Top 10 reasons I knew it was Thanksgiving weekend

10. It took us four-and-a-half hours to drive 140 miles from Birmingham to the far side of Atlanta.

9. Fifteen adults and 13 children packed into one house to enjoy one meal and six hours together on Thursday.

8. I saw pieces of roughly 52 SEC football games. And I felt nothing. (Yes, the South DOES want to kick me out. I hear it's already begun formal proceedings.)

7. I kept thinking, "That's bloggable, that's bloggable," every seven minutes. But I didn't have my Post-its nearby, so all you're getting is this list of OTHER things that I can remember at this very moment. Apologies.

6. I was surrounded at all times by more Thanksgiving-pilgrim-harvest-Fall-themed tchotchkes and paper goods than any one person has ever been surrounded by, ever. EV-VER. (My late mother-in-law would be so proud ... she LOVED all that stuff and would be thrilled that Debbie is continuing the tradition.)

5. I got to see Jonah and smother him with love. And possibly taunt him with a pilgrim statuette or seven.

4. I ate my weight in carbs. Ten starches on one plate. And then I ate seconds of four of said starches. Need I say more?

3. I couldn't keep track of what day it was, any day, even Thursday. I think I was in some sort of carb-induced waking coma.

2. I went to Target on Black Friday with "three sets of Christmas PJs" on my list, and I came out 90 minutes later with $170 of "stocking stuffers" AND NO PJs. (I blame Debbie, Patsy, Tiffany, Kim and Patrice. They are a bad shopping influence on me.)

And the number-one reason I knew it was Thanksgiving weekend:

1. While I was packing our things to leave the hotel yesterday morning, our baby took off his diaper and pooped on the king-size bed, leaving three round turds rolling around on the cream-colored blanket, AND I WAS STILL THANKFUL FOR HIM.