Thanksgiving week goals.

It's Thanksgiving week! Since my life is a sleepy haze right now with baby I really function best when I make simple goals and hold myself to them. Here's my two goals for this week:

1. I want to make this. How about this: I am going to make this garland this week! There.

Source: abeautifulmess.typepad.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

I never really love Fall decorations because it usually involves dried flowers and rafia and straw or something, but I like this garland. And I usually want to head straight to Christmas, but it's Thanksgiving week, and dash it all, I want to get festive. Anyone have a good idea for Thanksgiving place cards? I pinned a few today, but I am not in love.

2. Create fond thanksgiving memories and traditions for my children.

I have so many great Thanksgiving memories with my parents, sisters, and relatives at my cousins house in Visalia or Modesto or this one time when my mom invited a ton of friends and family to come together at our cultual hall at the church. All the kids ran around and the moms cooked up a storm. My mom and her friend steamed sugar cones to bend like cornucopias and put candy inside and this is before Pinterest! The Thanksgiving of my childhood is about loved ones- lots of them- and play, and watching the parade on TV, and snacking on little appetizers while waiting for the big meal, and taking a long walk to the park after, and getting immediately geared up for Christmas the minute you cleared your plate, and laughter, and festive fun.

Being married and spending many nice Thanksgivings with my in-laws and little family has been more quiet and scaled down then I am used to, but still good memories overall. My mother-in-law puts a ton of care into the food she cooks. Unfortunately I feel like in the past couple of years the kids were too small to involve in Thanksgiving so they've just kind of been ignored all day as we cooked, scolded for not being tiny adults at the table full of food they don't want to eat, and then immediately dismissed so we could just have a moment's peace at the table. I know I can do better, but have never bothered to in years past.

All of a sudden I find myself in the position of being the mom to three little boys who are starting to remember traditions and things we have done each year. I feel like it's high time to decide what kind of Thanksgiving memories I want them to cherish (or cringe about!). I am traditional in the sense that I take great responsibility as their mother to set the tone for a nice holiday, a fun holiday, a day that is about creating good memories and pausing to think about what we are thankful for.

In past years it's been easy for me to get stressed out about cooking the meal, worrying about what is on the table, my kids being perfect at the table...etc. but I really want to make a conscious effort to simplify things and make it more about creating good memories with the kids. I know my children aren't going to eat turkey or mashed potatoes or really anything most humans consume on Thanksgiving and I am positive their table manners will leave something to be desired,

but I want them to enjoy the day. I want them to remember happy Thanksgivings with their grandparents, parents, siblings, and friends. I am confident that we can give them that and that we can be happy and thankful for each other.

So we will set a fun table and talk about manners but not expect perfection, we will watch the parade, we will take a long walk and play, we will be stoked if they try at least one new food, and we will talk about our blessings. This will be our tradition.