A caveat. You won't see my kids in here. Not because they don't make me happy -- on the contrary, they make me insanely, blissfully overjoyed. Sometimes Ben and I sit around and talk about how our kids are the coolest, cutest, smartest, most terrifically fabulous children on the planet.
But, I like to reinforce for myself, particularly in my blog, an identity beyond motherhood. It's just one of those things that is important to me.
Perhaps the title of this blog should more accurately be, "10 Things That Make Me Happy, With the Exception of My Awesome Kids, Which Are on the Top of the List, but Which Shall Not be Mentioned Here For Purposes of Satisfying My Internal Desire to be Recognized as a Person Beyond My Identity as a Mother". But perhaps that's overkill.
A second caveat. This is frivolous. It's not stuff like "world peace" and "the end of poverty". Would those things make me happy? Sure. Do they compare to a plate of crackers with a cheese ball? Clearly, they are not in the same ball park. But I am writing this blog from the ball park that involves petty selfish indulgences and guilty pleasures moreso than idealistic beauty-queen-pageant answers.1. Ben. I'm not always very good at expressing my gratefulness to him, in between all the hollering about leaving his dirty socks on the floor and the bickering about who's going to haul Noah back up to bed (which, more often than not, gets resolved by a good ol' round of Rock Paper Scissors, best two out of three), but he can deal with me better than anyone else in the world. And he lets me be terrible at handling laundry without giving me too hard of a time about it. And he likes grocery shopping. And he plays cards with me. (See item #2)
2. Playing cards. I just love playing cards. And other games, but I tend to be partial to card games. Euchre especially. And Texas Hold 'Em. I could play those games for hours upon hours. Maybe its because those games tend to be played in large, social groups. I'm not the most socially extroverted of personalities, but toss a deck of cards in front of me and all of a sudden I'm in my element.
3. Working out. I am by NO MEANS a fitness guru or anything like that. In fact, sometimes I suck at working out. Sometimes I hit the snooze button too many times and sleep through my morning workout. Sometimes I don't push as hard as I could. Sometimes I grumble through the whole thing. But for the most part, I love it. I love the gym environment -- I've never been that great at working out at home. I love logging my workouts into my gym's automated system. I love getting a quick 30 minute run in over my lunch break. I feel good when I'm working out, and afterwards. Not always before, but I guess that's the point.
4. Ski trips. It's winter again, and I'm looking forward to our annual ski trip with college buddies. Extended weekend ski trips, in a log cabin in northern Michigan, with 8 of our closest friends -- you can't beat it. Plus, lots of times it involves some Hold 'Em Tournaments, refer back to item #2. Ski weekends at home where we make day trips to more local ski areas and then rush back to soak in the hot tub for hours. My ski trip to Italy earlier this year. Many of my fondest memories involve rushing down a mountain (or glorified hill, in some cases) with sticks strapped to my feet.5. Cheese. I love almost all types of cheese. I crave cheese a lot. Cream cheese, cheesecake, string cheese, sliced cheese, shredded colby and monterey jack, I can never get enough cheese. Mmmmmm. Cheeeeeese.
6. My job. I'm so lucky. I've worked hard to get where I am, but I'm lucky to have an employer that recognizes and appreciates that. I'm lucky that I'm able to work a flexible schedule, and to keep a management position. Sometimes I get frustrated, what job isn't frustrating at times, but my office is full of a lot of terrific people. My boss is smart, level-headed, and fair. My team is hard-working, honest, and professional.
7. Football. I've kind of lost my muster as a football fan these past few years. Motherhood has done that to me (oops, I said the "m" word). I don't often spend all day on Sunday watching whatever NFL games come my way, and I've even missed a Colts game now and then. But my fondest memories involve Ben and I at a BW3 in college, playing pool and watching football on a lazy Sunday afternoon. And if I've got the time, I can get into a football game like nothing else.
8. Puzzles. Crossword puzzles. Logic puzzles. Sudoku puzzles. When was the last time I even did a crossword puzzle? I can't even remember. But I find them extremely satisfying. I used to buy logic puzzle books by the ton just to sit down and do in my free time. The biggest problem is that I've gotten progressively stupider after each kid. I'm three times stupider than I used to be, which mainly seems to affect the part of my brain that deals with a) simple logical deduction and b) where I put my keys.
9. Hot chocolate. This is the perfect time of year to sit down with a piping hot cup of steaming hot chocolate, but understand, I've been known to partake of same steaming cup in the middle of July. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I love me some hot chocolate. Chocolate LaSalles from the chocolate company across the street from my office are a particular favorite, but good ol' Nestle serves me pretty well too.
10. My awesome kids. Okay, I gave in. I couldn't not list them. But at least I didn't list them as items 1 through 9 also, like "the way my kids tell me they love me while quietly climbing into bed after putting all their toys away neatly."
My kids are terrific. I learn from them every day. I had a babysitter (who normally runs a day care out of her home, so she knows her stuff) tell me the other day that Travis has a such a sweet soul that you can't help but adore him. She nailed it. Noah, more rambunctious and stubborn, is one of those life-of-the-party personalities that lights up a whole room. Sophie - well, if you know her, then no further explanation is needed. She's a firestorm and an angel rolled into one. I'm such a lucky mom.
So my kids are awesome. Sue me.
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