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This is what I need to work on. Family has shrunk. This year is first time d. won’t be home for Thanksgiving, Christmas or her birthday (xmas eve). I keep remembering the large family, fun times from my childhood and we just never have seemed to be able to manage those.</p>
<p>Like Packmom, for years I did all the cooking and most of clean up. After my d. reached about 12, she became quite the cook and did a lot of it. Now my oldest son has become a food network addict and adds his skills to the mix.</p>