31 Days to a Happier Life - Day 8

So in our last post - 31 Days to a Happier Life - Day 7 - we were talking about family and friends, and how they are an important ingredient in your happiness soup.

One spunky looking family right there! LOL!

We have already discussed how cooking for our family (and friends) is a great way to show them that you love them and care for them. Cooking homemade meals has always been an important part of family life. And so has sharing - sharing hospitality and love and delicious homemade goodness. A batch of muffins for your neighbor, or a loaf of homemade bread for your kid's teacher, or an extra meal for the new parents down the road are all ways we can spread the love and increase happiness for those we care about. And in return, you will feel happier making someone else's day.

Of course, a more obvious way to connect to our family and friends is to talk to them. Preferably face-to-face, but of course this is not always possible. My family lives 8298.9 miles away, so that kinda makes it hard to pop over for a cup of tea. So, thank you Lord, we have Skype. 

We have a scheduled date each week for talk time - that way Nan & Pop get to see their grand kids, my sister and niece get to connect with the girls too, and I get to chat with my Mum, Dad and sister, and it doesn't feel rushed (because it is FREE!!), and it almost feels like we are there (especially the time my girls "played" hide-n-seek with their little cousin - so cute!!). We can show each other around our house, check out our latest buys, see each new hairstyle, outfit, and how much our babies are growing each week. We can hear their voices, see their faces, watch their expressions. It is truly priceless.

Being so far from my family can be overwhelming sometimes - I miss them so much it is hard to really think about for too long. Nothing can replace your family. 

So we show each other our love in different ways - our regular Skype session is our way. 

Haha...only joking ;)

The old-fashioned way was writing letters. I used to write letters to my Nanny (paternal grandmother) all the time. Oh, how I miss her, and our lovely letters. Just to receive a handwritten letter from her made my day. She was my pen-pal. Nowadays handwritten letters are pretty much non-existent. I have tried to find another pen-pal with a younger generation family member, but it just didn't catch on :( If you have someone you can write letters to (and who will write back!LOL) then treasure it for as long as you can - never take it for granted - it is beautiful thing. One of my most treasured items is a letter my Poppy (paternal grandfather) wrote to me - makes me cry just to think of it - the one and only letter he ever wrote and a beautiful one at that. They are memories you can hold in your hand, and stay in your heart forever.

I know in my heart I gave my grandparents heaps of my time, sat and listened to their stories, looked at all their photos, did what chores they asked me to do, loved and respected them. Cherished them. Never, ever took my time with them for granted. I think it is so important to realize that time with your family is a precious thing. Something you need to hold against your heart, and nourish, and water it with your words, and listening ears, and respect and knowledge and love and your time.

Whenever I do actually get together with my family we always have plans to do things - we are active in our pursuit of time together. We talk - in the car, at a restaurant, on the beach, around the dinner table. Every second is never wasted. It is like we need to soak in every drop of being together to help us last until next time.


I have seen families who don't do anything - communication is so poor it is frustrating. Sitting around the house, but in different rooms, is their idea of a family get-together. There is some weird ideal there but it is never realized. Wasted time and wasted opportunity produces a dysfunctional family.

Now, I'm not saying every family will be perfect - I know that is not the case. But if there is any hope to make it better it would be worth the effort. You may get rejected the first few times, but keep trying to break through, work out solutions, and try to enjoy each other's company. And remember, there is nothing greater than love.

Hug your sister.

Call your Mom.

Ask your Dad for advice.

Tell them that you love them...today.

31 Days to a Happier Life - Day 7

This is Day 7 of the 31 Days to a Happier Life Series. If you are new to my little blog, here is a review of what has happened so far:

Day 1 - What is Happiness?

Day 2 - Set Goals.

Day 3 - How to achieve your goals.

Day 4 - Daily Goal/Task Schedule.

Day 5 - Being grateful.

Day 6 - Don't worry. Be happy!


Well, my little bean is still feeling under-the-weather, and home from school today - that makes it the third day off school! This virus was a doozie! Hoping this one extra day of rest gets her all energized and strong for school tomorrow. I do think I will have a struggle on my hands tomorrow morning trying to get her out the door. She is very attached and has no great desire to leave Momma at the house whilst she goes to school. She would much rather stay at home with me. But we are slowly getting better each day.

So I thought today would be the appropriate day to talk about family and friends and how they play an important role in your personal happiness.

I love my little family and try hard to show them I love them and do not take them for granted. But some days, when we are bogged down in worry, and laundry, and time management debacles, we can lose our focus.

One of the best ways we can show our love and appreciation for our family is through food!

We try every night to sit down all together as a family and eat dinner...a home cooked dinner... at the dinner table...with no TV on. We feel that this connection is an important one, and one worth fighting for. Doesn't it seem these days that everyone and everything is trying to pull us away from the family dinner table? Sports games, practice, music lessons, play dates, television, working late, other family commitments all seem happy to disrupt our ideal family-together-time. And for this reason we block out our dinner time as RESERVED and make sure nothing is planned at that time.

Cooking a home-cooked meal everyday night can seem like a daunting task, but with a little planning it is not as hard as it sounds. I like to plan out my meals weeks, or months in advance. I print out my meal planner and post it so we can reference it to be able to put out meat to defrost the night before, or for the weekly grocery list, or so the hubby knows what to expect, etc, etc. Here is my meal planner for the next 7 weeks! YES, the next 7 weeks.

Now I only plan for week night meals. Most weekends the hubby cooks (YEAH!) and we eat with my in-laws - usually something grilled on our fabulous outdoor fire-pit grill made by hubby's cousin (it really is awesome!).

 
I work two days a week, so I'm trying to plan leftovers for the days I work - hey, why not make this as easy as possible, right? Crock-pot recipes are my favorite - stick the ingredients in, close the lid and turn it on. But sometimes I may get more adventurous...and sometimes more mundane...just depends.

The point is, though, that cooking a homemade meal shows your family you care for them because:

1. You have taken the time to actually cook for them.

2. You are cooking a delicious and nutritious meal for them.

3. You are coming together and spend quality time together around a home-staple - the dinner table.

4. The effort put into your family will show in the long run as a better connection and closeness.

I also make a point of assigning tasks - my little bean sets the table, and her big sis clears the table. It shows that it takes a team effort for a family to work, it is not just Mom's job. Big important stuff right there!

So if you can start with one or two nights a week for family dinner, it will be worth the effort.

Tonight I am making Chicken Noodle Soup

Happiness Links

October Meal Planner - Edie's October Meal Planner over at LifeInGrace

ZipList - LOVE this app - use it all the time

Healthy Recipes - Better Homes and Gardens - I signed up for their weekly newsletter and get meal ideas from there all the time.

Recipe Source - any time I'm looking for a recipe I can usually find a good one on Recipe.com

31 Days to a Happier Life - Day 6

I am so happy I have nearly finished my closet makeover project. This has been a HUGE project for me, with lots of challenges along the way, and I'm so proud of myself for working out good solutions and making it all come together into a beautifully finished product. What a stress relief this will be to have it all put back and tidied up.

Stress and worry are terrible things. The bible tells us not to worry, that worry cheats us of today. We need to focus more on our worship of God instead of wasting our time and energy worrying about things that are out of our control. Faith is all encompassing - we must allow Him to control our life, and not let worry control our life.

Of course this is a very difficult things to do, but one worth practicing each day. When I get all panicked and anxiety creeps in it usually manifests itself in other areas of my life, like becoming frustrated with my kids, or getting mad at my husband, or having self-doubt. The first thing I usually do is blame someone else (for anything!).

I was talking to a friend recently, and something she said really stuck with me - "We are so quick to blame others for things that are in our control."

We really need to focus on the problem, find a solution and get on with it. Instead we waste energy worrying, getting mad, blaming others, being frustrated. I always tell my kids, when they are getting frustrated with a project, or mad at each other, to sit out and calm down; to take a big breathe in and then blow all that bad air out; to "Stop, Think and Do The Right Thing". Now what I really need to do is tell myself this each time I become frustrated or mad.

So, today let's concentrate on getting things done, being happy, and spending less time worrying.

31 Days to a Happier Life - Day 5

Day 5 finds me tired and worn out from a week of projects and two sick kids. But I am really looking forward to finishing my closet project and spending a relatively low-key weekend at home with my two sweet girls.

I am so incredibly blessed to have two beautiful girls and try hard everyday to show them how much I love them and how thankful I am that they are in my life. Losing our first baby has shown us that life is never to be taken for granted, and having these two healthy sweet girls in our life is truly a blessing from God.

So today, here on my 31 Days of Happiness journey, is all about living the dream, enjoying the everyday things, and realizing that this life is a precious thing worth rejoicing in.

May you have a blessed day today :)

Video - very inspiring - and funny too!

31 Days to a Happier Life - Day 4

I'm kinda impressed that I have make it to Day 4 (a little late, but I made it none-the-less)! Woot!! Okay, a little bit premature, I guess, for any celebration. Or not!!

By celebrating small victories we boost our confidence to be able to tackle the bigger challenges.

I have finally finished painting my closet. My hands are barely functioning. My back is permanently bent. I'm so tired (I also have two sick kids, and an anxiety-ridden husband, but that's all for a different post) but I did it! And it looks AWESOME!

Next up is the floor, then the dreaded clothing declutter, aka dump, aka less stuff more quality, aka get-it-out-of-the-bedroom!! I am not good at decluttering my closet - too sentimental. I'm okay at getting rid of the items I don't wear, outdated stuff, etc, but then my closet is full of sentimental items that I never wear but cannot get rid of! And I still have nothing to wear!!! So I need a better solution - a smarter storage answer for this dilemma. I also want more room in my closet so it doesn't look like I have crammed everything-and-my-grandma in there. I want it where you can go in there and breathe and relax AND find something to wear. Sounds doable, right? It.is.just.a.closet. OK :) I can breathe now.

Closet Makeover Before and After

So when I am in the middle of a project like this everything else pretty much flies out the proverbial mind window. I'm so lucky I remembered to put something out for dinner this morning, otherwise it would have been toast for us. And by toast, I mean actual toast! So how can I control my head, my days, my house and my life? With LISTS!

We have already established our long-term and short-term goal lists, now we need to implement them and all our everyday chores into a Daily Goal List. At the beginning of the week print out 5, or 7 pages and keep them all together. Each night you will write out your list for the next day - listing three daily goals - the main important things you need to accomplish that next day. Get a clipboard, hang it up where it is easy to see and access. Refer to it all day, everyday.

Being organized and not missing anything makes me happy!

P.S. I'm going to try to figure out a good program to use to do a Daily Goal Schedule printable - this may take me awhile!! Or I may just freehand it and scan it in...mmmm...stay tuned :)

 
Solutions - great tips for closet storage solutions.

Art - I'm so excited - I ordered this beautiful print for my closet.

Goal Chart - found this lovely goal chart/daily planner - worth starting with until I figure out my perfect solution.

31 Days to a Happier Life - Day 3

31 Days to a Happier Life is already having an impact on me!

Yesterday I wrote about goal setting and how it is helpful to have a series of plans or goals to work towards, whether it be short-term goals or long-term goals. Having a direction to travel in is like having a map for our life. Without one, we aimlessly move through life's obstacles never achieving our full potential.

 (JunkArtGypsyz - Etsy)

One way to start your goal-list is to look at areas of your environment or your life and identify things that bug you, or things that need improvement. Some things may be beyond our control, but I bet there are a million little things that can be changed, that would make a huge impact on your daily existence.

Some time ago I found a little social study called Tiny Habits by Dr BJ Fogg. My husband actually saw Dr BJ Fogg talk at SXSW in Austin, thought what he said was awesome, and mentioned it to me as something I might like to look into further. Basically, you sign up and follow his plan to achieve 3 goals by making them a daily habit. Each habit needs a trigger in order for you to remember to do it. For example, one of the habits I picked (I joined up for one week - the duration of one course) was to open my blinds in the morning. I picked this because it is something I normally forget to do, then lament the fact by about lunch time, wishing I had opened them earlier to let in the beautiful sunlight. My trigger to do this habit is letting our puppy out for potty first thing in the morning. So, when I get up in the morning, I let the puppy out, and while she is out I open my blinds. Done! And that makes me happy. One tiny habit is now implanted into my daily routine, and is one that has increased my happy factor. It is definitely worth checking out - Tiny Habits.

I also think that little things can tend to annoy us in more unconscious ways, showing up as anger or frustration on other areas of our life. The perfect example of this is from Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

The dripping tap is a consistent annoyance in the background, which makes it harder to pinpoint (because sometimes the everyday things are harder to see). However, it comes out in other areas (like yelling at our kids). Find these everyday annoyances and fix them! See how you life improves, how your mood becomes lighter, and how problems are more manageable.

One of my annoyances has been my closet. Actually, it both mine and my husband's closets that annoy me. The door to his closet fell off one day (while I was home alone, and it it one of those really heavy mirror doors - one screw "fell" out so I had to hold the door whilst trying to get the other screw out, and then move it out into the garage - VERY annoying!). But, back to my closet - it has always looked so unfinished and old. So with a lovely evening where both bathrooms in our house flooded from a block in our sewer line (oh the fun we had that night!!) it was the perfect excuse to fix my closet (which also flooded - yep, you're jealous. I know!! LOL!). But instead of prolonging the pain, and over-thinking the remodel, yesterday I just got in there and did it. Carpet up - check, closet cleared out - check, new trim up - check, caulking done - check, painting started (first coat) - done! I FEEL SO AWESOME!! So happy with how it looks, but most importantly, SO happy with my progress and effort. I actually got off my bum and fixed something that was bugging me. 

Now this will help bigger goals, like doing the laundry, being more organized, spending less time cleaning and more time with the kids/crafting/reading/etc. I will have a beautiful organized space that is easy to keep clean. Why? Because I know I have put the effort into making it prettier, therefore, making it a space I will like, and want to keep tidy, so it will continue to be pretty. (I have done this with my laundry room - and it works! I love my laundry room now.)

So today, in summary, is all about goal setting and how to achieve them - check out Tiny Habits, think about those little pesky things that annoy you (that may be just a really easy fix), and start to think about things you can do on a daily basis that will become a habit, making your life more enjoyable.

Now, I must get back to finishing off that closet - I will post pics soon :)


Links for closet organization and pretty inspiration:

Organization - Check out Edie's blog LifeinGrace for awesome closet organization tips

Pretty Inspiration - have a look at my pinterest board for lots of lovely inspiration.

Art - decorate your newly organized space with beautiful Art via Etsy.

31 Days to a Happier Life - Day 2

True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/antoine_de_saintexupery.html#1yymcagdi4DQF2A4.99

"True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new."
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The basis of happiness is security, contentment with your surroundings and what is happening in your world, the feeling of peace - with little stress to upset your "level". Stability, a solid foundation, a good support network, love from family and friends, and a sense of confidence all contribute to the happiness factor. If you have all these needs met you should be the happiest person alive, right? Maybe not! Happiness is also the result of how you handle the situation, or how you pursue your life.

"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions."
- Dalai Lama

Some people are half-full and some are half-empty kind of people. Can you change this? Somewhat, depending how determined you are. 50% of your happiness level is pre-determined, genetic, just how you are made to be. And that is OK! That is the way God made you. You are unique and special and loved by Him regardless. But if you want to get a little more happiness you can! The other 50% is how you handle it, what you do, how you react, what you determine your outcome to be.

"Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be."
Abraham Lincoln

So I'm determined to add to my happiness cup. I'm typically an optimistic person, half-cup-full, get-the-job-done, tough-it-out, greet-you-with-a-smile kind of person, but sometimes that reservoir gets depleted, and taxed too low to function properly. 

So with my every-expanding Happiness List I also need to add in Goal Settings.

Goal Settings

1. Short Terms Goals

2 Long Term Goals

Some items on my Happiness List belong on my short term goal list, and others on the long term goal list. I'm pretty sure traveling to Italy will make me very happy, but it is (at present) a long term goal. Putting a little money aside each week or month towards my long term goal of being happy in Italy will definitely help me achieve this goal, and make me happy each time I contribute to something that I have to look forward to in my future. But I need my lists so I can focus my energy in the right areas, towards the right goals, in order to achieve the level of happiness I'm looking for. Make sense?

So here is my goal for today - break up my Happiness List into sections (Personal Goals, Family Goals, Dream Goals, etc) and assign each item to long term or short term , so now I will have a plan for my future, starting tomorrow. SO FREAKIN' EXCITING!!!

Set up short terms and long terms in terms of weeks, months, years. I have always heard it is good to have a 6 month plan, and a 5 year plan, and a whole bunch of plans in between. There are just some things that need 5 years (like saving money for a deposit for a house, or your dream vacation). And some can be achieved in a week (like painting my nails). These plans will be fluid. Nothing is set in stone. But it will definitely help you focus and give you hope for next week, and for the next decade. And hope contributes to happiness :)

So assignments have been set - get lists organized and plans set into action!