I'm Happy to Announce....

Gratitude is one of the sweet shortcuts to finding peace of mind and happiness inside. No matter what is going on outside of us, there's always something we could be grateful for.

- Barry Neil Kaufman

Today I am grateful that my children's health is improving, that my brother thinks I am smart enough to proof read his college writing assignments, that we didn't have any extracurricular activities that took us away from home after school/work today, and that Hunter has the greatest baseball coach in the world (at least in my opinion).

My happiness project has been well under way for over a month now. When I began, I promised to return in a month and report on how things are going. I think the thing that has had the greatest influence on this "project" is merely the fact that I choose to be happy. I find Mr. Kaufman's above quote to be right on. If we go looking for happiness, it can be very elusive, but if we choose it, it will be a very willing tenant of our souls.

Allow me to review my goals:

• Go to sleep earlier. Frankly, I havn't. I am still working on this goal, and I tell myself, "You are going to bed by 10 tonight." and then I look at the clock and its well after bedtime. So I have yet to see the fruits of this goal.
• Exercise better. Well...I've got a great routine, and when I do it I am very happy, but the truth is, the couch and a good book  the computer are very enticing. This goal needs work. I figure if I get goal #1 down, this one will be easier.
• Toss, restore, organize. I am proud to announce that although this one is forever on-going, this goal is in the bag. I have been a tossing and organizing fanatic! I feel like things have no hold on me, and at the same time, my personality is beginning to show through in my home.
• Tackle a nagging task. I have been successful in this goal as well. In fact, I love days, like yesterday, when I get so much of the yucky stuff taken care of that I begin to realize it's only yucky stuff when it's stuck on my mind. The actual doing of the tasks isn't bad at all and getting it done leaves me with a definite feeling of happy contentment.

It appears that I am 50% sucessful, but to me I am 100% sucessful because all of these goals are on track to becoming habits. There won't be a point where I can say, 'Okay, I've reached my goal, now I can stop'.

March has a whole new set of 'goals', or habits to acquire. I will post these as I fine tune what they will be, and how I want them to influence my life. February's goals were centered around gaining more energy. One of the best things I've done to gain more energy is cut out sugar.  Those white chocolate mochas I used to crave now make me cringe and I have discovered the God-given greatness of stevia.

Happy days to all,

Gina

P.S. How could I have forgotten to mention one of my biggest sources of happiness this week? Last night while Hunter was having his first baseball practice of the year, my other kids asked Coach Bill if they could play with the hula hoops that were part of his training equipment. He obliged and the four of them each grabbed a hoop and trotted off to the other side of the gym. At first, my attention was on Hunter and what he was doing, but the movements caught my eye and I began to  watch the kids attempting to swing the hoops around their hips..hula style. Samuel was doing pretty well, Isabelle decided to hold the hoop on end and jump through it, Cecelia held it in two hands and wiggled back and forth.....and Ben.....oh Ben! He had the hoop around his waste and he maneuvered it quite well, but the way he moved to make it twirl...well, picture the love child of C3PO and Twyla Tharp...on fast forward.

It was one of those moments where you laugh and other people laugh with you....and then you're still laughing when everyone else stops....and then tears are rolling down your face, and your body is shaking as you try to compose yourself because out of your periferal vision you can see unlaughing people catching sideways glances of you. Yes, that was my highlight so far....and it's only Tuesday. I find myself asking, "What else is in store?" and "Why didn't I have my camcorder?!!"

My Happiness Project: The Little Things

Nine days into my Happiness Project I can honestly say I am a happier person. Let me review my goals:

1. Get more sleep. I can't say that I have been successful at this one yet. I have been going to bed an average of 1 hour earlier than before, but I have been about hour off of my goal of a 10pm bedtime. However, because I have been going to bed one hour earlier than my previous average I think this is an accomplishment in itself. I still have a hard time getting up with my alarm though and 'snooze' is still my friend.
2. Exercise better. I am happy to report I am making headway with this goal. I am still not as consistent as I want to be, but as of right now, every muscle in my body is sore to the core. I have been using the strength exercises of kettle bell with the play cardio of a rebounder (fancy lingo for mini trampoline).
3. Organize. This has been and always will be an ongoing task. I have discovered the joy of keeping a day planner. I have my phone numbers, bills, appointments, menus, and grocery lists all in one place. I have dropped off three huge bags off at the Goodwill, and have one in my room that I keep for whenever I come across something that I don't use, don't like or have to pick up too many times. When this fills up....away it goes!
4. Tackle a nagging task. I have been taking care of those nagging tasks (for me usually phone calls I dread making) as soon as I have the opportunity to do so. This, alone, has given me the biggest boost. In doing so, I have received two $150 refunds having to do with health insurance, I have an important appointment scheduled that I've been trying to get for 6 months, and I have a guy coming to fix our furnace.

All this, plus the fact that God has been smiling on the Pacific Northwest for the past week giving us the most unbelievably beautiful weather anyone can remember, along with the 'little things' are making me incredibly content and joyful.

These are some of the 'little things' that have given me happiness this week:

• I was rushing to get the girls and myself out the door this morning when I realized it was an hour earlier than I thought it was! Therefore, we were completely ready to go with an hour to relax!
• Sunny days in Washington are more beautiful than anywhere in the country. Because of all the rain, the air is clear and crisp and the sunshine is sparkling.
• After they went to bed Sunday night, two of my boys were arguing over who loved me more :)
• My furnace is fixed and since we've been huddling by space heaters for so long I feel like we are living in the lap of luxury.
• I had a great conversation with the old guy who picked me up to bring me to the auto shop to get my van back.
• I got my van back.
• A day after mentioning to my sister that I wanted to get some bunk beds for the girls' room, a friend sent me this text, "Do you know anyone who wants bunk beds?"

That last one was a major 'little thing'.

I have also learned that when you surrender yourself to God's will, he works in marvelous ways. That, I believe, is another key to happiness. Surrender.

Happy days to all,

Gina

Babies make me happy!