Giving Thanks

November. Sweet November. This is the month of Thanksgiving. A holiday that is usually very overlooked since it follows Halloween and precedes Christmas, two of the biggest commercial holidays. I like Thanksgiving. There are no presents to buy. Only food to make and eat and lots of sitting around time. Definitely a holiday right up my alley.

I've been spending too much time on that social networking site (rhymes with pace look) and noticing that many status updates this month are devoted to what people are thankful for each day. I think they are interesting to read but I lack the discipline to update a status everyday with the same thing for a month. (I lack the discipline pretty much to do anything other than shop, cook and go to Starbucks everyday in any given month, just an FYI.) But lest you think I am completely lazy and useless tool, I have been making a mental list of things I'm thankful for.

Naturally, I'm thankful for the obvious - family, friends, food, shelter, clothing - ALL THAT. But what about the stuff that you're thankful for that maybe doesn't get talked about all that much? Don't those things have a place? For instance, I am thankful for the following:

Mojitos - I love a good mojito. They take the edge off. If you have enough of them, hell, you'll take everything off. I find that by making these at home, my son is not quite as loud and much easier to ignore. (Please also include shots of Vodka here.)

Text Messaging - If I could never talk on the phone another day in my life, I would be the happiest person on earth. As much time as I spent on the phone as a teenager, you'd think it was very odd that I HATE the phone. Text messaging, however, is the best thing that ever happened to my communication world. Short, concise and immediate. I can literally plan my whole life via text messages and I love it. So people, don't call me - T-E-X-T. (There is like one person on my 'okay to call me' list and you know who you are.)

Target - I can't even tell you how much I appreciate Target. Wait, I can tell you - I'm there pretty much every friggin' day, THAT'S how much I appreciate the damn place. I love, love, love the fact that I can get whatever I need at Target. I've had a love affair with Target ever since my grandparents started taking me there as a child. This wondrous place that had something for everyone! I went into my Target today and saddled up to the Starbucks counter as I usually do, and the guy said, "Hey, you having your regular?" That is how much I am at Target. It's sad, but true. I can waste hours in that place and come outa there with a bunch of shit I did not even know I needed. (Amazing how that happens.) And I will totally be there at the ass crack of dawn on Black Friday to get my $3 toaster, don't you worry!

Starbucks - This is obvious, right? So I'm not a coffee drinker really. And yes, I realize it's a big waste of money, I do, I do. But, it's my vice. And the whole 'make it at home' thing is good, and I do that, BUT nothing tastes like an iced white mocha from Starbucks and really, I've tried every at home variation of this. I'm not even saying theirs is the best, it's just theirs. It's like if you want Kraft Mac-n-cheese. Is homemade better? Of course, but if you want the Kraft stuff in the blue box, THAT'S what you want. Ya feel me?

Children's Television - Yeah, I said it. We do try and limit the kid's TV time and as much as I bitch about Caillou (I totally detest him for the record), I will turn his little whimpering ass on in a heartbeat if my kid is driving me up the friggin' wall. You bet your sweet ass I will. I'm not even the least bit afraid to admit that I plug my kid right in if I cannot stand listening to him for one more minute. Now, if I could figure out a way for him to just watch the show and not narrate and ask me questions about it 24/7, we would be in business. Sprout, Noggin, Discovery Kids - I'm all over these like flies on shit.

iPhone - This is the best device I never needed. The amount of time I waste on my iPhone, using it of course, for everything BUT a phone, is ridiculous. REALLY ridiculous. This thing keeps me plugged into all things technology at all times. Which is totally unnecessary. Totally. But oh, how I love it. Oh, and it totally keeps my child occupied wherever we go - the car, the store, the restaurant. I would drop $400 for that feature alone....

Food TV/Food Blogs/Cookbooks - I am a recipe whore. I love all things food. I love to read about, watch things about it, cook, eat - anything. I love it's diversity. You can escape to anywhere in the world via food. And naturally, I'm always looking to escape.

Uggs - Yes, my boots. They might be hideous and I get that they don't go with every outfit (although, you can make that work out in the winter) but these are clearly my most comfortable pair of shoes. They don't make my feet hurt. They are soft. They are like walking on clouds. Okay, that was just a bad, cheesy analogy but I really need you to understand this. Oh, and they have to be Uggs. Say what you will about the off brand type, there is nothing like real Uggs. I have a similar pair of boots made by Coach and they cannot compare to my Uggs. I would sleep in my Uggs if that wasn't a stupid idea.

Preschool - MWF the kid is there from like 9 or 10 'til like 1, 3 if I choose to leave him there for a nap. I don't think this warrants any further explanation. Obviously.

Reality TV - These shows make me feel better about about myself daily. I can watch any number of these shows for like 5 minutes and have my self-confidence shoot through the roof. Two minutes into Wife Swap and I'm June Cleaver, baby!

Elastic Waist Bands - Namely on leggings and sweats. Please see above about me loving food. Thus, the elastic waist band thing will make perfect sense to you.

Anyway, that's my short list, I'm sure I'll come back with more. I'm not really as shallow and pretentious as this list makes me out to be. Really, I'm not.