Minnesota Mamaleh: About Guilty Pleasures

Yippy! It’s New Year’s! Bring on the egg nog, the balloon drop, the friends and the crackers! There’s something so very Fresh! Exciting! New! about this time of year. No getting wrapped up in worries for this girl. All of the things that we shouldn’t have done or shouldn’t do again? Waaaay too exhausting. And overwhelming. And Blech-inducing.
So none of that today, friends. Not for you and not for me. Instead of resolutions and wants and desires and changes, let’s talk about GUILTY PLEASURES because life is meant to be enjoyed. And this year? With 11 in the number scheme of things, the possibilities are absolutely ENDLESS.

Number Eleven possesses the qualities of intuition, patience, honesty, sensitivity, and spirituality, and is idealistic. Eleven can also represent sin, transgression and peril.

Okay, then…Whose in? I know I am!
Let’s talk fun. Indulgence. Enjoyment. Pleasure. And um, sin, I guess. But most importantly: NO GUILT.
In honor of 2011, here are 11 of My Guilty Pleasures. Let me have them, people. Because I’m not going to give them up without a fight. And a catty one at that!
11. Getting my hair done. My too-dark roots say that I don’t do this nearly enough. But when I do, I so love having my hair played with, washed, dried and looking better than I could ever, ever get it to. And besides, it’s an hour or two where I have to sit. And, well that’s it: just sit.
10. Freshly brewed mid-day coffee. Wasteful? Caffeine-indulging? Perhaps. Don’t care.
9. GLEE music. In the car, in the kitchen, while we get ready, while we play. My kids can sing along to almost every single song on almost every single GLEE CD. This is only sometimes disconcerting.
8. Late night cocktails. Not explaining this one.
7. US magazine. I’m so in the know about nothing at all. I love it. And I couldn’t possibly love it more.
6. Reality TV. Oh how I seriously love reality TV! Survivor and Amazing Race used to fill up my DVR. But I am so not above admitting my total and complete devotion to MTV. Sixteen and Pregnant! Real World! Road Rules! Real World-Road Rules Challenge! Yes, please!
5. Nap-time. And more specifically: Changing into sweats and curling up in bed during nap-time. Sometimes I sleep. Sometimes I write. Sometimes I get lost in a book. Often I facebook-twitter-blog read. It’s my favorite time of day. Don’t judge.
4. Facebook-twitter-blog reading. Holy addictive personality meets addiction haven. My husband says that I just like to “click things” and he just might be right. But back away from my laptop people. I mean it.
3. Holiday cards. It’s not green. Or money savvy. Or efficient. Holiday cards are the exact opposite of all of these things: Wasteful! Expensive! Time consuming! And for the record: Yes. Yes I do realize that most cards end up lost in the mail. Or in the garbage. But I really do love them. Making them, addressing them, sending them and Good Lord! Receiving them! Just the other day as I answered a phone call from one of my besties, she overheard me lovingly hissing, “Stop. Taking. MY. Cards!” To my kids. And Jason. And probably Louie. Because they wanted to, you know, see the mail. How dare they, right? We put our cards up on the inside of our front door. Where they stay through January. And sometimes February. True story.
2. Staying up late. Like really, really late. After everyone is in bed, long since asleep and needing absolutely nothing. And then just doing WHATEVER I WANT. Even if it is just “clicking things.”
And my #1 Guilty Pleasure? It’s so hard to choose! Dark chocolate? Google analytics? GNOs? Books? Blog comments? My kids? My husband? You? No, those I don’t have to feel guilty about, silly! I think it might just be taking a million-bajillion pictures. And not necessarily doing anything with them. Not a scrapbook has graced this house since Kayli turned two. I couldn’t be slower to frame photographs. But I do take hundreds of pictures at a time and then I just…look at them. Blog about them. Reminisce about the years’ ups and downs, smiles and tears, accidents and potty training successes.
Thank you for sharing this year with me. It means more to me than I could ever express and keep my word count and tissue use in check.
And truth be told, it’s just as wonderfully tear-inducing seeing YOUR year’s gems. I’m right there with you when your kids break, ruin or poop on things. And I know that you’re on my team when my kids do the same.
Inspired by Jill Smokler at Scary Mommy’s Year in Review I made my very own slideshow, set it to music and am about to share it with you. I know! I can hardly believe it either.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn41UrNFe3o

Happy New Year friends! May your 2011 be bissfully pleasureful sans the guilt. Amen.