Thanksgiving should not be the new Black Friday.

I am refusing to Christmas shop right now.

I so badly want to focus on Thanksgiving.

I don't want my kids, or me for that matter, to forget how to be thankful.

I don't want to go from wanting lots of candy straight to wanting lots of presents.

I want my kids to enjoy the month of November remembering what they have to be thankful for - hoping that it will create in them an attitude of gratefulness all year long.

And I am quite aware that most people have already started Christmas shopping, hunting for the best deals.  I too love a good bargain.  I know there will be thousands of people shopping before the sun has even thought to rise the day after Thanksgiving - and more power to you!

My hubby has worked in retail his whole career and from Black Friday to the first of the year is an insane time. We always gear up for it mentally, knowing that we won't see much of Daddy during those few weeks.

But this year, it's going to start earlier.

This year he has to work on Thanksgiving.

This year, before my kids will even be in bed from the days festivities, he has to go to work so that people can shop for presents on Thanksgiving.

I understand that times are tough.  I understand that businesses are trying to survive and figure out ways to make even more money.

But can't we as consumers stand up and say that we disagree with them taking time from employee's families on Thanksgiving just to make a little extra profit?

I just want to ask you - please don't support these businesses that are open on Thanksgiving.  Please don't go shopping Thanksgiving night...please wait till Black Friday to spend your money.  Please let these businesses know with your spending that we as a country still value family over stuff...over the best presents...over whatever?

Please be respectful and don't shop on Thanksgiving so that managers like my husband can send home his employees because they are so slow, so at least those people will get to spend the evenings with their families.

Let's spend Thanksgiving being thankful instead of thinking about all the things we want and feel we can't live without.

SLOW DOWN!!!

I love Fall.

It's my favorite.

The leaves changing, mulled cider candles, pumpkin everything.

This year, the kids and I decorated our porch for the first time.

We made a scarecrow out of leaves stuffed in bags and lovingly named him Frank.

We began a "Thankful Tree" at the beginning of Fall and try to put a leaf for each of us every day with something that we are thankful for written on it.

With the kids in Kindergarten now, it is crazy how I feel like the gas pedal of my life has just been pushed down a little harder and now, just like everyone said would happen, time is flying by.

On Halloween I was running around town looking for a plastic pumpkin for Luke and Emma's Halloween party at school.

I walked into Target with Lily and Will fully expecting all the Halloween stuff to be on clearance.  Not exactly.  There were about 15 Halloween things left and now, on the actual day of Halloween, Christmas music was playing and all the Christmas stuff was out.

I wanted to scream, "SLOW DOWN WORLD!"

What's our hurry?

Can't we just enjoy the day?  Can't we appreciate that there is another holiday in between Halloween and Christmas called Thanksgiving where we don't have to think about "I wants", but instead focus on the "I have's?"

Can't we treasure the day where our little ones dress up like butterflies and silly green turtles before we have to push them on to the next activity or big event?

And now, I feel like I'm holding on for dear life as life itself just hurries around me, pushing my babies to grow up...and I just want it to slow down.

So, as I walked through Target totally irritated that Marriah Carey was singing her Christmas music already, I just stopped and breathed deeply.  I looked into the dark brown eyes of my precious little Lily and smiled and told her she was the cutest little "Punky Dora" that I ever did see, and we continued on with our day.

Are you enjoying the moments...are you breathing deeply...are you treasuring every day?