My Secret Addiction

Ok, maybe I wouldn't call it an addiction, exactly. It's not like I can't stop, or that it's taking over my life or anything. But I do love it. It's so much fun.

Online shopping.

I spend hours perusing websites, dreaming about this product or that, adding things to my shopping bag and mostly never buying them.

I guess in that case it makes it a rather harmless hobby. But I worry that my frequency of pushing that purchase button is becoming, well, more frequent.

I recently had to purchase a uniform for R, who has this year finally decided to join Cub Scouts. Man oh man was I happy about that, as a part of me loves nothing more than seeing my children in uniform. What is with that? I don't know what it is, the conformity, the "matchy-matchy-ness" or just how darned cute they all look, but I love uniforms. I wish my kids went to school where they had to wear a uniform.

But I'm getting off topic.

So I had to go on the Scouting website to purchase the necessary items, which led me to perusing the not-so-necessary items. I ended up adding quite a few extras, like the travel mugs, the extra patches to sew on to their newly purchased blankets (for around the campfire), some zipper pulls, and a little stuffed beaver (for L) and a wolf cub (for R) on a key chain for their backpacks.

You see? I'm so bad.

But I do love that lovely package when it comes! The best ones are the ones that come straight to the door, but I'm good with the ones that come to the oversize mailbox (when they put that key in your regular mailbox, it's so thrilling!) or the ones that I have to go pick up at the postal outlet. Opening it up is like Christmas. Seeing all the things you purchased in reality, and not having to drag whining kids to the mall! Such a bonus!

I frequently look at my other favourite websites, Lands End.com and L.L.Bean.com. I also love Chapters.ca and Toys R Us. I often add things to a shopping bag, just to see how much it would all add up to in the end. Usually that's what stops me from pushing that buy now button. And I never have websites keep my credit card number on file, mostly for the reason that for me to make the purchase means I have to haul my lazy ass upstairs to get my wallett and credit card out, which is as much a deterrent as the huge number staring at me. This is my mistake with iTunes. My credit card is on file, which makes it oh so easy to just download new apps/songs/videos straight to my iPod.

Dangerous I tell you!

But come Christmas, my online shopping "addiction" is justified! Woohoo! I have very limited shopping time, worse now that you can't pull one over on the kids (they're just too darned smart and observant!) so I can't shop with them. And DH and I practically fight over who gets to be the one that gets to go get the gifts, seeing as how we can't go together. So I just boot up the old computer (ok, who am I kidding, it never gets turned off!) and shop to my little heart's content. Most of the online shopping sites will offer free shipping at some point, so you have to watch out for that.

Anyone care to share their favourite online shopping websites?

Chocolate Update II

It has now been two weeks (? not sure, feels like more!) since Lent began, and I am still on the wagon.
Mostly.
Ok, I cheated a few times.
One day I did have a hot chocolate (it was such a snowy day, the weather just called for it), and I have twice dipped my finger into the Nutella jar (only once each time).
So is that really cheating? I guess it is, if I was devout enough to actually adhere to the rules of Lent (ok, I don't even know what exactly the rules are, I don't even understand the whole meaning of it!), but for the purpose of my own experiment here, I don't feel I really cheated. My main goal was to stop eating actual chocolate, as in solid, large, pieces of it. And that has been accomplished so far. I have also stopped eating other smaller forms of it, as in chocolate chip cookies, or granola bars, etc., because once I get a taste for chocolate in my mouth, I want more and more, like an addict.
So all in all, I think I'm doing pretty well. Of course it helps now that I've run out of hot chocolate powder! ;)

Who Says Video Games Stifle Creativity?

Right now I am sitting here on the couch with a headache that is threatening to become a migraine if I try to do too much. At least that's my excuse. And I can hear the boys upstairs playing "Batman".
This weekend, I rented the Lego Batman video game for the Wii, knowing that we didn't have much planned for this long weekend (we have Family Day, a holiday, today here in Canada). This morning I woke up to the boys showing me how they had used their Lego to build their own Batman characters (very well done, I might add) and now they are role-playing Batman, even though aside from one half-hour cartoon movie we own, they have never seen the movies.
It makes me happy that they are playing this way, as sometimes I wonder about my decision to let video games into our lives. I do find that sometimes a prohibition on the DS is needed for R for a week or so, to reboot his system in a way. He tends to turn to it more and more for entertainment, and when I tell him no more, he listens but lays around listlessly moping and complaining of boredom. An enforced week off or so usually does the trick to get him back to playing more with his brother, and not being so addicted.

Chocolate

Hi, my name is Jennifer, and I'm addicted to chocolate. I truly believe I am, on some level. Not as bad as an alcoholic, but maybe somewhat closer to a smoker. I need it. I crave it. At certain times of the day, of the week, of the month. Usually I can get by with a couple of squares, or bites. Other times, no. I take one bite and it's like a crack in the dam. Every subsequent bite thereafter splits the crack wider until it's an unstoppable flow.
I was desperate for some chocolate the other day. I even posted my craving on FB. My sister, N, who incidentally does not really even like chocolate, responded back to, get this, "eat an APPLE!" She heard, apparently, that they get rid of the craving. I had to laugh my ass off at that one. Spoken like a true health nut. She just doesn't understand chocolate at all.
But, to be fair to her (and to my own resolution to eat less, exercise more, and be healthier) I tried it yesterday. I had finished my workout with the Wii Active, and was craving something sweet at the usual time of day. The top cupboard in my kitchen beckoned to me, whispering sweetly in my ear like a lover, "Come, eat me, I'm here for your pleasure, I'm all yours...It's ok... you worked out...it's safe..."
"No!" I refused. And I turned instead to the fridge to retrieve an apple. As I sat munching the crunchy, sweet goodness, all I could think about was...
CHOCOLATE!!!
And when I finished the last bite and placed the core neatly in the greenbin, do you know what I did?
I went straight to the top cupboard, apologizing profusely to my spurned lover, and he welcomed me back with open arms.