What does one do when your normal family of 5 becomes a family of 10+? Costco of course. At the end of October, John’s Uncle Monte had some health issues which brought the whole family from Scottsbluff, Nebraska to Denver for an extended stay. And, because we have a huge house with plenty of room, it was a foregone conclusion that we’d host the family and try and make things as comfortable as possible for them while here. I can’t imagine the whirlwind of emotion and activity that they were experiencing, and so if I could provide a little stability in that time, I was happy to do so. Plus, you all know I love to cook for the masses. Anyway, I’ve always said I don’t feel like I get my money’s worth from the bulk shopping stores because we simply don’t need 15 cans of black olives at one time. But, I was happy to put that membership to good use this month!
And, a few days later what is one to do with all of the leftovers that come with feeding a larger family? At our house we have Leftover Cafe and my kids think it’s the greatest thing ever. Now, we have to do this when it’s just me and the 3 small humans, because despite what John says, he sucks at eating leftovers. I make a menu, escort them to their table and treat them like they’re in a 5-star restaurant. Win/win for both sides because I start to hyperventilate when there are too many Tupperware dishes in my fridge. I’ve been known to throw something out the day after we first eat it because my fridge is disorderly.
Meanwhile, Malory was very busy editing photos on my phone. She has a future as a makeup artist in Hollywood, don’t you think?
So, here’s a funny story. One morning this month, John was making his coffee on his way out the door in the morning. I was busy feeding kids and making lunches and had the Today show on in the background. John glanced at the screen and said “Is what’s-her-name pregnant AGAIN?” I was super busy, and only peeked at the screen to see several of the female news anchors, so I said “I don’t know who you’re talking about.” He left, I took kids to school and the morning continued. But, as I was loading the dishwasher a short time later I looked at the TV and saw Savannah Guthrie on the screen and wondered if he was talking about her. So, I Googled to be sure she wasn’t pregnant and then sent him a text. He replied with some sort of “Really? Well, she sure looks like she is. Bad choice of dress this morning.” At this point, I decided to give him an example of what a real stomach looks like when we’re not sucking it in….you know like 99.9% of the women in the world 99.9% of the time. At any given moment, I can make myself look like I am well into my 2nd trimester just by pushing it out a wee bit. See?
And, since this is the beginning of the “eating season” that isn’t likely to get smaller anytime soon. Speaking of Thanksgiving, I think in all Kindergarten classes around the world, they have the ritual assignment of “Disguise the Turkey.” The idea is that you have to give the turkey a new identity to keep the farmer from killing him for Thanksgiving dinner. In our house, we’ve had a farmer (clever, right?), a golfer, a chef, and a ballerina. This year was Malory’s turn, and after thinking long and hard about what would be the best disguise, she came up with a Mermaid. Because, of course. Secretly, I think she just wanted to use as much glitter and sequins as possible to toy with her mother. Finished product was pretty good though…
Next up in the mad dash toward Turkey Day is the Kindergarten Feast. On the Sign-Up Genius, there were spots to sign up for lunchmeat turkey, potato chips, green salad, fruit salad, cupcakes….exactly like the Pilgrims and Indians enjoyed. Because the feast was at 9:30 in the morning, I decided to forego the lunchmeat and supply these turkeys instead.
Before we knew it, Thanksgiving was upon us. So, I got promptly to work making…..reservations. After the busy month of house guests and house showings, I decided that my desire to cook the multi-course feast was nil. We grabbed the in-laws and off we went to Oceanaire for seafood, followed by our standard cocktail assortment at home. It’s tradition after all. And, because it wouldn’t be the beginning of the holiday season if we didn’t, we put on our best Christmas jammies and watched Christmas Vacation for the 400th time. A good time was had by all…..
One last thing for the month….I love to play board games and wish I did it more often. You know who doesn’t like board games? I’ll give you one guess. So, it’s a wonder that he agreed to play one of my faves, The Farming Game, with Jackson and I. This look on his face sums up his feelings about the outcome. Farming is hard. Also, he’s a sore loser.
