Doorbusting on what shall forever now be called "Red Thursday"

I, like so many of you, I imagine, was completely appalled by the fact that so many stores were open ON Thanksgiving Day this year.  Initially, some stores announced that they would open at midnight and I thought that was crazy....but then that seemed sane & smart compared to the announcement by Old Navy, Big Lots, K-Mart, and a few others that they would actually be open all day on Thanksgiving Day.

I thought it was completely un-American!  How could they?!? Think of the workers!  They don't get to be with their families on Thanksgiving Day!  OH, THE NERVE!!!

So, you can imagine my surprise when I found myself in a car with 4 others on our way to Big Lots and K-Mart at 7:00 on Thanksgiving Night. 

I know what you're thinking--"oh there must've been an emergency and somebody got sick and you needed Sprite and Saltines."  Nope.  "Well, then--peer pressure got the best of you, Ellen. The others weren't standing for the same values that you were and you succumbed to their evil plan to make people work on Thanksgiving Day." 

Um, I don't know how to say this, but....it was actually my idea.  I just wanted to get out of the house.  We'd been looking at the circulars all day & mapping out a Black Friday plan. Couple that with my serious Kohl's-Black-Friday-prices-online-Thursday SCORE (A $250 pre-lit Christmas tree for $65...plus KOHL'S CASH!!!) and I just caught Black Friday Fever and couldn't possibly wait a few more hours to get it going.

So, around 6:30 on Thanksgiving Night, myself along with 4 female family members loaded into the car and headed out.  We're not completely heartless, though--all 5 of us did have an internal struggle about the shopping.

Note the time on the clock...it's 6:38PM

Here are a few of the quotes from the trip to our first stop:  BIG LOTS (oh, do we have class!!!)

"My heart is saying no...but my wallet is saying yes."

"We are actually being pro American -- it's for the good of our country to stimulate the economy on the most American holiday!"

"We aren't doing anything wrong...we're just walking thru the doors that have been opened for us."

"We are so so opposed to this--like 100% opposed to this. But the employees will be there whether we show up tonight or not. So we may as well go and make it worth their while.  We'll even wish them a 'Happy Thanksgiving!' "

"I'm going to really weigh my decisions about what to buy...not going to buy things willy nilly." 


Who can resist the siren call from The Big Lots WALL OF EXTREME VALUES!!!

Everything was just peachy at Big Lots and we had gotten over our guilt until we were checking out at the very end.  My sister-in-law asked the cashier if she had a good day and if she got to spend anytime with her family....  Her answer?  NOPE. They were going to have to celebrate another day because she had to work.  The manager then came over to get involved and add to the conversation.  AND I QUOTE:  "If more people would've stayed home today, we probably wouldn't have to be open next year on Thanksgiving." 

Boy, did she know how to knock the wind out of our proverbial sails!  We felt like Thanksgiving had just become RED THURSDAY....the minute we handed over the green to pay for our wares, we had blood on our hands.

YOWZA!  Did we ever feel bad!  We felt so bad that I made this terribly scary face on our way into K-Mart.  (What?  You didn't think we actually went home after the Big Lots manager made us feel guilty, did you?!?)

K-mart was a hive of activity--lots of workers and everybody seemed just thrilled to have people stop by.  There were plenty of people out shopping and it made us feel a little less-dirty for breaking tradition and not waiting until Friday to celebrate Black Friday.  All in all, it was a good experience and we shopped until we dropped....or until they kicked us out at 9:00 to prepare for the REAL Black Friday...

To my partners in crime:  'Til next year, girls--it was a blast & I can't say that I learned my lesson or that I'd never do it again... 


Thanksgiving: what it all boils down to...

First things first....HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!   We had all the typical crafts make their way home to us this year from the three schools....  We've got hand-print traced turkeys, cone shaped teepees, pilgrim & Indian stickers on a landscape...and so much more.  (Feels like I'm perpetually drowning in arts & crafts over here, people!)  Anyway, Maddy brought her main project home from school this week and it was too good to keep to myself!     

Introducing...."My Thankful Pouch."  Included are a series of cards that state what she is thankful for.  We have the expected "I am thankful for my family...I am thankful for my home..." type of sentiments, but I snapped a few pics of the standout cards.  Feel free to use these as inspiration for when you come up short during your family's feast/time of thankfulness.  And never, ever forget this most important profound thought:  "WITHOUT THE SUN & EARTH, WE COULD NOT LIVE."

I need clothing to live.  I like my new shoes.

I am thankful for me.  Without Sun & Earth We could not live.

Plants give us food and oxygen.  I love my cosins [cousins].

I have freedom.  Freedom is when you can say things that you want to say.  We need electricity to see.

60 seconds with a four year old

This was our conversation at a single red stoplight the other morning on my way to the Y:

"Mama. Mom. Mom? Do you know what's in your head? It's a brain. Mama. Do you know what's inside Lightning McQueen's car? Nothing. Mama. Do you know how I say Amen?  I say it like this: AMEN.  Mama? Do you know how babies say Amen?  They say it like this:  amen. Mama? Do you remember when I was two? I used to be two. Do you remember when I was two? How did I say Amen when I was two? Mama? Did you know there is a Lightning McQueen toy that has eyes that move? Mama. Did you know that I'm going to be five at my next birthday? Mama. Do you want to play Zhu Zhu pets with me today? Mama. Can you turn up the radio? Mama. Do you know how much I love you? So much."

:)

Apparently, when he's not busy talking, he's also a photojournalist, documenting his days on my ipod touch.  Here is a small sampling of his latest photographic works....There wasn't enough bandwidth to post all the pictures on my camera roll here. 

Check your local cable listings before you clean your house

This is the part of my blog in which I become overwhelmed with the state of my house.

I had planned to start decorating for Christmas yesterday and I got my kids all pumped up for the momentous occasion:

Moi:  "Who wants to decorate for Christmas today?!?!?!?!" 

Offspring:  "MEEEE!!!!" "Me Me Me Me!"  "I wanna decorate for Christmas!  I can't wait!" "Score!"

Moi:  "OK then...here's what we need to do:  YOU, there, boy--take out the trash.  Daughter: pick up all your coats! [editorial note--she has jackets aplenty so it really IS an overwhelming task]  Puzzle boy:  PUT THE PUZZLES AWAY. ALL OF THEM."

Offspring: "Ummm....errrr, actually, we aren't all that interested in decorating for Christmas.  In fact, if cleaning is involved as a precursor to decorating we'd just rather not celebrate Christmas this year..."

So, we didn't. Instead, I accidentally fell asleep.  I like to say it happened on accident, but if I'm going to be completely honest, I may or may not have employed the use of ear plugs and room darkening shades....so "intentional napping" might be a more accurate description of what went on, but it makes me feel better when I think of leaving my equally exhausted husband on an unexpected solo parenting journey for the entire afternoon. So there.  I accidentally took a very long winter's nap. With ear plugs.

All that to say, we didn't decorate for Christmas, but in light of the fact that I got a mid-day phone call from hubs who had invited some friends over to watch the Vandy/UT game at 6pm, I made the kids pick up the WRECK of a bonus room....by bribing them with cookie dough.  Oh yes I did.  Now, I know what you're thinking:  "bribe your kids?  for cleaning up THEIR mess?  How dare you!"  Don't judge, people...don't judge... you do what you gotta do sometimes when the impromptu football viewing party is less than 1 hour away from commencing at your home.

What's REALLY funny about all of this is that my husband did not happen to check what channel this game was on.  We have a pretty hefty cable channel load, but apparently not as hefty as required for watching this particular game.  VU/UT was on ESPNU and ESPN 3D.

Good news:  we have ESPN3D! 
Bad news:  We don't have a 3D TV
Bad news:  we don't have ESPNU...
Good news:  our best next door neighbors do!
Bad news:  they don't give one rip about VU or UT 
Good news:  they are good enough friends to let a party of 12 crash in their bonus room.  (We owe you big time K & V!)

All that last minute scurrying and cleaning occurred just so we could fix a plate of food and walk next door to the neighbors house.

That said:  Less than 24 hours ago, my house was clean...picked up...organized, even!  Because we entertained last night (lets use the term "entertained" loosely...it involved bags of salad, frozen pizza and pre-mixed cookies that require an egg & a cup of oil). Therefore, I had a lovely, clean, picked up, organized home as I'm prone to when we "entertain" (again--use the term very, very loosely).

We then spent the entire evening next door, followed by a morning at church.  Do the math and realize that we have now been in our house for about 4 hours of actual usage time and it is a WRECK. 

3 puzzles + 2 types of Legos + Pretzel and triscuit crumbs + Little People (the Fisher Price toys AND actual little people)  + Hot Wheels = ONE BIG HOT MESS

What football season means to me

Going to his very first football game--he was so excited!

My fabulous family--all 5 of us kids are UK grads!

Krispy Kreme FOOTBALL donuts!

Coloring to pass the time during a VERY long football game

scalping tickets! We got 19 tickets total for $120...pretty sweet deal!

smooching when your team scores or makes a great play (this couple was VERY supportive of Vanderbilt in this department)

Swinging on a handicap swing with your cousin

enjoying a coke & a donut with your favorite #1 cousin

A House Divided: the Cats vs. the Commodores

This weekend is big.  HUGE.  Massive.  It's positively monumental for our household.  It is the weekend when the powerhouse football team from the University of Kentucky (my alma mater!) comes to Nashville to challenge another powerhouse in college football:  the Vanderbilt Commodores (Michael's alma mater!). 

Now, let's just stop for a minute.  If you know even the slightest bit about college football, you'll quickly realize what a ridiculous string of sentences that first paragraph holds.  Neither team has EVER been described as a powerhouse when it comes to football (not in my lifetime, anyways).  However, we are going to act like it's a big deal...complete with a tailgate attended by my fellow favorite UK grads (my ENTIRE family...no really--my entire family) and a few local friends. 

Let me be absolutely clear about something:  there are only about two reasons that I've ever gone to a football game.  One is to impress a guy.  Well, guess what:  I already got the guy.  I'm married now so that excuse ended when I got married 3 weeks after college graduation 13 years ago.  The other reason is to TAILGATE.  If you provide the food, I will go.

So, that's what we will do!  Tomorrow morning, a caravan of huge UK fans (about 11 of my family members) will make their way down I-65 to join us in a little pre-game munchfest followed by a quick scurry around Vanderbilt's campus to buy tickets from a scalper.  We'll go into the game where I will most likely be reading a magazine or a cookbook and chasing Will around the bleachers.  There may or may not be some first downs, touch downs, flags on the play, field goals, facemasking, penalties, and quarterback sacking....but I'll never know.

I'm just here for the party.

Cupcake journal: the ultimate DNA test

I was cleaning up my daughter's room recently and came across something that positively delighted me: her Cupcake Journal. Oh, what's that? You mean you don't have a Cupcake Journal? Well, as you probably suspect, (obviously) it is a little notebook that has a cupcake on the front.

What you might not expect, however, is that it's her own special place to journal about all the cupcakes she has eaten. Yes, really. There were three entries so far and each one chronicled a few details and finer points of the last few cupcakes she has eaten. She even went so far as to rate the cupcakes.

If I ever wanted pure proof that she truly, really, absolutely, 100% is the child that I gave life to and is not the product of a horrible hospital "switched at birth" situation... This would be all the proof that I need. My daughter keeps a chronicle of her cupcakes.  (Genius! I SO wish I'd thought of it first!)

Oh, the best part of all: remember those über healthy banana muffins I made on Sunday? Those made the cut! And if you wanted to know what a kid who loves cupcakes thought of my flax seed/whole wheat flour muffins....well, she rated them "the best!"  Told you they were good....