The Zombie Turkey and Thanksgiving Fun

I woke up late for Thanksgiving meal prep.  I decided to take a laid back approach to the normally super stress filled day of cooking.  I should probably turn in my mommy card. I slept in and I don’t regret it.

As I was washing and drying the turkey my son hesitantly reached out and poked the raw bird.  “Wash your hands NOW,” I ordered. Images of him putting his salmonella hands on his toys and in his mouth flooded my head.  “Do not touch anything!”

A few minutes later, I felt the heavy weight of anxious eyes pressing against my back.  Pork Chop’s eyes were glued to the turkey. I was massaging it with butter.

“What?? What’s wrong?”

“Mommy, am I going to turn into a turkey?”

“What?!”

“You said to wash my hands fast.  It’s a dead, right? I did wash them but I don’t know if I washed them good enough.  What if I turn into a turkey?”

“You can’t turn into a turkey…you turkey!”

A little while later, I hear maniacal laughter, (maybe cinnamon rolls were a bad idea for breakfast), followed by a soft thud and both kids crying.  They bumped heads. It must have hurt.

After I calmed them down, I put the Macy’s Day parade on and continued to work away in the kitchen.

I realized it was quiet.  Really quiet.  The kids were not in the living room or their room…or the office.  I found them in my bed with my iPad watching Frosty the Snowman.  Once I told the Hubs that they were watching Frosty, he started interrupting their movie with Facetime calls.  They loved it.  They got to talk to him all day.  Pea even woke him up to say goodnight to him.  (Sorry, honey.)

Though we had a small turkey at home, Dad and I spent the day preparing food for our family’s big Thanksgiving Dinner that was later in the afternoon.  It was a quiet Thanksgiving without my husband.  My sister and brother in law were also absent this year.  They chose the Pope and going to Italy over spending the holiday with us.   (Yes, I am just jealous.)

This was my contribution to the family feast.  We had traditional American Thanksgiving dishes there too.

It was fun eating in a room crammed to the brim with our relatives.  About 45 of us showed up this year.  There were a bunch missing.  Hopefully, they will be there when we reconvene for our family Christmas Party.

We have a tradition of going around the table and sharing what we are thankful for before eating.  It is usually entertaining and always an emotional time, especially this year. The family suffered a huge loss this past year and my uncle’s absence was keenly felt.

My little princess said “I am happy for my whole family.”  Normally, she refuses to talk in large crowds.  She did not hesitate one bit when it was her turn.  Pork Chop was hit with an uncharacteristic bout of stage fright so I had to help him. As everyone else took their turn, I could feel his anxiety growing. IHe should have given thanks that he didn’t turn into a turkey this morning…because he would have been a goner.

And this was our Thanksgiving 2013.  I am grateful for each second that I get to spend with my family.  I appreciate the technology that allows us to talk to my husband from around the world.  I am also pretty pleased that I had it in my head to do a recap of today’s festivities because it helped me pay closer attention to the little things that make holidays with loved one’s special.  And a big thanks to you for taking the time to visit!