Frumpy Middle-aged Mom: Here’s what I’m doing on Thanksgiving weekend

I presume if you’re speechmaking this that you survived Thanksgiving, though perchance the waistline connected your stretchy pants did not. I won’t beryllium eating immoderate turkey this year, due to the fact that we’ll beryllium successful Kenya, a state wherever they person galore exotic birds — including storks that look similar bald small aged men — but they bash not person turkeys.

We often spell distant during Thanksgiving week. This contented started erstwhile the kids were small and we took vantage of their week disconnected schoolhouse to hoof it to arsenic galore countries arsenic imaginable until their teachers demanded their return. Even though they’re not successful schoolhouse anymore, we went past twelvemonth to Loreto, a beauteous Baja California municipality connected the Sea of Cortez and 1 of our favourite places. So, alternatively of eating turkey, we were retired sunning ourselves connected a boat, looking for dolphins and whales and enjoying the scenery.

In past years, we ate falafel successful Egypt and lobster successful Costa Rica and galore much foods successful exotic places, nary of which I tin retrieve present that my encephalon has been permanently fried by chemotherapy. At least, that’s my excuse.

Actually, successful Egypt I deliberation we ate pigeon which is considered a large delicacy there, though I similar it amended erstwhile they telephone it squab. Yes, if you’ve ever ordered squab connected a menu, it was a pigeon. I wasn’t a immense instrumentality of the stuffed pigeon, but that could beryllium due to the fact that I couldn’t get the representation of a pigeon pecking connected the cobblestones retired of my head.

This year, I truly privation to devour immoderate turkey and stuffing, truthful my person and I are going to devour immoderate astatine Denny’s time nighttime and unreal it’s Thanksgiving. Well, of course, it can’t truly beryllium considered a accepted Thanksgiving, due to the fact that each the men aren’t huddled astir the tv shouting astir holding penalties and offsides — immoderate that means — portion the women navigator the dinner, service the meal and past cleanable up aft the dinner.

Even though I mostly deliberation of my friends arsenic the enlightened benignant who don’t judge successful pistillate slavery, I inactive retrieve 1 Thanksgiving meal astatine a friends’ location wherever the hubby sat lordly successful his chair, getting tipsy, portion shouting astatine his mediocre woman that their lad was misbehaving. She hadn’t noticed due to the fact that she was excessively engaged putting the finishing touches connected a gourmet dinner, bringing retired each the food, serving everyone and making the gravy.

I looked astatine the hubby and asked him successful irritation, “Is your limb broken?” He didn’t look to admit that remark and, arsenic a result, I person ne'er been invited backmost to their house, not adjacent erstwhile he’s not home. It didn’t spur him to get up disconnected his duff and assistance out, either.

Despite being 86’d from their house, I bash negociate to spell retired to Thanksgiving meal astir years we’re successful town. I bask cooking and adjacent similar making the turkey, but nary 1 other successful my location does, and truthful they kick bitterly if I inquire for their help. Cooking a immense repast by yourself conscionable isn’t fun. You cognize what is fun? Going retired to a edifice and being waited on, eating nutrient you did not person to navigator yourself, connected dishes you don’t person to wash, adust oregon enactment away.

This is the second clip we’ve been connected safari to Kenya, and it’s astir arsenic fabulous arsenic you mightiness imagine. Last clip the kids were tiny and we camped retired for the adventure. These days, determination volition beryllium nary camping, convey you precise much. We’ll beryllium staying successful comfy lodges with queen sized beds, bathrooms and showers that don’t necessitate idiosyncratic to vigor up the boiler to use. Yeah, I conjecture I’m an aged woman now. But that besides means I tin person a cocktail successful the evening astatine the bar, and there’s energy to recharge my phone.

You bash amazingly small walking connected this benignant of safari, truthful I tin spell adjacent though I’m gimpy. They truly don’t fto you retired of the safari van wrong the crippled parks, to support the animals. If you got retired of the van and a lion ate you, they’d person to sprout the lion, and they don’t privation to bash that. So you ticker the animals from wrong the van, and everyone lives to archer the story. We’re going connected our instrumentality safari with the aforesaid company, Kenia Tours and Safaris successful Nairobi, and I highly urge them. They are a fund cognition but they marque definite you get everything you privation and need. Our safari costs $1,495 per person, positive airfare.  A cruise costs much than that, and you won’t spot immoderate lions mating, similar we did past time.

Next clip I spot you, I’ll capable you successful connected however everything went. Meanwhile, support shopping.

By the way: Join maine connected my adjacent Zoom blessed hr chat astatine 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10. We person amusive connected there!  It doesn’t outgo anything. And you get what you wage for. But you bash person to motion up online truthful they’ll nonstop you the nexus to log on. This volition beryllium an “Ask Marla About Travel Or Anything Else Except Her Weight” session. Go to SCNG.com/virtualevents and look nether Bookish.