31 Days to a Happier Life - Day 16

We have exercised our bodies, now it is time to exercise our minds.

Reading a book, learning a new craft or skill, learning about different cultures, expanding our horizons or gaining more in-depth knowledge of things that interest us, all help to exercise our mind and add value to our life.

Let's take reading for example. When we read a book we are learning and being entertained at the same time. We absorb it more than if we were to just watch the movie of the novel. The words speak to us. There is more room in a book to expand characters, to divulge more detail. There is more space to cultivate the setting. And we tend to retain more from reading. We may pick up new words, or new ways of expressing a feeling, or a beautiful way to describe the night sky, or the way coffee tastes.

Reading takes us on the author's path into our own imagination. It is the perfect blend of the author's words and our pictures. We can imagine how our hero looks, or how he talks, or that battle scene's details by using the words as a tool like paint. We use the words to paint our own picture.

Sometimes the words themselves are the picture - they flow like honey in our mind, and enrich our life forever.

You can always think of your favorite book. Whether it be from your childhood, or a recent discovery. They stick. They may even change you - how you think about a situation, a person, a culture, an event.

Now, there is a big difference in the types of books you read - popular novels of today may make the best seller list and make the most profit, but do these types of books provide any real benefit to our mind, to our imagination, and to our society?

Edie Wadsworth of LifeInGrace has an excellent post about one such popular novel - it is worth a read, and definitely highlights my main reason why I only read literature - there are so many wonderful amazing brilliant books out there to read, that I wouldn't want to waste my (very small, especially valuable) time reading a book that adds no value to my life.

Reading also helps us slow down. In this fast-paced world we need time to re-group, to focus, to meditate. Reading, or learning a new skill, is an excellent way to focus. We are barraged with images, and noise, and things to do, and things to look at, and decisions to make all day, everyday. No wonder it is so hard to focus these days, and for our kids to focus at school. We have taken the focus away from reading and replaced it with visual stimuli - with a flash of images, all too fast to absorb with any real effect, or advantage to our developing mind.

Reading gives us a break. Calms the mind.

Nana reading to the girls.

At the end of the day, right before dinner, when the witching hour is upon us (and the kids are running around like crazy), I stop them, separate them, and tell them to read. It is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. The transformation is truly incredible. They both sit, and are quiet, and they read. They get lost in their book, and when dinner is ready they are calm and ready to sit down to a family dinner. It is a beautiful thing.

I am currently on a classic kick. It started with Homer's The Odyssey, and I am currently reading Ovid's Metamorphosis. With a few more in between, this has been a wonderful, challenging year of reading. Some I just could not get through (Plato's The Republic), but plan to revisit. Some are on my most-favorite-books-ever-list (The Odyssey) and will be ones that I will re-read. I have also speckled in a few lighter reads in there to break up the denseness of classic literature (especially over summer).

I try to read every night. Sometimes it doesn't quite work out, but when you have the right book bedtime becomes even more enjoyable. It makes me want to wrap things up, get cozy in bed and read (at least for 30 minutes). It also has a lovely side effect - it takes your day's worries and makes them disappear. It replaces them with the beautiful images of the novel, and lets you fall to sleep with a more peaceful mind.

Give it a try :)

Happiness Links

Great Article - why reading is imporatnt.

Book Designs - geek cool!

Dream space - number one on my list for next house...or maybe this one too.

31 Days to a Happier Life - Day 15

Celebrate!!

Celebrate events in your life - like birthdays, and new babies, and anniversaries. They are important.

New Bike.

It seems like these days that no one really celebrates this stuff anymore. A new baby comes along and everyone is like ho-hum about it. Do you know how hard it is to make a baby??!! Babies are amazing and should be celebrated and showered with love. And the baby's parents should be congratulated. It IS a big deal! A new life for this little being. A new adventure for this little (or big) family. It is a true blessing, for sure.

Celebrate birthdays! Today is my little sister's birthday. We gave her a present (hopefully Mum remembered to give it to her!). The girls made a sweet birthday video for her. And I sent her a lovely message (although she may not have thought it was that lovely since I outed her age...oops...she still loves me). We just wish we could actually be there to give her a big hug, bake her a cake, and see her face as she unwrapped our present. But we still celebrated.

Celebrate anniversaries. First dates. Wedding anniversaries. Engagements.

Celebrate Valentine's Day (you don't have to buy anything) - it is just a good day to celebrate love.

Celebrate Sundays, and first days of work.

Celebrate graduations and academic achievements.

Celebrate a new house, a new puppy, a new car.

The little things matter. The big things matter.

As soon as you stop letting them mean anything, everything stops meaning anything, and life becomes one big drag, with no ups, nothing to look forward to, or no unexpected surprises.

We celebrate because it is an expression of love. And to have love we need to share love. So show the people we love that we care enough to celebrate their triumphs, their achievements, because they matter to them.

So let things matter, and celebrate them.

31 Days to a Happier Life - Day 14

I am sitting at my desk, the blinds are open, and I'm watching the rain fall.

This beautiful. soft, earth-drenching rain.

We have been waiting for 3 days for this rain. It has been raining to the north of us. It has been flooding to the south of us. For 3 days we have had gloomy skies. Little sprinkles. Now, it is raining. So thankful for this rain.

3 days of gloomy skies does something to you. For me, it makes me slow down, and nest. It makes me want to sleep in, and cuddle with my girls. It makes me want more coffee! It makes me want to read. Just sit and read.

It is not cold enough yet to curl up under a blanket, but we still do (just turn the a/c down a little lower).

When I was younger I used to love walking in the rain (with an umbrella of course - I'm not that crazy). It was always so quiet, and peaceful. It was a beautiful time to think and dream. And to really see. It makes you slow down and really see.

Today, I'm not depressed, nor sad, nor grumpy. I'm grateful.

Grateful for the rain we are finally receiving - we desperately need it.

Grateful it has given me the chance to catch-up on things at home.

Grateful it has slowed us down, even if it is just for a few days.

Being grateful is sometimes easy. And sometimes it is something we forget.

In the everyday workings of our life it is easy to forget to give thanks for all the good things you have in your life. Then a reminder will come - a news story of suffering, and unexpected bonus, or something someone says.

But really we need a constant reminder to be thankful - whether it be through an early morning devotion, or saying grace at dinner.

We are blessed, and loved, beyond compare.

As we sit here in our nice house, we always laugh about where we came from - our first place we lived in was a converted fire station's garage in an inner city suburb. It was cold, and damp (roommate actually had mushrooms grow out of her carpet once - true story!!) and there was nothing pretty about it. But we were surrounded by great friends, and have lots of great memories from there. And it makes us ever so much more grateful for what we have now.

Be grateful for today.

For the small things...and the big things.

31 Days to a Happier Life - Day 13

Fitness!!

Yesterday's post was about healthy eating, so it is only natural that today's post is about fitness.

Move it or lose it!

Move it and lose it!!

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 I know finding the motivation is hard...because I find it hard too. But it is something that will make you feel so good you will never regret doing it.

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I need to keep on track. I need to make sure I do something everyday. Even if your something is walking for half an hour - that is something! That little something will lead to a bigger something, and soon it will make you feel great, and make you wan to keep it going.

Motivation is hard though. But you have to tackle it, knock it on its head. And you will prevail. Just be strong.

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Exercising makes me happy - whether it is walking with my family (or doing or regular team race home - little one and I won tonight! Woop! Woop!), or doing yoga, or sweating it out to a dvd, I always feel better (and better about myself) after a good exercise session.

You will too :)

31 Days to a Happier Life - Day 12

A big part of personal happiness is your health. If you are healthy you are more likely to be happier. Less worry, less stress, less pain.

As part of my new meal planning strategy we are also incorporating more healthy choices. Less take-away/junk food and more healthy meals. Lots of fresh veggies (we grow a lot ourselves), a little meat (mostly from hunter hubby) and lots of fruit, some grains and dairy. We try for a balanced diet, especially since we have two growing girls. They need lots of high energy food, good brain food, and lots of growing food.

Home grown veggies.

My eldest could eat eggs and meat all day long, if you let her. My little one could eat candy all day. Each one is different. But both a pretty good at eating their veggies when they have to :)

Pastured Organic Eggs.

I remember growing up with dinner at the table every night with all me family (plus my Grandma who lived next door). And after we had finished our dinner we would get dessert! Usually something delicious thing made by my Grandma, like rice pudding, or stewed rhubarb, or a pie, or bread and butter pudding. If nothing else, we would have ice cream and fruit. But it was pretty much a staple - eat all your dinner, and you will get dessert.

Fruit Kebabs for School Snack.

We still maintain the "Eat all your dinner!" rule, but rarely have dessert. My husband and I really do not have a sweet tooth, so it rarely occurs to us to have dessert. Now, with the girls, we may have it more often, but no more than twice a week.

Best Salad EVER! Spinach, cucumber, apples, pecans and Hubby's special salad dressing.

My husband has become the chef-extraordinaire of desserts - he can whip up something delicious out of nothing. Chocolate and strawberries, banana splits, coke-floats. It is interesting to see what he comes up with, and it always delights the girls.

Homemade Vegetarian Pizza - oh, I LOVE this.

I find cooking rather tedious, but I'm trying hard to get more excited by actually doing it. Even though I find it a little boring to do, I actually LOVE to collect recipes! Weird, huh? But I have started collecting recipes and keeping them in folders for easy reference. Ones that work out great, that everyone likes and was easy to make, get saved back into the file. The ones that are a FAIL, get recycled. Now we have a nice collection of good recipes that can be easily referenced, slotted into weekly meal plan, and I know will be well received. That makes my job a lot easier.



Happiness Links

Real Food - great site for real family, real food solutions. Also LOVE her school lunch ideas - I use them all the time.

31 Days to a Happier Life - Day 11

Words from Ann Voskamp echo in my head and settle in my heart.



          Doesn’t all the hurry makes us hurt? 


          Slow never killed time. It’s the the rushing and racing, the trying to catch up, this is what kills 
          time — ourselves.
          Why in the world do we keep wounding ourselves?

          Life is not an emergency.

All this pressure to do things right, to do them now, to get it all done, to be everything to everyone are overwhelming. Always feeling like I'm underachieving. My heart racing as I think about Fall - got to decorate, make pies, make memories. Then I start thinking about Christmas and November and all the things I want to do to prepare, and it all comes crashing down.

Too much.

I need space. And lots of it. Mental, physical, spiritual space - time to think, and dream, and breathe.

Without space I'm likely to crack, to stop dead in my tracks, to fall off this speeding train. And I no long function.

I need space to replenish, rejuvenate, to focus.

I need space to listen.

And I realize now, that taking this time is crucial to my happiness. I can fall into a rut quicker than you can push me in. The pressure I put on myself is triple any you can put on me, but yours always adds to mine. Always. Sometimes you have to relent. Sometimes you have to give me space. Sometimes you have to think before you speak. Sometimes it is better not to say anything at all.

Just give me space.

31 Days to a Happier Life - Day 10

Happiness is a nice hot relaxing bath...

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...and early to bed.

Sometimes it is good to admit defeat and know when you need extra rest. Tonight I am tired and grumpy, and know I will feel so much better if I get to be early. Tomorrow is a new day, a new start. Today is gone, in so many ways, and I need to take care of myself in order to provide excellent care for my family. It is easy to keep pushing, to get more done, but sometimes it is not for the best.

So off to bed I go...and that makes me feel so happy.

Sweet dreams.