Thanksgiving Feast...

We are hopefully going to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast a day early. Myself, and the six children running around. Wait - make that seven children running around. The turkey is in the roaster. We've cut up celery -everyone cutting a stalk. We've got stuffing ready for the oven. Now we are on break until it's time to do the potato's. Then the turkey should be done, and we can set a beautiful table.

So the girls are all playing in their bedroom - Barbies. C and P have already done war this morning. So the sounds of them playing together sweetly- well, it's sweet. Much sweeter than slamming doors and names being called.

Back to Thanksgiving Feast. I'm not sure what made me think I should cook a Thanksgiving meal with 6+ children. Other than I remember the joy of bringing the meal together with my Mom and Nana. We travel to R's family for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We rarely cook an entire meal in our home. I want the girls to know how to make a holiday meal. I want them to know how much work goes into a holiday meal. I want them to remember cooking with Mom. Not just showing up and an amazing meal is magically on the table. I want them to remember the holidays as time spent together, in the kitchen cooking and visiting. Talking about where the receipe comes from, the best way to make sweet potato's (it doesn't involve anything that comes out of a can or marshmellows), and how fortunate we are to have so much.

So we are off to peel potato's, bake the stuffing, get the green beans started. The turkey smells amazing. And apple pie is waiting on the counter for dessert. YUM!!!

No school... no peace

New keyboard is here! And it's so quiet... and clean. It's amazing how gross and dirty a keyboard gets. And no way to clean it, other than to blow the stuff out. And that is gross...I'd rather not know.

Anyways, that has nothing to do with today. Other than I can blog once again. Yeah!

So today - no school. And let me see how many kids are running around here. 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Yep-9 kids. Made pancakes, a triple bunch for 9 kids. Then cleaned up, 9 kids worth of mess. Drank a cup of coffee, big cup-9 kids worth. Then we did fun noodles. You wet them and they stick together. 9 kids went through a $5 bag in less than 7 minutes. Yeah...so that activity didn't take up nearly enough of the day.

Then I made lemon cake (for cake balls) and then I portioned out shortening to freeze for pie crust. Then cleaned up the mess from fun noodles (all 7 minutes of it). P and I then made a chocolate cake, more cake balls. While I usually advocate for real cake, 9 kids = cake mixes.

Then another big cup of coffee. And a 10 minutes break while everyone is playing nicely. Because that won't last with 9 kids. It's a matter of time before I'm referring.

So, the rest of the day looks like this. Finish pie crust and freeze. Make cranberry sauce. Make 9 kids worth of lunch. Put youngest to bed, put movie on for the rest. Clean up trashed kitchen, try to think it will make a difference. Pick up My Little Ponies from hallway. Cuddle with my girls. Make dinner x2, and deliver to family who is hurting. Oh yeah- I should go and call them. Note to self, call after blogging. Back to the rest of the day. Forget that I have laundry to fold, ignore dirty living room floor, and attempt to keep a bathroom clean with 2 boys using it all day.

However, I'm so grateful that I'm home with my girls. I'm thankful they are home with me, instead of spending the day elsewhere. That I get to love on them, and not someone else. I remember how hard to was to let someone else mother them. Even though it means a sink full of dishes continuously, pee on the bathroom floor, and enough noise to wake the dead -I'm thankful it's my messy home they are at. And I'm thankful for the 80's station on XM radio. Because there is nothing like some BonJovi and Journey to make one 30ish person to feel young enough to keep up with 9 kids.