express. So even though I had to buy my nephew this horrendous, stuffed ball (because the kids claimed — and were apparently correct in their assessment — that he wanted one really, really badly) at least I didn’t actually have to pay for it.

So there you have it. Worst Moms Thanksgiving weekend. All tied up in a bow. Complete with phosphorescent ski pants, bleeding turkey, dog Twister, and free, giant Sponge Bob. What more could you people want.

And it’s not even Christmas.