My indulgences

I loooooove me some wine.  Chardonnay, if you please.  This has been passed down to me from generations before me.  My grandfather makes homemade wine from everything from grapes to rhubarb, and my mother can't go a day without at least 2 glasses.  I have more alcoholics on both sides of my family than an Irish family reunion in a vodka distillery.  I once asked my husband if he thought I was an alcoholic.  God bless him; he called it my indulgence.  So we're going with that. 

Another one of my indulgences is getting my nails done.  Nothing beats a manicure or pedicure with a paraffin wax dip, listening to soothing music and reading from my nook.  That's right, I read while I get a pedicure.  I usually don't talk to the "nail specialist."  Mostly, because almost everywhere I've gone I can't understand what they're saying.  No, I'm not racist.  No, I don't have a problem with immigration (legal, that is).  But for the life of me, and just can't discern a single word.  So I pick a treatment from the "menu" and sit back and relax.  I do it but twice a year, so I think I deserve a little relaxation.  Hell, it took me me 14 years to finally get my hair cut shorter than my waistline...I take pampering when I can. 

My last indulgence is cooking.  I love to cook.  I try out new recipes all the time.  I have a killer pulled pork recipe and I'm still tweaking the BBQ sauce for it.  I won the "better than my mother-in-law" cooking award in our first year of marriage.  My husband gets mad sometimes that I spend so much time in the kitchen, especially if we have company over, but it's my stress release.  When I'm nervous, anxious, stressed or (most of all) angry, I cook.  And, poor Bub (hubs), is now called "Puzzle Pieces" because he's in charge of fitting it all in the fridge.  He does such a damn good job of it, and packing the car for a trip, and fitting a picnic for 12 in one Igloo cooler, that he's been hired. 
I lived in San Diego for 4 years, and realize that I sound a little like a bleach blonde who gets her nails and hair "did", drives an SUV, screaming at my bluetooth, ignoring my children, and getting sloshed every night.  Believe me, I've seen them.  It's scary. 

I do drive an SUV (stupid-f%#$&%*-piece-of-gas-guzzling-two-wheel-drive-shit-in-the-snow-piece-of-crap-I-can't-get-rid-of).  I like getting my nails done, but can never put enough time aside in the month to get them "filled" so they end up breaking off (I swear, I'm never getting acrylics again...until a holiday comes up and I wanna look faannncceeeyyyy).  I used to have a bluetooth, for when my husband was deployed and I wanted to be able to answer his calls at any and all times.  Until it went through the washer.  I do ignore my children...especially in the car.*  Two glasses of wine per night, nonnegotiable.  I am my mother's daughter.  And I have natural brown hair.  I get points for that, right?

But.

We are a one income family.  My husband is a stay-at-home dad.  I have a job that where I am part of the 6.8% of women in the industry.  I fight for every penny I earn, sometimes literally.  So my indulgences are earned.  My children get everything they need and want, even if that means me and Bub go without.  And by go without, I mean our tax return is our only "spoil ourselves" money.  My Christmas money went to car registration this year.  We, by no means, indulge to the extreme.  But there are certain things I just can't give up.  I am, after all, a mom, which, proven so eloquently, means that things have changed for me.  No more pee-ing alone.  No more road trips.  Hell, no more grocery trips without a melt down.  Get spit, spit up, puked, pee'd, pooped, drooling, leaked (ear infection) on without so much as a cringe.  This is my happy, amazing, awesome life that I wouldn't give up for anything in the world.  All I ask for is my little glass of wine, mmk?  And by gawd, I'm gonna have it.

*By the way, I don't actually ignore my children.  Even when they're both screaming, whining and crying for a piece of cheese/yogurt/candy/"uppy".  My kids are my world.  Just wanted to make sure you were paying attention.  ;)