Thanksgiving Prep (Clara 101)

We've been spending the morning getting reacquainted with Clara in preparation for her visit next week. Michael is enthralled by our old videos of the two of them playing together. He asks to watch them over and over again, and is calling her "Cara" which is an improvement over the old "Rara". As for me, I'm already getting sad about when Clara will have to go home, and she's not even here yet! How's that for pathetic?

The usual Thanksgiving preparation fun has been heightened by the fact that I'm in a new city without access to a Wegmans (ah, beloved Wegmans), so I've been slowly foraging through all the grocery "stores" (ahem, mini-marts) to make sure I have all the necessary ingredients for the perfect Thanksgiving feast. Last week I did happen upon what I would call an actual grocery store, just as I was about to give up hope completely. The knowledge that I can now buy sugar in a bag instead of a tiny mouse-portioned box is tremendously encouraging. We'll just forget the part about groceries being twice as expensive as they were in Virginia. (I say as I choke and sputter my way through each purchase of a $6 box of generic-brand cereal).

So far this week I've been yelled at by a complete stranger for allowing my child to "freeze to death" (he wasn't cold, by the way), told a taxi driver to shut up when he honked at me, and got cheated out of a dollar by Toys R Us, who insisted they could not give me the price listed on their shelf because it was the wrong one, even after a price check proved I was right, a fact which they readily admitted. (a grouchy letter to their corporate office is soon to be mailed).

Michael and I might head to the playground this afternoon. I have looked around for an indoor playground for use in the dead of winter, but all the indoor playgrounds have insane membership fees. I just looked at one this morning that costs $3000 per year. Yikes! If it's going to cost that much money I would prefer that Michael and I just sit around and stare at each other all day. (So far the cheapest membership I've found is $825. But the good news is these memberships often include parents and "one to two caregivers". I'm so glad to know I could bring my horde of nannies along).

Michael is celebrating the upcoming holiday by acting like a turkey (albeit a really cute and really fun turkey). I, on the other hand, prefer to stick with my favorite poultry persona - a really big chicken. We'll see which of our personalities wins out on the getting-out-of-the-house war today. So far chicken is ahead by three points.