In-laws are a very funny thing (or at least mine are). Typically, when my in-laws come to visit us from Colorado (we live in Texas), I spend weeks cleaning all of those places that I don’t typically get to (like my baseboards) and planning the perfect menu. My mother-in-law is an amazing cook and I always feel like I have some high expectations to live up to. However, for their most recent visit (which is going on this week), I only had one week’s notice that they were coming. That one week that I had happened to also be filled with Halloween (and subsequent parties at my children’s schools), birthday parties, and of course answering email from all of our wonderful Saving Dinner customers! Therefore, as you can guess, baseboards did not get cleaned, but menus were very quickly and easily planned with the help of Saving Dinner!!

I have learned something very important this week which it seems to have taken me eleven years of marriage to figure out. Family visits are not about me having my house spotless or having the perfect meal planned and prepared each night. It is about the time that we spend together while they are here, and we have created a lot of memories around the dinner table. During one such meal, I learned that my five year-olds daughter affinity for eating butter (yep. . .just butter. . .nothing else) comes very naturally as my husband’s great-grandmother (fondly referred to as “Nanny”) loved eating the same thing!

In two weeks, I will have a house full of people for Thanksgiving. While I am sure I will still be stressing about the baseboards and the menu, I realize that the day is more about making memories not only for myself, but for my children as well. I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving of unforgettable memories as well!