Thursday 13 – 13 things to which I am brutally addicted

1. Coffee – I truly love my coffee – in pretty much any form. Lattes. Espresso. Mochas. Regular with cream. It doesn’t really matter. The only thing that matters is that I need it by 10 am or the headache starts. It doesn’t matter how much coffee I drink after 10 am – if I haven’t had any before then, I will have a headache the rest of the day. I have been a coffee drinker since I was 8 years old (thanks a lot, mother), and since then the only two times I have been “off the juice” were during my two pregnancies. It was hell. Both times I enjoyed coffee in the hospital after each baby was born.

2. Days of Our Lives – I have watched DOOL since I was 11 years old. Sometimes I have left it (like back in the 90’s when Marlena was possessed by the devil), but I always return. Conveniently, SoapNet reruns it at night, so if I miss it during the day (which is often the case since it comes on the same time as Blue’s Clues), I can catch it at 10 pm after the children are in bed. The bad part about this is that being a stay-at-home supermom, I have no one to talk to about DOOL. This caused me to start a DOOL blog. Mostly because if every post on my mommy blog started revolving around DOOL, you might not read it.

3. Afrin nasal spray – Talk about crack! This stuff ranks up there with Dunkin Donuts (see number 8). With seasonal allergies, sometimes this is the only way I can breathe. I try to limit myself because I know the stuff is addictive. Last night, for instance, Georgia (aka Cranky Teething Baby) was up and screaming from 1 – 2 am. When I finally got her calmed down and back to bed, I went back to my room and reached for the nose spray. It was not there. Then I remembered that Georgia had gotten a hold of it earlier and ran off. When I got it away from her, I set it on the kitchen counter. Crap! Going to the kitchen would mean walking past Georgia’s room and waking her up. I decided to suffer. Every addiction has its limits.

4. Hitchcock movies – I love Hithcock movies, and I love Cary Grant. Hitchcock is the master, and anyone who argues that Spielberg is a better director is wrong! The other night I fell asleep while watching North By Northwest. It is my all-time favorite movie and I have seen it at least a hundred times. It’s got great quotes, such as “How did a girl like you get to be a girl like you?” Anyway, I woke up a couple of hours later, and Suspicion was on – another Hitchcock classic. I put my glasses on and started watching Suspicion at 3:30 in the morning. Eric woke up and looked at me wide awake watching TV, and said “What the hell are you doing? It’s no wonder you’re so tired every day!” Hmph! This is the same man who stopped me from naming both of our children after Hitchcock characters. What does he know!

5. Blogs (other peoples’) – This is a growing obsession. I probably have at least 12 blogs I visit every day, and the number seems to be growing. I’ll hear about or read about a new blog or there will be a link on one of my favorite blogs to another blog. It’s an endless cycle. And considering the only fee time I really have to “surf” is when Georgia is napping and Eli is watching Noggin, I desperately need to keep this addiction under control.

6. Blogs (mine) – It seems like every situation in my life ends up in my blog. Every time I interact with anyone, I think, “This would make a great blog.” I started my blog because I desperately missed writing and I thought this was a great way to make a little extra revenue. I don’t have the time to keep up 20 blogs like the Problogger guy. But if I could, I could save up for that breast reduction in no time. This guy had a picture of himself on one of his blogs with a check from Google Adsense for $133,000!!!! I bow to him. And I have since started two other blogs. The previously mentioned Days of our Lives blog, and Money Making Planet. (see number 11)

7. Sticky Toffee Pudding ice cream – I think I’ve done well not making this blog completely about food, because I could list a hell of a lot more than 13 food items to which I’m addicted. Sticky Toffee Pudding was the winning flavor in this year’s Haagen Dazs ice cream contest. After searching every grocery store in the greater Kansas City area, I finally found it at a Hen House. It is everything I hoped for and more. Sadly, they’re only producing this flavor until January, so I need to start weaning myself now.

8. Dunkin Donuts – As Homer Simpson would say, “Mmmmm, doughnuts!” complete with drool coming out the side of the mouth. I love Dunkin Donuts. More specifically, I love the Munchkins – they’re word for doughnut holes. I love Munchkins because doughnuts that small don’t register on my calorie-counting scale, and they come in packs of 25 or 50. When I was at DD over the weekend, They asked if I wanted the 25 pack. Eli joined me in looking at the man like he was crazy. I kindly said, “That wouldn’t last us until we got home.” In addition to the crack-laced doughnut holes, Dunkin Donuts seriously has the best coffee in the known universe, complete with tons of flavors. My personal favorite is blueberry coffee. It is the greatest thing since the minimizer bra!

9. Crab Rangoon – Currently, I have this addiction under control, but since it played such an important part in my last pregnancy, I felt I had to mention it. Crab Rangoon is the only thing I craved when I was pregnant with Georgia. In my last trimester, I went to Dillon’s Chinese kitchen every single day for Crab Rangoon. When I started ordering my 12 Crab Rangoon each day, I made up something about getting enough for my husband who loved them. By the end of my pregnancy, they knew what time the pregnant lady would be there and they better have fresh Crab Rangoon so I didn’t open a big ole can of whoop-ass on them. Many of them would give me all of the Crab Rangoon they had left and only charge me for 6. I think I scared them.

10. Mystery novels with recipes – Diane Mott Davidson, anyone? I love the Goldy mysteries, which is an ongoing series about a caterer who solves murders. I’ve also recently discovered Joanne Fluke, who writes mystery novels about a lady who owns a cookie shop . . . and solves murders. I’ve always loved a good mystery, and these books come complete with yummy recipes – it’s like killing two birds with one stone. I still read the literary stuff, too, but I love the fun novels where you can just get away from the world! I just need to stop analyzing why a bunch of people seem to keep getting murdered in the presence of a caterer.

11. Trying to make money at home - Since I have become a stay-at-home mom, I have tried numerous things to make some extra money, and have considered even more. Some examples are freelance writing, Web editing, substitute teaching, selling Tastefully Simple, and selling Passion products, and blogging. My newest blog, Money Making Planet, will be a blog where I can share some of the wild and wacky things I’ve done to make money. Short of hooking down on Prospect Avenue, there is a full-spectrum of revenue potential.

12. Making my children laugh - There is nothing like Georgia’s giggling when we’re playing feet peekaboo (it’s a long story), and Eli’s squeals when I come at him with tickle fingers (again, you really need a visual on that one). I really just love to hear them laugh no matter what they’re doing as long as it’s not because they’ve just colored the cat with orange Crayola marker.

13. Writing long blogs - I can’t believe this blog is so freaking long. If you’re still reading, you deserve a Munchkin. I think a particular topic is going to be short, but it never works out that way. Next week, mark my word, the Thursday 13 will be short. I promise!