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.
Galit – this is AWESOME – every little bit of it! So fun! Enjoyed very very much!
Happy New Year to you! Hope to see you at EFCE again sometime soon!
Mary Waschek
comeon galit, there is nothing to feel guilty about here. these are all pleasures of the first order. my wife and i do not miss rw/rr challenges. we get a huge laugh out of it. i would love to get in tj’s spot. the unintentional comedy would be off the charts. with characters like wes and kenny, evan, big easy, the comedy would be too much. still waiting for the first child to be conceived on this challenge show.
the us weekly magazine… i am obliged to read it before my wife does. i must inspect it for any inappropriate articles so that she is not unduly subjected to brain freeze!
coffee and hair doing, i cant relate but checking blog stats and updates, please, and to quote whitney houston “crack is wack” but did she ever have a web page? she would not need drugs when google analytics is better
I love this list!!! I totally agree with everything on it. (Um, esp #8)
And I agree: no guilt!
Happy 2011 and Shabbat Shalom!
First off, #8 and #5- I’m totally with you! As for me? I spend way too much time on the computer. Something made more evident during our trip to the in-laws where I spent an inordinate amount of time blogging/facebooking while other people watched my children.
Happy New Year. May your next year be filled with wonder and delight!
I love this! I am inspired!
Happy New Year!
Excellent post…I’m definitely not giving up the interent and my social network…all my friends live in my laptop:)
Wishing you a wonderful and happy 2011. Many thanks too for your visits, comments and friendship. I value it all hugely.Life has become so much more fun since I met great people like you.
Happy New Year
Carol
Yup – NO reason AT ALL to feel guilty! Life is short, it can be tough, it’s untidy and awkward and sometimes has sharp pointy bits that are a real PITA! So I, in my 40 year old wisdom (!), have decided that I will enjoy it wherever and whenever I can. I reckon you should and MUST do the same!
Love to you and your wonderful family – Happy New Year!!
xx
Hey Mama!
Who needs a scrapbook or a photo album when you have such a wonderful work of art sitting right here. I love looking in when I can, my travels take me to Switzerland on Monday for 3 weeks, all for work but maybe I’ll get some more good moments to share from it 🙂
I love your number 1 guilty pleasure and it has been your guilty pleasure that has kept us all glued together and popping back for more but I also love your number 2, 3, 4, 8, etc I think you get the picture 🙂
2010 has been a wonderfully topsy turvy year and I am sure that 2011 will have it’s own special moments for all to share – Happy New Year to you and yours from me and mine x
I just found Glee this past week. I watched two episodes right in a row. Should I be embarassed to admit that?
I think we could be best friends…or perhaps separated at birth if you were like 10 years older.
Happy New Year!
Tracy
Love the slide show. Talk about having a house full of non-guilty pleasures!
Ha, I’m totally with you on the “loving to click stuff”. I never have fewer than 10 windows open and once, but I feel as tho it might be giving me ADD 2.0. I will open a new window and then completely forget what I opened it for.
I’m also a huge Amazing Race fan. DH and I always talk about how cool it would be to run it – aside from not being able to race on Shabbat or participate in the eat-freaky-foods-challenges, we’d be all over that. Did you know Israel has it’s own version… maybe we should go for that?!
Happy New Year, Galit! <3
Great post Galit! I never knew that about the number 11 but holy moly what a contrast! Wonderful guilty pleasures and I’m all for it – particularly like the nap time one even though I can rarely actually go to sleep but I do read or write if I can’t – in bed 🙂 In any event, you are spot on: life is to be shared and enjoyed as much as possible so good for you. Personally, I don’t even do the resolution thing anymore because who needs the pressure – not me! Loved your slide show – especially the photo of you at the end in the winter gear holding young son. HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and your family Galit. It has been a pleasure to get to know you 😉 HUGS!
LOVE your 11 Guilty Pleasures and the Musical Slide Show was wonderful—I get such a sense of your kids in these pictures–The Many Moods Of Children…..BEAUTIFUL, my dear!
A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! May 2011 be everything you want it to be, and more!
As far as I am concerned, there is no such thing as guilty pleasures because I am over the guilt, so that leaves just pleasures. I am all for massages, pedicures, wine, good food, chocolate, chick flicks, long baths, reading what I want, shopping, walks on the beach and generally enjoying life. Happy New Year to you. I hope it is fantastic.
I love the card, I love the slideshow and I love the post! Perfect. Happy, Happy New Year!! xo
Bravo!!!! Love the list and the montage. Looking forward to more posts in 2011. 🙂
Daily naps are my guilty pleasure, too! Even though my kids are 7 and 9 and no longer take naps.
As are reality TV game shows… my secret wish (well, not so secret, anymore) is to be on The Amazing Race!
That is such a beautiful slideshow – you take great pictures!
You know, I refuse to scrapbook too. The only time I tried I wanted to stab my eyes out because I am so uncreative and it takes so FREAKING LONG. You know what I am going to do, I am going to get my family blog posts from 2009 and 2010 made into 2 books at Blurb.com and that will be my scrapbooks. I have already done the work! Woo hoo!
I found myself yelling, “Yes, yes, yes!” to so many of your answers, that I will undoubtedly purchase an US magazine next time I’m at the grocery store. Never tried it ~ sure to love it.
Great list!!
Guilty pleasures are good. The only bad thing is that we feel guilty about them!
Mine are quite similar to yours (especially the FB/blogging/”clicking things”!)with some additions, not in any particular order:
–singing in the shower…a long, hot shower…at the top of my lungs (in key!)
–ordering magazine samples and after the two free samples cancelling the subscription (not so nice, but it’s a way to check out magazines not normally read)
— rereading some of my own blog posts from a few years back and thinking “That’s good. I wrote that?!” I do the same with my poetry, published or unpublished.
–looking at people’s FB photos and FB friends. ( I feel like some kind of voyeur when I do that.)
–3-hour Saturday afternoon naps in the summer when Shabbat is long
Wishing you and yours a wonderful 2011.
Ah yes, reality TV, caffeine, sitting, fluffy magazines, chocolate, clicking (*especially* clicking,) checking my various statistics a gazillion times a day, listening to my CDs in the car REALLY loud when I’m on my own, looking at my uploaded photos when I should be doing something productive, going to bed the same time as the kids, living vicariously through my single friends match.com adventures. Scary 🙂
my before comment never went through…ughhh! anywho u r a fave read of mine from twitter…..i love this list…late night cocktails mmmmm:) I swear i need to get with the photo projects as well! happy new year dahhhling! xoxo
Oh well I welled up there and had to blow my nose! You have such a great ‘voice’ and ‘eye for pictures’ this blog is splendid. I don’t know where the follow button is but I’ll find it somewhere – no doubt! A real please to read and watch your lovely kiddies – you’re blessed. Best wishes for 2011.
Many thanks also so for popping by my little blog! Glad you liked the story! Shah. X
We have so much in common! Would you believe that I am a huge fan of the Real World/Road Rules Challenge? I have not admitted that before!!
And I also think there is nothing better than a trip to the salon – which I so desperately need right now as my white hair is making a very obvious appearance!!
Happy New Year!
Here from FTLOB. Great list!! I love getting my hair done….but my roots would give me away (why is it so spendy??!!) FB/Twitter/blogging- love, love, love. Mid-day brew- yay!! How about indulging on a great pair of heels? Oooh- and maybe a great mini-dress? And maybe a date w/hubby to wear that smokin’ outfit!!?? Anyway, just a couple of thoughts to add!!
Love this post. Thank you for sharing.
Happy New year!
I’m totally with you on the coffee and cocktails – and the blogging addiction, obviously! I hope you have a fantastic year full of all eleven 🙂
This is a great list. I know what you mean about the clicking and the coffee and the cocktails! Here’s to many more in 2011!!!
Real cards are nice indeed even if they are getting scarce! I much prefer a real one than a didgital card.
the midday caffeine can be a bad habit to start! cuz if you can’t get it every day, then you start getting headaches from withdrawal.
my husband’s been down that road a few times. 🙂
If we don’t allow ourselves the guilty pleasures in life, what are we left with?
Most excellent list. And there is absolutely wrong with clicking on things. Or napping. Here’s to lots more all all that goodness in 2011!
Awww, what a sweet post. I’m so happy to have met you virtually, too, Galit! *HUGS*
Ooooooh, I have MANY guilty pleasures to indulge you with (not sure about 11, but here are a few off the top of my head). Ben and Jerry’s. Reality TV. Cheesy 80s music. Books in the Twilight series… I guess I have my fair share, too 🙂
PS: I totally hang my holiday cards on the back of my door, too!
Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy new year!!
Reality tv? Staying up late? Photos? I’m so addicted I no longer feel guilty for any of my addictions!
Also? I’m now quite confused over my feelings toward the number 11.
Oh, I love your list. I am such a fan of glee music, reality t.v. naps, blog reading, US magazine and an occasional night caps. Sometimes you just need it. Peace!