Thanksgiving is technically tomorrow but a lot of people – including us – celebrate on the Sunday. We went to George’s parents’ house for dinner. While there, we ingested:

Wine
Roast turkey
Baked ham
Pigeon peas and rice (so, SO good)
Squash
Mixed steamed vegetables
Stuffing
Cranberries
Tea
Pumpkin pie (made from fresh pumpkin)

You’d think that would last me until tomorrow, but I just polished off a bowl of the peas and rice and a slice of my own ham that I baked last night. Good snack. It reminds me of the times when my dad and I would make turkey sandwiches around 11 pm on Thanksgiving Sunday, mine being made with a bit of stuffing and cranberry sauce too.

I love food. Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends!

If Breanna doesn’t stop waking up at HolyCrapO’Clock for hours on end I’m going to post her on eBay. For some reason I only dozed lightly after I went to bed until about 3:15. Then Breanna woke up at 3:30 or so, and kept me up until about 6 am. Then Hayley and Breanna both got up at 7.

If I could just hook up my coffee maker to an IV, I’d be fine. Either that or I might feign an illness just so I can check into a hospital and get some sleep.

Do any of you know that song Down By the Bay? Alligator Al used to sing it on Mr Dressup when I was a kid and now there’s an episode of Little Bear that has it too. It goes like so:

Down by the bay
Where the watermelons grow
Back to my home
I dare not go
For if I do
My mama would say:

Did you ever see a bear
With his tail in the air?
Down by the bay!

The last part changes each time with some sort of rhyme. Tonight at bath time Hayley and I were coming up with new ones so she could practice the concept of rhyming. So we had things like:

Did you ever see a cat
Wearing a hat?
Down by the bay

Did you ever see a dog
Jump on a log?
Down by the bay

And so on. Until Hayley belted out:

Did you ever see a seagull
Doing an eagle?
Down by the bay!

And poor Hayley couldn’t understand why I absolutely could not stop laughing hysterically.

I can’t believe that it’s Thanksgiving weekend already. I thought it was next week. Then again, I won’t complain about having to eat lots of turkey a bit earlier than expected. My stomach can’t wait for Sunday.

Did you know it’s Love Thursday today?

Sometimes love is being pulled around for a wagon ride with your sister. It’s even better when you’re being pulled around in that wagon by a really good (unpictured) friend, especially when that friend is only six years old and thinks it’s incredibly fun to pull a 4-year-old and a baby around the yard.

And sometimes love is having a very beautiful girl who giggles behind a very silly mask.

Last night was so much better. Of course, when you have a little over four hours of sleep in two days, it’s hard to imagine it being any worse, you know?

Although I appreciated all the concerned advice about just going to bed early, that just really wasn’t an option. If it had been any other show, I might have done it but we were talking about LOST here. LOST! I have never missed an episode and I won’t do it willingly. To miss it I’d have to be in the hospital or something. Even when I had just given birth to Breanna on a Sunday and just came home from the hospital on a Tuesday, I still watched Lost the next night, screwed up sleep rhythms be damned. The thing is, you can’t miss it or you are completely screwed (I’m trying to avoid making a pun about being lost if you miss Lost).

I would have taped it but our VCR is kind of old and it’s not reliable for taping. Sometimes it records fine, other times it doesn’t record any audio, and sometimes it goes back and forth. Very exciting, but no. And we don’t have a PVR – I know, we’re SO behind the times! The only solution was to suck it up and watch it.

It was fine though, really. I was pretty awake by the time it came on. That’s the other thing – I tend to get a second wind in the evening. That’s how I stay up past 11 or 12 on a regular night as it is. What actually woke me up was doing the dishes before supper. I hadn’t done them in the early afternoon like I normally do because I was so damn tired and spaced out. Then I decided that even though I was just grilling burgers for supper, I couldn’t do it until I cleaned up a bit, so I forced myself to start the dishes. It ended up re-energizing me, which is a little horrifying to think about since I hate washing dishes so very much. It worked though.

And it was worth it! I’m not going to spoil anything for those of you who actually do have PVRs or a VCR that doesn’t have a personality disorder, but it was a great episode! I would have liked it if they had done a two-hour show from 8-10 so that we could have gotten more info packed into one night, but I’ll settle for what I got. Now I’m already looking forward to next week!

It finished at 10 and by 10:05 I was in bed with the covers pulled up. I fell asleep immediately (no kidding) and Breanna woke me briefly at 10:45 for some milk and again at 4:30. Then I slept until George left for work at … I don’t even know, 6:15? 6:30?

All that matters to me is that I actually got some SLEEP and the two times Breanna woke up were easy and fast, and I had no trouble getting back to sleep each time. Thank god, because I honestly don’t know how I would have gotten through another sucky night. It’s amazing how good it feels to get to sleep for eight hours even if it’s interrupted twice.

Now I’m going to use some of this energy to take a shower and do some housework. How very exciting.

I’m curious about something. I’m wondering how many people still use their regular phone company service and how many are using VOIP now? We made the switch awhile ago after we realized that a local company was offering a three-bundle package where we could have VOIP, high speed internet, and cable for the same cost as our phone was costing us. I was a little concerned at first because I had heard that sometimes VOIP results in dropped calls and lower quality, but I’m starting to think those are rumors started by the phone companies who don’t want you to leave because we’ve had no trouble with our new phone service at all.

I must admit that I enjoy sticking it to the phone company; I don’t know what it’s like in other places around the world but Bell Canada took a little too much enjoyment in charging high prices with minimal service just because it used to be a monopoly. Now it’s not anymore and you know, I’ve gotten a postcard from Bell and three telephone calls trying to “win” me back. Forget it. They charge SO much for the basic phone and then practically ask for your kidney if you want the extras. Our much more affordable phone service (we use Videotron) comes with a voice mail free of charge and we pay a “whopping” two bucks for call waiting and caller ID.

There’s no way in hell that I’m dropping the VOIP experience to go back to Bell.

Pardon the title. It’s just that I’m feeling a little bit like a zombie today. On Monday I went to bed at about 11:30 or so, fell asleep around midnight, and was then woken up by 2 am by Breanna. She proceeded to keep me up the rest of the night until I finally got to doze sporadically (five to ten minutes at a time) from 6 am until 8 am. I dragged myself through yesterday.

Last night I got to bed at a little past 11 and although I was tired, my brain was busy thinking about some stuff I’m working on so I didn’t fall asleep until about midnight again. Cue Breanna at 2 am once again. She kept me up all night AGAIN.

I am delirious. I have had about half the sleep in two days that doctors recommend for one night of sleep. Four hours in two days. Plus fitful dozing, I’m sure that makes a huge difference, NOT.

I slept better when Breanna was a brand new newborn. It’s not her fault, it’s her damned teeth, but it’s killing me anyway. At some point last night I clenched my teeth and implored her to LIE DOWN and GO TO SLEEP. She did at least put her head down on my stomach for awhile, even though I knew she was still awake based on the way that she kept opening and closing her tiny fist.

I’ve warned her that tonight she has got to let me sleep or I’m locking myself in the bathroom and sleeping in the tub. I have to somehow prop my eyelids open long enough to watch the season premiere of Lost tonight but at 10 pm when it finishes, I think I’ll be crawling down the hall to bed.

I’ve had two cups of coffee which is usually my limit but I am seriously considering a third cup or maybe a cup of tea after lunch just so I can survive the day.

Cathy argues the reasons why ads aren’t an improvement in the evolution of blogging.

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Why do you blog? For hits, for comments, for notoriety, for a steady stream of virtual pats on the back? If so, then bring on the ads. It’s a win-win: You’re even more motivated to bring in visitors, because they bring dollars with them. And your advertisers are happy, because you’re the ideal vehicle for their messages. They don’t care whether you’ve connected with your readers, whether you’ve helped someone by sharing your experiences, whether you’re a damn good writer. Just bring in the eyeballs, that’s all they ask.

But if you’re like most of us—if you blog out of a need to process what’s happening around you, or hone your writing skills, or keep some kind of a grip on your memories of what your children or pets or coworkers do all day—then what’s with the “buy-it-now” business? Yeah, I get that it’s nice to pick up a few bucks for doing something that you’ve been doing for free. I get the whole “If you’re paid to do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” But who are we kidding here? If you calculate the hourly rate, wouldn’t you be better off flipping burgers? Are blog ads any more of a moneymaker than those “make millions stuffing envelopes from home” scams?

Generating enough traffic to attract ads means blogging often, and well enough to convert at least some curious clickers into faithful visitors. And there’s no way I can argue against that. And sure, what’s the harm in a few extra text links, or a promo in your sidebar? Ads are everywhere these days, from eggs to airport luggage carousels; most of us are pretty savvy at tuning them out. No one’s forcing your readers to click. (Although you will have to find extra time to manage your advertising, lest you let slip an ad that you or your readers find insulting or offensive; make sure you factor that in to your net profit.)

But let’s forget the reader and focus on the writer. Because once you’ve taken that step, once you’ve crossed that line into commercialism, what you post is going to change. You will never again write without thinking “I wonder if this will be a popular entry… Is this going to turn off any of my readers? Maybe I should change the title or delete this paragraph or…”

And also: “I haven’t posted yet today. Gotta get something up or my stats will drop. There’s nothing I feel like writing about… I have to come up with something… What am I going to do?” And suddenly your fun hobby, your therapeutic outlet, your means of connecting with like and unlike minds around the world—suddenly it’s just another job.

Guest blogger Mayberry Mom lives, writes, and works from the wholesome Midwest. She’s “just jeluss” of blogs that actually have enough traffic to run ads.

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It’s Blog Exchange day! While Cathy hangs out on my blog today, I’m taking up residence over at hers, so be sure to drop by Mayberry Mom to see what my stance is on blog advertisements (go on, guess!), and while you’re there be sure to stay awhile and read what else is on Cathy’s mind! When you’re done, check out all the other participants in the Blog Exchange, then email Kristen if you’re interested in taking part next month – you never know what topic will pop up from one month to the next!

When Breanna was born, we knew to expect some sibling rivalry. It started with the rivalry for attention, especially with the care that a baby needs. Then as Breanna grew up a bit, it meant that Hayley now had a friend as well as a sister, but it also created the rivalry for belongings; sometimes Hayley thinks her sister is a great playtime buddy, other times she’s annoyed that Breanna is touching her stuff.

On the other hand, Hayley is remarkably good about sharing. This is especially true about food. It’s so true that I have to constantly remind her that she isn’t to give Breanna any food without asking me or George first because otherwise god only knows what I’d find being consumed by someone under the age of one.

Every night, Hayley has a snack before bed and for a few weeks now she either has a bowl of cereal or a yogurt. Without fail, every yogurt is opened while asking me, “Mommy, can I give Breanna some yogurt?” I always tell her yes as long as she only puts a tiny bit on the spoon, lets Breanna put her mouth on the spoon (as opposed to forcing it into her mouth), and that she doesn’t let her hold the container. That last one is important since snack time is after bath time and I’d rather not hose down someone who was already clean.

It makes me so happy to see that. Hayley, rough as she can be when she’s playing, is so gentle and careful about feeding her sister. She loves doing it. Now, Breanna has caught on to the routine. As soon as they’re ready for snack time, Hayley sits down and the second Breanna realizes that, she walks over as quickly as those short legs will carry her, and she usually already has her mouth wide open before she’s even halfway there.

I don’t think I’m naive enough to think they’ll share everything this readily for the rest of their lives, but it’s a mighty fine start, I think.