This is always a busy day for housewives across America, y’know? I was just thinking to myself, while making the obligatory green bean casserole for tomorrow…I wonder just how many people out there are mixing up green beans and mushroom soup and French fried onions right now? I feel sort of a connection to all my sisters in motherhood out there, trying to whip up Thanksgiving dinner and get the house clean for company and create special memories for the kids and do it all without losing the cute flip in our hairdos. It’s not always easy being supermom! I hope all my sisters in the ‘hood manage to get everything crossed off their to-do lists tonight and get to sit down with a cocktail and watch Deal or No Deal in peace. It’s the little things!
The kids and I just got back from my mom’s house. I love her to death and I know her heart is always in the right place, but sometimes she does the most bass-ackwards stuff, all in the name of “helping” me. I spoke to my dad on the phone Sunday night and he filled me in on everything he bought at the market that day for Thanksgiving dinner. And he said not to worry about making the green bean casserole, because my mom wanted to make it so he already bought the ingredients. I didn’t mention to him that I had already bought a pillow-sized bag of French fried onions at Sam’s Club. I can eat those by the handful - who needs a casserole? A few days later, after I’d already done MY grocery shopping for the things I plan to make, my mom called me and said she wanted me to stop by and pick up a big bag of potatoes, a few cans of green beans, mushroom soup mix, and a can of onions so I could make the mashed potatoes and the green bean casserole. What the…? Evidently she thought it would be helpful to me if she bought a few things so I wouldn’t have to spend the money on them. Bless her heart. So I packed up all my kids and drove 8 miles to her house and 8 miles back home so I can make the damned green bean casserole. Thank goodness she saved me all that time and money!!
As soon as these little monkeys finish up their Girl Cheese Sandwiches, they’re going to head up to nappyland so I can make deviled eggs and broccoli cheese casserole and try to find the family room floor so I can vacuum it. I seriously have NEVER seen the place this messy. Paul let the kids get down a bunch of toys from the shelf last night so we have half a dozen puzzles, several entire bin’s worth of Mister Potato Head parts, magnetic letters, My Little Ponies, Barbies, and these weird x-shaped building block thingies ALL OVER the family room. Along with the slew of baby dolls and stuffed animals and books all strewn about. It’s enough to make a mother weep.
Say a little prayer for me that I will get to sit on the sofa with a cocktail watching Deal or No Deal later!
Laura, also known as LaLaGirl, is the mother of a teenager and two young sets of twins. She's happily married to an enginerd named Paul, loves living in Colorado, and writes almost daily about married life, raising multiples, and parenting a child with autism. In addition to playing Barbies and pretending to eat plastic food all day, Laura spends most of her time folding clean laundry, obsessing about the amount of sugar her kids eat, and vacuuming up Polly Pocket accessories. She's obsessed with Yo Gabba Gabba, red wine, and Family Guy. She also regularly contributes to How Do You Do It? and authors the following blogs:


Melessa, mom to 4
November 21st, 2007 at 7:06 pm
I am contemplating the green bean casserole making as I type this. I’ve already got one dessert chilling in the fridge with more to come tomorrow morning as I pause the Macy’s parade at crucial moments. I’m thankful for Tivo AND the fact that NO ONE in my family trusts me enough to make the turkey-or get my house clean enough to host the shindig. (Though it’s that time of year when most of my girlfriends come home to visit family, so I have to clean anyway.) I hope you are on your couch right now!
Shauna
November 21st, 2007 at 7:54 pm
That’s sounds a lot like my day. I was trying to get done in time for Kitchen Nightmares! I love that they call their sandwiches girl cheese, that is too cute. Hope yall have a great Thanksgiving!
lisalisa
November 21st, 2007 at 8:38 pm
mmmmm. la - i am coming to your house tomorrow!! happy turkey day!
Melissa
November 21st, 2007 at 8:53 pm
I’ll be doing the green bean casserole tomorrow. Tonight is the calm before the storm. I’m just about to head off to bed!! Happy cooking and Happy Thanksgiving!
Christy
November 22nd, 2007 at 12:09 am
What are Girl Cheese Sandwiches?
Happy turkey day sweetie!
Shawn
November 22nd, 2007 at 1:35 am
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, Laura!
Hope you got to have that cocktail and kick back a bit tonight. I had a lovely bottle of wine while whipping up a broccoli casserole.
Happy Thanksgiving
November 22nd, 2007 at 9:08 am
[...] we eliminated the Cornflake Potato Casserole & the Green Bean Casserole. I know, it seems so un-American to eliminate Green Bean Casserole but I am actually pretty sick of it. My most favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner (or lunch & [...]
Jammie38
November 23rd, 2007 at 9:33 pm
My mom is the very same way. In her well-intended, big-hearted gestures to ‘help’ me, she can inadvertently create more work and/or severely over-complicate something bigtime!
Nothing we can do…? LOL! We must accept the gesture in the spirit with which it was intended and drive those [damn] 8 miles back and forth because it’s not worth it to break her spirit.
Gotta love ‘em! ha!
(((Hugs))) on having to clean the messy room.