[Crochetnknit]

So, eldest son and wife love to cook...as do I. But after 54 years of it and several illnesses, I can't do it all myself. They flew in from MD yesterday. Cooking today. So far, he has cooked hamburgers and mixed frozen vegetables for lunch, put the turkey in oven, made fancy cranberry sauce, prepped all the sides, cleaned up behind himself as he goes. So why am I exhausted?

"Mom, where's a mixing bowl?"
"Mom, do you have a zester?" "No". "okay, where's the grater?"
"Mom, give me all the ingredients for this, that, the other thing."
"Mom, do you have vinegar?" "yes, it is in the pantry someplace". "I can't find it". Move away...I'll look. Here it is." oh, that's not the kind I want."
"Mom, where is the salad bowl! Cutting board! Etc.
And on and on and on.

I'm too old for this. I'm 78 and can't stand or walk for any length of time. It is great that he wants to do all the cooking and cleaning but it is exhausting for me. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining but I've jumped up 500 times since breakfast.

And now, he took dishes out of the cabinet. And there was detritus on one of them. "What's going on in this house", he yells. So, some buggies got into the cabinet...this is FL!!! we call an exterminator often! Good thing he didn't see the huge palmetto bugs that routinely get in.

..."calm down, the dishwasher is running. We will reload it with these". No. They are washing them by hand!

And the real kicker is that younger son and his new girlfriend were supposed to come from Orlando (we are in Tampa Bay Area on the west coast) and a friend who visited with them sat night felt unwell as the night rolled on and tested positive for Covid so they wanted to know if they should come. We told them not to come.

An hour or so after that decision, he texted and said he had a sore throat and headache. Oh dear!

hope you are all enjoying your families and your holiday. Best wishes.

 

[Anne in Dunedin]

Lovely to see them but sounds like you will need a rest when they leave

 

[MMWRay]

Next time at Christmas he will know where things are. Enjoy the results.

 

[Jessica-Jean]

When my daughter, son-in-law, and their recently adopted teenage daughter came last Christmas to celebrate our fiftieth anniversary, I was delighted to be able to offer them the still fully furnished, but vacant apartment upstairs. They invited us up to eat with them, and had to find whatever they wanted all on their own. It had been our son’s place, so it was stocked with just about everything. Perishables they bought as needed. I didn’t need to jump up to find things for them!!! A blessing!

 

[knit&purl]

I can see why you'd be exhausted but on the positive side they made the effort to fly in for T-giving and are happy to do the food prep. At this point I won't see my mother who lives only 20 minutes away for Christmas because my brother who lives with her has manipulated her and made me out to be the bad guy and is making it almost impossible for her to see family! Rest when they leave but be happy they are there to visit.

 

[Rjkda]

I understand your pain, and have experienced it but not to the degree as you, Crochetnknit. When I go to So. California to be with my family and we prepare meals together, I am constantly asked where things are in my parents house by siblings and family friends. I have been out of that house nearly as long as my siblings and I now live the furthest away. So, it’s frustrating that I constantly get asked those questions.

 

[Byrney]

I find a stool across the breakfast bar from the kitchen is really helpful in such situations. Just wait until they leave though, you won’t be able to find anything. Nice to see them though I bet.

 

[Mitzi]

I can relate, it is exhausting, but enjoy them anyway while they are there. When they leave put your feet up and rest.

 

[jmcret05]

A lot of this is sadly familiar. We don't do the big holiday celebrations as no one lives close and since I cook every day for myself and two sons, I'm not interested in the traditions either. I think the 'family' dinners stopped about 2000 and it's OK. I'm thankful that the sons (never married and no grands) live here and that's enough.

I prepared Yankee Pot Roast in the slow cooker yesterday and it is re-heating in the oven.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

 

[bundyanne07]

I will admit to agreeing with you that at times 'it's easier to do it yourself'.
I would love my family to be able to visit me more often but they are here, there and everywhere, and I choose to remain here where I am happy.

 

[Candycounter1]

So, eldest son and wife love to cook...as do I. But after 54 years of it and several illnesses, I can't do it all myself. They flew in from MD yesterday. Cooking today. So far, he has cooked hamburgers and mixed frozen vegetables for lunch, put the turkey in oven, made fancy cranberry sauce, prepped all the sides, cleaned up behind himself as he goes. So why am I exhausted?

"Mom, where's a mixing bowl?"
"Mom, do you have a zester?" "No". "okay, where's the grater?"
"Mom, give me all the ingredients for this, that, the other thing."
"Mom, do you have vinegar?" "yes, it is in the pantry someplace". "I can't find it". Move away...I'll look. Here it is." oh, that's not the kind I want."
"Mom, where is the salad bowl! Cutting board! Etc.
And on and on and on.

I'm too old for this. I'm 78 and can't stand or walk for any length of time. It is great that he wants to do all the cooking and cleaning but it is exhausting for me. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining but I've jumped up 500 times since breakfast.

And now, he took dishes out of the cabinet. And there was detritus on one of them. "What's going on in this house", he yells. So, some buggies got into the cabinet...this is FL!!! we call an exterminator often! Good thing he didn't see the huge palmetto bugs that routinely get in.

..."calm down, the dishwasher is running. We will reload it with these". No. They are washing them by hand!

And the real kicker is that younger son and his new girlfriend were supposed to come from Orlando (we are in Tampa Bay Area on the west coast) and a friend who visited with them sat night felt unwell as the night rolled on and tested positive for Covid so they wanted to know if they should come. We told them not to come.

An hour or so after that decision, he texted and said he had a sore throat and headache. Oh dear!

hope you are all enjoying your families and your holiday. Best wishes.

so it does seem
No one seems to know where all our special dishes & ingredients & whatnot are in our house. At least he is cleaning up behind himself👏🏻❗

I have a sinkful Of stuff to deal with & a dishwasher full Of clean things I ran last night at midnight to get the sink empty for today. It’s an unending chore.😞❗👎🏻❗

I hope you enjoy the family & sleep well after jumping up 500 times to help, find, search, go get this & that & what not.

now I have to move stuff from our bedroom back into our kitchen, so ….. here I go, back to work, I think I napped a little, so I should be good to do some more pick up…if stuff

happy Turkey 🦃 day!
😀

 

[leftyknitter21]

Would it be possible for you to go to one of their homes for Thanksgiving/Christmas meals in the future? That way you could rest and not have to bob up and down.
It's understandable that someone who doesn't live with you wouldn't know where everything/anything was in your kitchen.
Perhaps next year, if you can't travel to their house, each person could bring something already cooked and paper plates and utensils so there wouldn't be so much clean up.

 

[ggmomliz]

Wow! That makes me happy that I'm alone. I am worn out though. It's been a nice day but should rain tonight so I wanted to get some things done outside. I I stalled a new battery in the car. Replaced the flap on the dog door, drained most of the gas out of the riding mower, put that gas in the car, then refilled the mower with gas that has stabilizer in it and ran it for a few minutes to circulate it. Cleaned the mower deck and sprayed protection film on the spindles. I finally got the last hose wound up and stored until spring and clipped some of the finally dead grass from around the retaining wall behind the parking area (it was about 3' high). Then I came in and shrink wrapped one of the windows in my bedroom .
My neck and back hurt, I might not get out of bed until Monday.

 

[leftyknitter21]

My daughter and her husband took me out for Thanksgiving lunch, so no cooking, no cleaning, no mess, no running around and........ no leftovers! That's what we'll miss.

 

[Barbeevw]

Wow! That makes me happy that I'm alone. I am worn out though. It's been a nice day but should rain tonight so I wanted to get some things done outside. I I stalled a new battery in the car. Replaced the flap on the dog door, drained most of the gas out of the riding mower, put that gas in the car, then refilled the mower with gas that has stabilizer in it and ran it for a few minutes to circulate it. Cleaned the mower deck and sprayed protection film on the spindles. I finally got the last hose wound up and stored until spring and clipped some of the finally dead grass from around the retaining wall behind the parking area (it was about 3' high). Then I came in and shrink wrapped one of the windows in my bedroom .
My neck and back hurt, I might not get out of bed until Monday.

That sounds to me like a full week of work, not just one day.

 

[Crochetnknit]

They've done it a few years in a row, now. Nothing has moved from where it was put 5 yrs ago when we renovated the kitchen but even DH can never find a thing or put it back where it came from!

I wasn't complaining...I was trying to make it funny. I love them both and appreciate all the work they put in. Last year when it came time to put the marshmallows on the sweet potatoes , even though I warned them to watch the broiler...they get done fast...Erica set them on fire.

...this year, they handed it to me to do.

Everything was lovely, they all ate too much, and I've already been informed that next year Thanksgiving is at their house...which they just went to closing on last week. It should get interesting.

 

[Crochetnknit]

That sounds to me like a full week of work, not just one day.

Just what I was thinking. I could do all that years ago but no longer.

 

[tobo11]

Just what I was thinking. I could do all that years ago but no longer.

I understand. I am in my mid 70s. My brother-in-law and his wife always invite me but this year I told them I wouldn't be joining them. It's at lest a 40 minute drive and I don't drive at night anymore. They usually eat about 2 o'clock so I'd have to leave soon after the meal was over to drive home before it gets dark. Too much of a hassle even though I'd like to see them. Today was a quiet day for me but I knitted on the sweater I am making.
The younger crowd doesn't know yet that as we age it's hard to run around.

 

[ggmomliz]

That sounds to me like a full week of work, not just one day.

Luckily some things only took a couple of minutes. The old battery was out of the already (so they could try to revive it) and it took longer to carry the new one from the other vehicle than to hook up the new one - while I had the hood up I checked the fluids.
Clipping the tall grass is what killed my back but most of it hadn't been done in 2 years and I barely made a dent in it. I had a little energy and ambition at the same time, a rare occurrence. The next time we have a decent day with no rain forecasted for the week in need to spray herbicide in the driveway and parking areas, and I still need to cut more tree branches and then drag all of the felled branches to the woods. Thinking about that makes me tired.

 

[knitwitty]

My daughter and her husband took me out for Thanksgiving lunch, so no cooking, no cleaning, no mess, no running around and........ no leftovers! That's what we'll miss.

I swear this is the best way. We did the drive-thru at the church that was doing the Thanksgiving dinner give-a-way and even got an extra (for leftovers)later, gave a donation, went home and ate a wonderful meal.