My secret addiction

It's trashy and rude, and I love it! This has to be the best Hollywood gossip site around.

Perez Hilton

I don't care that the sidebar ads are tacky and the layout looks like something a 12-year-old girl would design. If you want to know what's going on with the celebs, you want Perez.

I'm not a celebrity stalker in a way that would ever prompt me to ask for an autograph or hunt someone down on the rumor that they're staying in the same hotel as me, but I am a little fascinated by what the rich and famous are up to and how they live. I guess it's a little bit of escapism on my part, but for the most part, it just makes me grateful that I'm me and not them.

I complain that there are no pictures of me with the kids, but if I'm honest that's entirely because every time Shaun approaches the camera I shout, "Don't take a picture of me! I'm not prepared to be photographed! I'm not wearing any eyeliner! Are you crazy?! Step away from the camera..." That's usually followed by a very confused look from Shaun, then quickly followed by another look from Shaun indicating just which one of us he thinks is crazy.

Can you imagine if you had real photographers permanently camped outside your house? With telephoto lenses?! Scrutinizing how fat you were or if you were sick and dying because you looked tired? No, thank you. I'd have to stop leaving the house covered in snot and drool, I'd have to start showering before I left the house in the morning and forego the 'I haven't washed my hair today' ponytail, and I'd definitely need to go shoe shopping. I'd have an audience for every time I almost busted my you-know-what on the ice in the driveway and for every time I yelled at the kids for opening the garage door without waiting for me ('DO YOU WANT TO GET HIT BY A CAR?!?!').

I couldn't take it, but I sure do love it that there are people in Hollywood that run around without their underwear on and let the paparazzi take pictures because my Web-surfing would be much less interesting without them. And I can always use a little reminder to be grateful for my stay-at-home-mom life--no one is judging my footwear, I'm allowed to carry baby weight for as many years as I like, and the kids love me despite the snot--it's their snot after all. Thanks for the reality check, Perez!