thanksgiving part 1

Preparations

1. Rearrange the entire house so that we can bring the kitchen table back from the black hole of storage: This included moving both full-sized bookshelves, entertainment center (which really just consists of a large T.V.), couch, end table, Joe’s entire computer area, my desk, merging the two office type areas (no small feat), filing cabinet, the office shelving unit (which, since they are made of wood planks and cinder blocks, required rebuilding said shelves), bringing kitchen table and chairs out of storage and re-assembling said table, vacuuming and dusting corners that should have never been discovered.
2. Hanging pictures that should have been hung when we moved in.
3. Unpacking boxes that should have been unpacked when we moved in.
4. Cleaning Eliza’s room: Just as large of a task as rearranging the family room / kitchen / office as this little girl’s room had not been picked up since the tornado of packing her for the summer (and unknown move to Mom’s for the school year) occurred. Unmade bed, uncleaned sheets, stuffed animals splayed around the room as if in a coma from a tremendous party, littlest pet shop homes and wardrobes (handcrafted by Eliza out of shoe boxes and fabric scraps and construction paper and such) in every nook ‘n cranny, dirty clothes in piles and corners and under bed, clean clothes in piles and corners and under bed, trash strewn about as though the previously mentioned partying stuffed animals had no respect for this little girl’s abode. Have some respect stuffed animals.
5. Cleaning Eliza’s room (because it took many attempts): This included putting said animals into their homes, hanging new magnetic board for pictures, hanging pictures that had yet to be hung, decluttering dressers, washing sheets, putting on new sheets, organizing the dreaded black hole of a closet of toys and dress-ups and craft materials and stuff and more stuff and creepy crawler machine and blankets and dolls and stuff, dusting and vacuuming and… the terrible memory… must stop.
6. Purchasing new shampoo and conditioner and loofah [because it had not been used and there was an ant skeleton on it (EWWWW)] and child toothpaste (because they all hate mom and dad toothpaste, even when you tell them it tastes just like a candy cane).
7. Purchasing X-tra cheddar flavor blasted goldfish and a bigger jug of milk and fresh fruit, for once.
8. Purchasing new children gummy vitamins
9. And when did I stop having everything in my life prepared for children’s snacks?
10. Where did her bar of soap go? Better keep preparing.
11. What if she wants to paint together? I think my paints are old…
12. Gasp! Only 15 minutes to leave to pick her up from the airport... grab the bouquet of flowers, the new Wimpy Kid book... the line! I need to get to the airport!

STOP. BREATH. At least the kitchen table is IN the house for Thanksgiving.