Those of you who’ve been around my blog for a while know that usually, when I feature a guest post from an author on my blog (usually along with a review), it’s the author’s Top Ten Addictions. I like that it’s a fun, lighthearted tie-in to my blog name and that it’s a quick read. (If I’m being honest, I don’t usually take the time to read long author guest posts on blogs unless it’s a topic that really catches my eye or an author I REALLY love, so short always seems better to me.)
But it occurred to me that I’ve never shared my OWN top ten addictions, and I thought it would be fun to do that. So, here they are!
Nicole’s Top Ten Addictions
(Not necessarily in order)
Let’s start with the obvious, shall we? Books have pretty much taken over my life in a lot of ways. I spend an inordinate amount of time reading them, talking (or writing) about them and thinking about them. My blog is aptly named – this borders on actual addiction! (Sometimes I think my husband would like to stage an intervention.)
Another obvious one. When I’m not reading, you can often find me blogging. Whether it’s writing posts, creating graphics, replying to comments, or reading and commenting on other blogs, this takes up A LOT of my day. Heck, the amount of time I spent just creating my little number graphics borders on insanity! (Yeah, it took me longer than it should have.)
Believe it or not, I only started drinking coffee a year or two ago (and I’m 42). I always said I hated the taste of coffee – even the smell! But when we got a Keurig, my husband convinced me to try it out. (I’m NOT a morning person, so I really did need something.) I found that, with enough cream and sugar, coffee wasn’t so bad after all. I now typically drink two cups a day – one at full strength and one “second run” through the Keurig. I know this is nothing compared to a lot of coffee drinkers out there, but for me, it’s monumental. AND I’ve found that if I don’t get my coffee in the morning, I get a headache and I almost can’t function. My husband created a monster!
You know those memes that you see that say, “I’m silently correcting your grammar”? I actually am doing that. I don’t mean to be obnoxious or anything, but I can’t help it, I notice when people make mistakes! The worst is when I have errors on my own blog. I have to confess that even though I’m a freelance editor, I don’t always proofread my own writing. I just don’t have the time (and since the blog itself is a hobby, I try not to stress too much about it). Still, when I find errors it’s a little embarrassing sometimes!
I LOVE my pooches! These are my Australian Shepherd mixes – Bella and Snickers. I think they’re pretty much the most adorable things on the planet, even if they do make me crazy sometimes (especially Snickers, who likes to bark crazily every time the kids dare to so much as walk fast or giggle a little too loud.) Bella has the softest fur you have ever felt, so I could spend all day just hugging her!
This is actually probably a serious addiction here, people. I CANNOT go without sugar. I have to have a small dessert of some type after lunch and dinner. Like seriously have to. I like sugar in pretty much all its forms – cakes, cookies, candy, ice cream, chocolate … the list could go on and on. It’s a wonder I don’t weigh 300 pounds (I do limit myself on the amount of dessert I eat – I try to keep it small most times). I know it’s not a healthy addiction, and I know I’m passing it down to my kids, which is even worse. On the positive side, we try to stick to natural ingredients in our diet. Plus, they know that they can only take two small cookies or two small pieces of candy or something (they see lots of their peers just chowing down on candy bars or drinking tons of pop, which they don’t do.)
This is directly related to my sugar addiction, but it deserves it’s own slot. I chew gum ALL THE TIME. (I’m chewing it right now, in fact.) Tree Hugger natural bubble gum is pretty much the best thing on the planet. This is another addiction I’ve passed on to my kids, so we’ve had to set limits. We’re all allowed up to four gumballs at a time (they’re relatively small) twice a day.
I really wish we lived somewhere beautiful. The Chicago suburbs is NOT a great place to live if you’re a fan of nature – I mean, sure there are some forest preserves, but it’s pretty much just some paths and some trees and an occasional stream or lake. Nothing breathtaking or anything. That’s why, whenever we go on vacation, we try to go somewhere with spectacular scenery. If I had my way, we’d move to Colorado, where we spent a month last year. I LOVE the mountains, and everything there is absolutely gorgeous. Just thinking about it now makes me sad that we’re stuck here. Sigh.
Well, I couldn’t very well do a post like this without mentioning my family, right? I mean, I’m pretty sure they should rank pretty high up there on my list of addictions.
I’ve got three kiddos, two of whom I homeschool, so I spend a lot of my time with them. Luckily, I think they’re pretty darn awesome. My oldest daughter is super intelligent and just a little bit “weird” (by her own labeling – it’s a point of pride for her), so conversations with her are always really entertaining. Lately, she’s been really into Japan too, so we’ve been reading manga together and watching anime – broadening my horizons a bit. My younger daughter has to be one of the most caring and nurturing people on the planet – the girl always puts others first and she just really wants to spend time with people, so our whole family is always kind of vying for her attention. My youngest son is a happy-go-lucky kid who laughs loud and long and kind of crazily!
Then there’s my husband. We’ve been together since high school, so I like to think we’re an example of a YA novel gone right. 🙂 Because we’ve been together so long, we know each other incredibly well, and we understand each other. We have great communication, which I think is the most important key to a happy marriage. (Well, most of the time – I mean, we all have our moments, right?)
And I can’t forget my mom, who some of you have even met! She lives with us on the weekends, so she’s a big part of our lives, and she’s a huge godsend. Seriously – best mom ever!
(My oldest doesn’t love pictures being shared, so I’m not including one here.)
I’m far from a “perfect Christian” – I feel like there are plenty of moments when I go about my life and leave God out of it, but I strive to be better about that every single day. Discovering God has had such an impact on my life and I really do feel his presence in my life all the time – there are so many little moments where he shows himself to me so clearly. I teach in a K-1 classroom at my church, which is also incredibly fulfilling. Sometimes I feel like I get just as much out of teaching those kids as I do out of “big church” (as those of us in childrens’ ministry often like to call it). It’s beyond rewarding.
I think often about how I can put more of God into my blogging (without being overwhelming or preachy, of course). I haven’t come up with perfect answers yet, but I’m working on it!
What things are you addicted to? I want to know!
Leave a Reply