happy Thanksgiving.

A quickie before we hit the road for Thanksgiving....I certainly couldn't have left the last post with 'the enemy' on such a grateful day. (And even I can admit, at times I'm thankful for you, PSP.)

Being a pleaser and a perfectionist can make holidays hard sometimes. The other day, Joaquin had an assignment to write about two traditions his family does at Thanksgiving. I got a small knot in my stomach and started thinking, 'Do we have any traditions? Are they worth mentioning? What will other kids write about?'

And really since most of 'the rocks' of my family have passed away (grandparents, parents) and since my husband's family lives in Bolivia and doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving...(except when I forced them to and almost killed his grandma)....the weight of holiday traditions now lies on my shoulders.

In my mind, our tradition at Thanksgiving was simply to eat.

But each year is different...and new memories are added. And I believe tradition is keeping the fun memories alive by repeating them...and confining the bad memories to a 'remember when' joke told while looking at old photographs.

So this year, I see some new traditions on the horizon.

I hit the library Tuesday to pick up some cooking and craft books for the holiday (...a tip I saw on the net somewhere) and in the toddler cook book was a simple recipe for cookie-cutter cookies.

Add friends to the mix, and I see a tradition brewing.


Isabela was a great chef, reading the directions, measuring, and including the smaller ones. I was busy starting dinner, so she was on her own. We moms watched them with wonder.

Would you believe we'd never made cookies with cookie cutters before? I think it's that wait time while it chills in the fridge that always put me off. Actually, it's a great little break between mixing and rolling for the kids to burn off some steam.


This year, we get to open our thankful letters...that is what I'm looking forward to. I can't wait to read what everyone wrote..knowing this family, the sky's the limit to what we might be thankful for.

And here's a game you don't want to miss. We did this one year, and it was hilarious. Everyone at the table writes an adjective on a piece of paper and puts them into a cup. Then everyone writes down the name of an animal and puts those into another cup. The cups are passed around and every person pulls one piece of paper from each. This becomes their new Native American name. (Anyone remember stinky armadillo?)

Games are fun traditions. Here's a printable one we're trying this year.

And we may have a secret tradition starting this morning. I'll let you know if it works out.

Meanwhile, I'm thankful to have this blog to write down my family's memories and my own thoughts. Thanks to all who read it! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving wherever you are. (And if you'd like a special prayer to say at the table today, here's a beautiful one. )