<p>We know go out for Thanksgiving dinner as well. I cooked for many years at my MILs - for around 20 people. It was painful as I don’t think most of my H’s relatives even remotely know what it took to do. MIL moved to an apartment about 3 years ago and I said I wasn’t doing it. First year no one believed me but I stuck to my guns. So know we go out. Dinner is “okay” but a place that my SIL likes. Oh well. I actually cooked “our” feast yesterday for our family. D and S like having a home cooked Thanksgiving and this is the way that we deal with it. :)</p>
<p>S doesn’t care for the traditional Thanksgiving fare. If he did I’d probably cook a small version of the meal. The restaurant I selected has a few menu options that will make us all happy. </p>
<p>Oh northminn… that’s just awful!</p>
<p>Rochmom - good for you for sticking to your guns!!</p>
<p>I finally arranged a birthday dinner celebration for my MIL’s 80th on Wednesday evening. It will just be H, D and S along with FIL and MIL. SIL said they were celebrating the birthday on Thanksgiving at her house — but we are not invited. (?!?). This has been agony for me. I think we should do a big thing, she would expect that, but nobody else is on board. Oh well, I reserved a back room at a lovely, local restaurant for our gathering. Now we are expecting 3-5 inches of snow. I can’t believe this.</p>
<p>We’ve never gone out for Thanksgiving, but did try to Passover a couple of times.</p>
<p>We normally travel to my family in NJ for Tgiving. But this year, with ShawSon coming in from California and ShawD taking tests until the day before, we decided to just do it ourselves (with the cousin who had been ShawSon’s coach through school). </p>
<p>He’s back and tired, but doing well. The same young woman who flew up to Croatia when we were there is here. Very bright girl (one of the few kids at college ShawSon thought was in his intellectual league). Tall, thin, and reasonably pretty though perhaps a little socially awkward. But there seems to be lots of angst. She was shocked to hear us in Croatia joke about ShawSon’s singing – she said, “I thought he was good at everything.” He was the guy everyone went to if they had a problem. Interestingly, all evidence suggests that they didn’t sleep together. I kind of assumed that she was coming up not just for more chatting but because a relationship with the guy who solves all problems would fix hers (in her mind). I thought she was leaving today, but she appears to be staying. I think ShawSon has enough going on in his life that his next GF should (like the last one) be supportive and cheery and low on the angst scale. </p>
<p>ShawD received a score of 76 on an exam and emailed her teacher expressing surprise – saying that isn’t consistent with my performance. The teacher said she was surprised as well and had run in through the scantron a second time. But, she suggested ShawD come in today, which she did. She went over the exam with the answer key and though she got almost everything right. So ShawD said, “Maybe it was a mistaking in bubbling (filling out the circles).” So they jointly went over the bubble sheet and her actual grade was, ready for this, a 100. We now know that the scantron machine can make significant mistakes for no apparent reason. ShawD said she is now going to ask to review any test on which she gets less than a 94. The teacher seemed surprised and apologetic but mostly didn’t understand how this was possible.</p>
<p>Shaw!!! I know this cannot turn political but as H and are watching the Ferguson Live …and so on. I am so frustrated and telling H that the long lectureof facts given is condescending. All they are doing is trying to seperate the people’s feelings with facts and as the people have been waiting for days just really think that the facts should have been given yesterday and the verdict delivered within 10 minutes.</p>
<p>That said–can this bus have a “bank” that will bail me out when I go OFF at the many peoiple annoying me with their cell phones–as they cannot drive around a corner with one hand while talking. As the Mother ignored her two kids and talked and talked while walking around in her very cool Yoga outfit and the Target nice cashier ran all the way, in the rain, to the parking lot to give her the bag that she had forgotten and even then she did not shut up.</p>
<p>I know I am going to blow…will you all bail me out??? We could put all of our loose change in a common bank. I will then let you know what my bail is as I know I am going to do something or other. I think I will start with pretending I am taking a picture of the person on their cell.</p>
<p>I did walk around HomeGoods last night talking with my BFF and we had a ball as as soon as she called I began to find the things I needed to turn the not used bedroom into a cute kid’s space. That said, as soon as I reached the checkout I hung up. Just then D called and I told her I would call her back.
I feel like a crabby old lady who is not going to put up with it any longer…I hate it when I see the kids ignored or the cashiers.</p>
<p>Ok rant over but please set up a bail out fund for me.</p>
<p>Just heard former president Jimmy Carter (gracious and sharp at age 90) speak on the subject of the treatment and status of women around the globe; the urgent challenge of climate change; and even the link between the two (if resources become scarce, it will be especially girls who suffer or whose lives are forfeit). He anticipates that from now until his death the Carter Center will devote its energy to these two problems – and particularly to problems women/girls face globally. God bless him!</p>
<p>Good for shawD!
Oh NM, so sorry ! Don’t you just hate it when your kid disappoints you?
Storage that you didn’t know you had, that is my best dream come true.
I thought the above posted hours ago.
I adore Jimmy Carter. </p>
<p>I’ll put two cents in the bail fund if you put some in mine, Oregon ;)</p>
<p>Many moons ago I’d started a new reporter job right before election night, and was unfamiliar with the wide geography of the county I was covering. The candidate I was covering won, and I had a brutal deadline to get back to the office, do the returns, and write the lead story. I’m pretty lead-footed but generally not dangerous…unless there’s a deadline involved. So of course I got pulled over for doing a horrendous speed late at night on a dark county road without a soul on it…in my new beat, by a cop who would later become a valuable source. And of course, back at the office, everyone heard it all on the scanner and they were having quite a chuckle.</p>
<p>When I returned there was a “Bail fund” jar of money sitting on my desk with my name on it and full of contributions 
We left it there just in case. That story always amused the rookies. Even moreso given that the lowly cop became pivotal in a major story later that caused the chief to tap my phone and behave badly enough to warrant early retirement.</p>
<p>News of my capacity to willfully break the law at record speeds to make a deadline also travelled to the courthouse where my next assignment was covering a very sensational murder case. I still think many of the criminal defense lawyers warmed up to me because they felt I might one day be a client ;)</p>
<p>Shaw, that is both amazing and kind of chilling that Shaw d’s exam was so poorly tabulated. Thank goodness she had the confidence to pursue the corrected mark!</p>
<p>oregon101, a couple of days ago we unpacked the container my H throws pennies in. He remarked he probably should have converted them into something larger before moving them. I can contribute them to your bail fund!</p>
<p>shawbridge, a few years ago we were alerted to a possible software defect at final grades. I had to identify any course that might be impacted by the defect and our registrar’s office had the faculty review all the grades submitted. It was very disturbing when there were actually NO grades impacted by the software defect (which was pretty random) BUT we had several faculty discover grading errors when they were forced to review their grades.</p>
<p>Our restaurant reservation has been changed. S originally suggested a non-traditional restaurant, but H insisted we needed to have something traditional as a choice. H and I ate at a community Thanksgiving dinner last night and had a wonderful traditional dinner. So H said he was fine with a different choice now. S is thrilled with our new reservation!</p>
<p>Zetesis, glad you could hear Carter speak. He is a great role model.</p>
<p>kmcmom13, that’s a funny story! You can have some of H’s pennies too, if needed.</p>
<p>I’ll help with the bail.
Jimmy Carter is a favorite of mine.</p>
<p>Oregon - I’m in. I’m sure you all will bail me out when I go over the edge with H’s family - right? I too do not understand the rudeness of people. What ever happened to “treat people the way that you want to be treated”? I just LOVE it when some a** comes up behind me on the expressway in the next lane and then pulls into my lane and throws on the breaks. Really? Why did you need to do that? I am NOT a slow driver but I don’t go too fast (unlike perhaps KMC? 
). </p>
<p>Not really looking forward to Thanksgiving. H’s family is not something that I like to deal with and is why that I will no longer cook for them. I do use the excuse that I just can’t cook for 20+ people in an apartment when really it’s just too confining for me. When there was a house I could get away to the downstairs kitchen and be left alone. I did enjoy cooking the traditional meal for my H and kids and their significant others. </p>
<p>We are watching my D’s dog this week as she and her BF are on vacation and will meet up with us for Thanksgiving at my MILs. Her dog is really over the top with energy – it’s part of the breed - Australian cattle dog. However it is TOO over the top for my 9 year old. He has been granted a bit of puppy licensee when he has been over in the past from my dog. That however I believe has run out. Couple of tussles this morning. Nothing big – just my dog correcting but my dog is 85 pounds and hers is 35 pounds. I’m just so afraid that he will push my dog too far and she will connect with him and do some damage. Well only tonight and sometime tomorrow we will drop them off at the kennel. Just need to keep him in one piece until then. </p>
<p>Gearing up for a large-ish snowstorm starting tomorrow – just in time to combine with the Thanksgiving traffic and make for a huge mess. We don’t drive anywhere until Thursday morning, and the roads should be fine by then. I’m worried sick about S, though – he has the long weekend off, and is supposed to drive up from his base in NJ. For some unfathomable reason he hasn’t put the snow tires on his car, even though we reminded him several weeks ago. If it were me, I’d wait and leave about 5:00 AM Thursday morning. He’s not me – therefore I’m worried. </p>
<p>NMinn – a kitchen left dirty like that is one of my personal peeves. This is doubly true now, with new kitchens at both the condo and the beach. When D lived with us here at the condo for 6 months after grad school, she did a fair amount of cooking for her breakfasts and lunches. Let’s just say she “got with the program” very quickly, and was quite good about cleaning up. I have no idea how things are now that she’s in her own place, but that’s not my concern. Oh, and I really hope your water/rust issue gets sorted out. </p>
<p>shaw – that’s both amazing AND disturbing! Thank goodness your D was such a good advocate for herself. Really makes you wonder about how often this sort of thing happens, considering how many tests are put through scantrons.</p>
<p>I was at the grocery store at 7:00 this morning – in and out before any craziness starts! Thanksgiving is our family’s all-time favorite holiday – just visiting family/friends and eating! As long as S shows up safely in one piece … </p>
<p>Just my in-laws for family - I don’t have really any family left (other then my H and kids). I just have NEVER LIKED my in-laws. Even my H doesn’t. We were told right from the get go when we got married that Thanksgiving was a MANDATORY holiday. God forbid that I might like to see MY family at that time - then I had family. Oh well. Just need to get through yet another horrible Thanksgiving to look forward to. Once MIL is no longer with us (at 94 it will happen some day) we probably will not all get together – which I’m fine with. :)</p>
<p>Although I hate cleaning up the kitchen I REALLY hate a dirty kitchen…</p>
<p>RM, it’s time to make it non-mandatory. We’ve done that. There is no reason you need to be with unpleasant people on what is supposed to be a family holiday. In our case, the people are OK but the traveling is more than I want to do if I want the kids to participate. </p>
<p>Don’t I wish Shaw. Unfortunately NO ONE has ever stood up to my MIL and I hate to put my H in the middle. He understands that she doesn’t treat me well and never has. We have over the years just learned to live with it. That is why we actually had our Thanksgiving for my family on Sunday to actually have a ‘nice’ Thanksgiving. :)</p>
<p>Shaw – S2 had a similar problem with a Scantron bio exam in HS. Scantron said 62, handgrading was 94. </p>
<p>S1 had a lot of problems with HS teachers who didn’t post correctly (or at all ) on Edline (online gradebook). More than once we had to go through his backpack, pull out assignments that had been graded and returned in order to show teachers he should have a grade, not a zero. This included his English teacher the week before graduation, who had not posted grades for SEVEN assignments.</p>
<p>S1 is on the east coast in the NY office this week, S2 is in BOS and taking Megabus, and we are driving from DC north to NJ early tomorrow. With any luck, we will all arrive in Bayonne by tomorrow afternoon. We will then all pile into the Subaru with the dog on Friday am and come back home for the weekend. I am glad the guys come home for TG, even if the logistics are a pain in the tuchus.</p>
<p>Kids are both home and I am heading into work soon. Hosting dinner tomorrow.</p>
<p>Safe travels and Happy Thanksgiving to all.</p>
<p>I have been busy with the Thanksgiving prep. Set the table last night and grocery shopped yesterday. Today I will make four pumpkin pies, chocolate chip cookies, the cranberry relish and stuffing. Tomorrow I will make the 20+ lb. turkey, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, appetizers and relish tray. D2 will make the corn casserole after she and D1 run in the Turkey Trot. MIL is supposed to bring dinner rolls and SIL a dish of her choice as she is gluten free. I think we have the food covered! We have bitter cold temps and snow flurries but I think the roads will be clear. </p>
<p>Hope all of your families have safe passage getting home!</p>
<p>Happy Thanksgiving all.</p>
<p>Safe and hassle-free travels to all who are traveling. </p>
<p>We are staying put. Younger D is home and Son will be home this afternoon. I came in to work this morning to make an appearance…will walk around the our wing in a few minutes to see if there is anyone to whom to"appear." So far I have only seen 2 administrative assistants, both of whom have multi-week vacations coming up in December. I was hoping I could get some law firm stuff done this morning, but my motivation is waning.</p>