Week in Review: Thanksgiving Parade at Plymouth Rock, All My Lovies Are Home, and Christmas Season Starts on Black Friday

 Tomorrow is Turkey Day so I wanted to wrap up this short week today!

1) 

We went to America's Thanksgiving Parade on Saturday...no not the Macy's Parade...the Plymouth, MA parade!  We have so much history here and my kids totally take it for granted so I am trying to do a better job at explaining our history to them as we travel around New England.

Whew that was a lot of photos!  And I deleted more than I posted.  You're welcome :)  

2)

One funny thing that happened was that the Mayflower float got caught in the power lines...something that definitely wouldn't have happened to the real Pilgrims.

Ummm, what do we do?

Act like we're in 1620?

Sounds good.  Ignore and move on!

3)

My little boys have taken to playing chess together.  They totally make up their own rules and change them often and I'm of no help as chess is one of those things that I have no patience/desire to learn.

4)

I do however like to to learn about cleaning tips and have had this screenshot saved from @gocleanco forever but I ordered the Borax and Washing Soda from Amazon and I will be stripping all weekend!!  

The laundry, that is.  

Get your minds out of the gutter :)

I'm hoping to strip all of our workout clothes to get the smell out.  IYKYK

5)

I should have led with this news as it is the biggest and bestest part of my week (month? quarter?)...

JP came home for Thanksgiving break!!!!

I immediately took him out on a walk with me so he could spill the college tea, and boy, even though we text every day, there was a lot he was waiting to tell me "in person".  Gosh, I love that kid!

I was so excited that I couldn't take a steady selfie.  

I planned out the rest of his time home:

6)

We will decorate for Christmas on Black Friday which pumps me up!  I *have* to wait until Thanksgiving is over to start decorating and listening to Christmas music or else Thanksgiving would get mad and I'm a fair mom.  

We will pause the decorating when Phil, JP, and I go to an appointment to order passports because he wants to study in Austria next year and we want to potentially visit him (but probably not since I have major plane anxiety and lack of European-vacation-funding).  

7)

In health related news - my MRI for my neck came back showing I have scoliosis (I already knew that) and a couple of bulging discs and some other stuff that seems like old age/normal wear and tear.  According to my physician and chiropractor, it's nothing to worry about yet.  Thank God!  Today I am getting a blood test to see if I have any antibodies that would point to a gluten sensitivity.  I don't think I have one but I do have some symptoms that could line up.  I am hoping to start a gluten-free diet in the new year to see if it helps, but the blood test has to be done while I am still eating gluten.  Plus my niece has Celiac's and it tends to run in families, so I figure I might as well get tested before I try the diet.  

And that's a Pre-Thanksgiving Day Wrap!  I hope you all enjoy a blessed, relaxing, fun family day and eat like nobody's watching!!!

Bonus: 

My favorite cooking clip to help you get through your Thanksgiving prep:

P.S.

Thank you all for your thoughtful comments re: Brendan's nighttime accidents.  We are just going to wait it out longer and not pressure the little guy.  He already has the desire to stay dry (hence the charts he keeps making on his own accord) but his little body just isn't ready.