Mom vs. the Dot: Making it COUNT!

Thanksgiving Checklist: Baked pies (or bought them at Eat N Park). Check. Made the side dish, Check. Now you are getting ready to head out the door to the family Thanksgiving. Do you dread getting together with your family? I wouldn't say I exactly dread interactions with my extended family.  I am leery of going, however.  You never know when a relative will say something completely inappropriate, awkward, or just plain rude.  You may be anticipating family friction or an encounter with someone who has a grudge against you. And of course there is always the possibility of being judged. So, Thanksgiving isn't so much about food...it's about survival.  Instincts.  When to respond and when not to.  Who is safe to talk to and who to avoid. Why is it like this?  Why can't it be simple like the Peanuts gang singing, "Over the River and Through the Woods?"  Then enjoying a turkey dinner and pie, and going home happy? I think the family...

When warm weather hits, I like to open the screened windows and let some fresh air blow through the house.  This is my version of spring or fall cleaning.  Let some of those dust particles float right outside, replacing the stale funk of closed-up house with that crisp, fresh outside smell. I also love bed sheets that have been air dried in the sun. Best of all, I love to air out my children.  When the weather has been rainy and cold and we've been stuck inside for days on end, we tend to get tired of each other.  The children are constantly bickering and picking at each other...and crying because so-and-so took such-and-such... When warm weather hits, we spend as much time outside in the sunshine as possible.  Boosting our vitamin D levels from the sunshine probably helps, but more than that, I think playing in wide-open spaces boosts our spirits. The weather man predicted that Tuesday was the last day of warm weather - perhaps for the year in our part ...