I know, I know — this should’ve been one of the easiest things on my “101 in 1001″ list. I should have been able to cross this one off faster than I crossed off “Inspire someone else to create a ‘101…’ list.” Sadly, that wasn’t the case. It’s not that there aren’t things that make me happy. There are dozens of things that make me happy on at least a semi-regular basis, but I wanted to find things that always make me happy, things that can pull me out of a funk if I need ‘em to, things that make happy times just that much happier.

In other words, I wanted to sit down and think about this a little. Oh sure, I could’ve written “Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie,” and it would’ve been mostly true, but….wait. Bad example, B&J’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie should have for sure been on the list. Damn. But I think you get my point here. I wanted to put a little thought into this. I wanted to make a list that could stand the test of time. I also wanted to make a list that didn’t read like a “Fat Girl’s Guide to Bad Grocery Shopping”.

I also wanted to avoid the momm-ayhood cliches because I’ll tell you the God’s honest truth and hope you don’t hate me for it — seeing my kids smile doesn’t always make me happy. When I’m in the middle of giving Matt whatfor about his grades, seeing him smile? Irks me like you wouldn’t believe. When I’m telling Lenna for the kazillionth time about her filthy room, seeing her smile makes me want to pound my head against a wall. So, I tried to avoid anything that wasn’t absolutely true.

So without further ado, here is my list (in no particular order of importance, obviously):

1. Text messaging. I’m assuming I’ll never get any kind of horrific news via a text message, or else this one has to get thrown out, but I’m pretty sure no one’s going to text me that their mom just died or they just ran over their cat or anything. I’m betting anyone who texts me would save that kind of news for IMs, maybe even a phone call.

2. Buying new camera stuff. (I didn’t say I wouldn’t be a material girl on this list, now did I?)

3. Snuggling with my kids.

4. Visits from package/mail delivery guys because they’re bringing something that will make someone (maybe even multiple someones) in this house happy. I’ve yet to get anything gnarly or sad or upsetting in any way via FedEx, UPS, etc.

5. Doing something from start to finish with no interruptions. For those of you who don’t have kids, this won’t make sense. For those of you who do, you’re nodding right now, aren’t you?

6. Knowing that I have friends who love me even though they know the real me. Don’t knock this one — it’s saved my life (literally) more than once.

7. Fwimsoup. Even though I suck at the “no textual communication” rule, this project makes me happy.

8. Degrassi: The Next Generation. We’re not going to discuss this one.

9. Going to Caribou Coffee with my mommy.

10. When Bill grins and says “I love you, too, honey” in response to something I’ve said to him that is utterly ridiculous, ie “I want to hit you in the head.” Yep, it makes me happy, but shhhh. Don’t tell him, okay?

So, there they are — ten things that make me happy. Now, share your list, how ’bout it?

Related:

• The beach.
• Busy. Lazy. Busy some more.
• The most wonderful time of the year.
• FAQs about me
• More about my mommyhood crisis