Mini Thanksgiving 2020

I am so glad I decided to still celebrate Thanksgiving for the family, even it’s just four of us. Last year, I had friends over for a vegan thanksgiving which was fun. This year, I hesitated to invite a family but decided not to mainly because I wanted to continue the theme of 2020, celebrate our family time together through ups and downs in life.

Girls were super excited when I announced it the day before and they were so looking forward to it. Kids love celebration of any kind, and their excitement is very influential. For the feast, I made chicken instead of turkey with extra legs, and few classic sides, all vegan.

For non-chicken eater, I made herb baked tofu

Sweet potato with marshmallow, a favorite

a savoury sweet potato casserole for the adults

simple baked chicken

creamed spinach, even Sofia liked it

instead of pumpkin pie, I made a decadent rich chocolate pie… it was sooo rich and yummy. My favorite dish of the evening

I love seeing the girls trying first bite of new food

Sofia made a Thanksgiving card, so lovely.

There are so many things I’m thankful this year:

Lessons taught by COVID: how fragile life is, how much I love my family and enjoy being with them 24/7, how resilient we are, learning to be mindful, SLOWING down my life to enjoy every single ordinary day.

My girls: they are most fun, generous, kind, creative people I know. I am grateful for them to open my eyes/mind to things, to have more fun from little things in life, for forgiving my not-so-good manners as mom when I’m stressed out, for loving me no matter what.

The husband: grateful for supporting me in every single way (career choices, parenting styles, life decisions), for taking care of the girls so I can work in the office without worrying, for dealing with the mess at home, for being my biggest fans of my cooking, for giving me a hug whenever I ask for one.

My mom: grateful for her wisdom and life lessons she teaches me, for always being there when i needed her, for raising my girls, for forgiving me not calling her more often.

My colleagues in Manila: grateful for their kindness, openness, and friendship.

Our home in manila: grateful for the amazing view, for the pool, for kind staff that always ready to help and greet.

Our helper Sarah: grateful for her staying with us 24/7 and always good attitude to do more.

Quiet time in the morning to reflect, meditate, move my body.

Books: they calm me, brings my mind to places, teaches me important lessons, and invites me to reflect.

My life friends: grateful for being there when i need them, no matter how small or big is the issue.