"The Happiness Project"

Recently (and for me that means sometime in my memory but in this particular instance its the past month)... I read a blurb about a book called "The Happiness Project". I went to the store to purchase it and actually found that there are many books on happiness, who knew. Well I still got this one because I knew something about it. It is actually really good. Its a story vs a how to be happy book. I am enjoying having something to do when the kids nap to check out of life and not feel very guilty as I used to when I would check out by napping. Its also almost like having adult conversation because here's the thing about my life right now. During the day when I'm with the kids I totally just crave hearing adult words and speaking to someone who will listen and understand. However, when the kids are sleeping I really just want quiet. I don't want to talk or be talked to. Tricky situation.... solution, read a book. Thanks to a friend I discovered roughly 4 years ago I like to read contrary to my belief of myself the whole other 21 (eekk almost 22) years of my life. I'm only on page 55 of the book but wanted to spill my new knowledge out.

"The repetitive activity of walking, studies show, triggers the body's relaxation response and so helps reduce stress; at the same time, even a quick ten minute walk provides an immediate energy boost and improves mood- in fact, exercise is an effective way to snap out of a funk. Also, I kept reading that, as a minimum of activity for good health, people should aim to take 10,000 steps a day- a number that also reportedly keeps most people from gaining weight"

The book reminded me of the on-minute rule. If a task will only take a minute to do, put shoes away, throw out a piece of junk mail, etc, do it now before it builds up to a huge pile of clutter and will take 15 minutes.

"What you do EVERY DAY matters more than what you do ONCE IN A WHILE"

No nagging. For example, if I ask D to take out the stinky trash, I then have to wait until it fits into his schedule. If I want it done on my schedule, I should do it. He'll be more likely to do it and faster, if I only ask him once. 95% of the time, he hasn't forgotten what I am reminding him over and over to do since the first time I told him.

"Why should I spoil a peaceful moment with my irritation? Hearing someone complain is tiresome whether you're in a good mood or a bad one and whether or not the complaining is justified. I took a deep breath and stopped mid-rant... Jamie looked at me with surprise, then relied. He probably knew what an effort it had taken for me to restrain myself. When I got up to get more coffee, he stood up to give me a hug, without saying anything."

"Happy wife, happy life' or put another way, 'If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.' At first I'd thought that sounded great- yippee, it's all about pleasing me! - but if these sayings are true, it's a tremendous responsibility.""Happy people generally are more forgiving, helpful, and charitable, have better self-control, and are more tolerant of frustration than unhappy people."

Gretchen Rubin wrote "The Happiness Project" and regardless of if you want to be happier or not its still a good read. I 100% suggest getting this book to read. And if you don't get around to it the cover is uplifting and pretty! Then, suggest it to all your friends too. I heart it!

Kristin -isms

Kristin has adapted a few words I think are adorable and wanted to share:

For a biscuit such as one would eat for dinner... "bone"

Suntan lotion... "Sunshine lotion"

Mud Puddles.... "muddles"

Best weekend in CT

There's no hiding that I've struggled to adjust to living with all these people and pets with new challenges and drastic changes, as if two growing children don't create enough of the latter two on their own. However, I had an absolute great weekend. I can't even remember everything that happened because SO much happened. But it was like when I say I just want to have a good weekend, this would be the weekend to recreate. So Saturday, we got up ate breakfast and D, the two kids, and I went for a walk. Honestly poor timing on our part lead for a humous walk. Apparently there was a walk to raise money for the Elementary school and it went into our neighborhood. Mind you, we live in small town, usa so there isn't one elementary school per neighborhood. We have three for the whole town. We pass by neighbors that have set-up water stands with watermelon and fun things and people wearing numbers pinned to their shirt. There were road blocks and people wearing orange shirts I suppose to make sure no one passed out or got lost?? Not really sure. It was very funny especially because we were walking in the wrong direction! Anyway, then came lunch, and kids naps. D was able to get yard work done and I got a few things accomplished as well. Kristin woke up first and we played outside. D pretty much finished shortly after she woke up, showered and got cleaned up and.... ready... made me a bubble bath! I got to take a bubble bath and read in the middle of the afternoon on a Saturday! Unheard of and amazing! D and Bill played with the kids and when I got out it was silent. It was a breath of fresh air. I got ready and we took the kids to our neighbor's little league baseball game. We bought Kristin her own ice cream on a stick! After the game we had a cook out and a relaxing evening. Sunday was church and then errands just the four of us. Errands somehow ended with Kristin getting her first bike. Mom and Bill cooked dinner to give me a cooking break and I never thought I'd say this but it was fabulous just because I didn't cook it OR clean -up from it!

Kristin the cooking queen

Kristin is going to be the next and youngest Food Network Star. It all started out with planting tomato seeds. We waited until Daxton went to bed and then planted the seeds and she did so well. So on that Friday I put Daxton down early to nap and she made chocolate pudding! We had make your own pizza dinner night and she has been cooking almost daily since then. She has made meatloaf, chicken butter sauce, corn bread, cookies, rice noodles with shrimp and sauce... the list goes on and on. It is so much fun for both of us and she is a great listener. When we need to cook on the stove I pull a high stool (With a back) a safe distance from the stove. She helps me get the ingredients into the pan and then helps watch for it. Pasta she likes because she gets to tell me when it looks like her bubble bath! She gets so proud of herself. Her play kitchen already was her favorite toy next being her play-doh, clearly because she "cooks" with the play-doh too making pasta, cookies, hot dogs, anything. However, now I can honestly say, I can't remember the last time we were in the family room with her playing with a toy besides her food unless we make her. Kristin is amazing and its such a blast. When we made the corn muffins I was even so daring as to do it while Daxton was awake! I was pretty darn proud of myself... is that allowed? Because I totally was. He liked to watch and then we was playing with a spare cupcake pan! Such a good boy!!! Kristin can even pull the tails off of the shrimp! I know its hard to say what she'll do when she gets bigger but I think cooking will be a favorite past-time. That and hockey.... she has said now three days in a row she wants to play hockey. Randomly and unprompted....

defeated

There have been many times I thought I had this thing figured out. I've managed to get 2 kids, 4 dogs, and 4 adults fed 3 meals including snacks. I've cleaned, let dogs out, done laundry and gotten 2 kids to nap simultaneously. There are other times, like today, when I feel like its my first day in life. Nothing seems to happen well. I can't even remember before noon today. Except that it clearly was my responsibility to feed the dogs and let them out because I don't go to work. Thats where my "day!" begins. Nap time. I have such hope in my veins. Quiet time to accomplish nothing or everything. I say Kristin's prayer and put her into bed and tuck her in. I pick up Daxton and take him into my parents room. That is where my rocker lives because there is no room in the kids or my room for my rocker. I get him to fall asleep. I stand up and its 12:25. I figure Kristin has fallen asleep. As I am walking my mother's dog decides to jump off her bed waking daxton. I shhh at him and freeze, his eyes drift back closed. The dog walks behind us and his nails on the hardwood again wake Daxton. I go into the bedroom and the door opening against the carpet wakes him even more. Then wouldn't ya know Kristin rolls over looks at me and says have yogurt? ARG baby really awake. It took me 2 hours to get the kids to nap. Daxton wakes up after an hour. Clearly by mistake because he is still tried but can't seem to fall back to sleep. The dogs barking wakes Kristin up shortly after. So off to do errands. First to the post office. Somehow I forget the address at home for the package I am going to mail. But of course I don't realize until I am there with Kristin not listening and Daxton's rain boots falling off and him wanting down. I must look like the worst parent ever. Everyone was staring at me.... not a good feeling. Finally the text message arrives with the address and we can go. Then to the next store to look for frames. I had told Kristin that because of her behavior in the post office she had to go in the cart at the store. She made it known to everyone in the store she didn't want to be in there. But it took so much effort to get to the point I couldn't see turning around without looking for the frames. Luckily she settled in. As I am looking for something they didn't have I hear crunching! She has found a "do not eat" packet and started to eat it!!!! ARG again. I feel like the worst parent. I looked away for a moment. Daxton's rain boot kept falling off so I was carrying them clearly then Kristin wanted hers off too. After plenty of searching we left. Home bound I feel utterly defeated by the day and my children. Now its already 5:45 so I figure everyone will be home. Nope, just bill. Meanwhile he comes home to no fed dogs, the clean dishes still in the dishwasher and dirty ones in the sink and two baskets of laundry at the bottom of the stairs to remind me to do them. 7:15 still no one else home. I decided that I had to feed the children. Kristin won't eat. "no like it" she kept saying. I have no idea why because she couldn't get enough of the pork chop 2 nights ago. I tried to go pee and I can't even do that easily! Daxton is in the cabinets and in the trash and climbing on Kristin's stool. So while I am trying to pee I am grabbing at him so he doesn't get hurt. D comes home from work at 7:45 as I am getting Dax in his pjs. He took Kristin I suppose he wanted to feel of some help today. I finally once again get Daxton to sleep and ring ring the phone. Perfect timing!!!! REALLY?!?!?!? At 8:00 I had no more left and left the room. Luckily he didn't freak out as badly as I thought he would. Sitting on the bed I felt so sad. The door without a knock opens because of course I can't get privacy. I got fussed at because I didn't have dinner for the other 3 adults!!!!!!! two of them didn't even get home from "work" until after 7:45 and I'm still responsible for their dinner? Its leftover night open the fridge and eat what you see!!!! I can't even talk about the food I could puke I'm so depressed after the day... but hey at least Kristin thinks puke is funny. After being told I was on strike!?! I was then even kicked out of the bedroom!!!!! I went to the family room picked up Kristin's toys and cried. Honestly I can't believe that was my day. I know I am the only one who chooses how I feel but I have tried so hard to feel happy and in control but today, I don't. at all.

Situations

What is it about situations that make you feel the way you do? Past personal experiences? stories you've read? other peoples reactions? Last week started with Kristin locking herself in my mother's bathroom by mistake. Inside locks typically lock by bottom, knob, or twist and on the other side is a tiny hole that if you take an unfolded paperclip you can unlock it. Well along the years this unlocking knob had been replaced with a "decorative" knob. When Mom asked Kristin to come out she said she was stuck. I tried coaching Kristin on unlocking it herself but was unsuccessful. I tried my best to stay and sound calm but I was extremely nervous. D ran to get some tools to take the handle/lock off. We had to have her pull off the handle on the inside to free her which she was eventually able to do.... Fast forward to Friday. After leaving the house two hours late to leave for my grandparents we arrive, without flowers which is a whole different story in and of itself. They get pizza for dinner and as we are finishing Kristin asks to be excused. The problem came about when she tried to push her chair back. All the other places she has eaten there hasn't ever been a carpet under her chair. So when she tried to push back she pushed over. She was sitting on her knees so she ended up standing but hit her chin on something on the way. Kristin also bit her tongue. Blood is gushing from her mouth and somehow she flies over DW who takes Daxton from me into my arms. I take her into the bathroom to try to see. She doesn't want to take her check off my shoulder so I can't see I just see blood. Finally I see her chin and know we are ER bound. Throughout this whole time I am so much more calm than I was when she was locked in the bathroom. Go figure. We end up leaving the e.r. luckily with only glue to shut it and her having had her first ever popsicle. But why on earth was I more nervous when she was locked in the bathroom than sitting in the ER??? The only thing I can reason is that I could not see her in the bathroom but I could see her and hold her even throughout Friday night.

Egg Tree

2 months and 7 days ago our family merged with my mother, step-father, and their two golden retrievers. We moved into their house. They were very gracious to allow us to come. It has been hectic to say the least with the merging of everyday things that don't ordinarily seem complicated. Anyway, today, my sister Katie and her son Connor arrived. They are visiting for Daxton's 1st birthday and Easter.... which leads us to the tree. We wanted to have the kids first egg tree for Easter. This involved first having D go to the attic to bring down the Easter box. Then I took the plastic eggs into the family room. Katie and I were trying to sort the eggs to throw out the cracked or gross eggs. Next we had to put the string in the eggs. This doesn't seem all that hard. (enter concept juggling family) Follow me and picture this if you can. I am sitting on the floor with my sister with the eggs in front of us. She is trying to untangle the string. I start putting the string into the eggs to hang them. Here comes curious Kristin, "Mommy doin'?" I explain. She proceeds with, "Take it out." You can only guess what happens next to all the strings. So I explain to her the plan and the tree. Okay. Moving on. Daxton arrives. He just wants to take the eggs. Couldn't care less about the string so I pass off a few to him. Now Connor. He is a few months older than Kristin and decides he likes the concept of opening the eggs to cause the string to fall out too. Somehow we manage to fend off the busy 6 hands and finish. My mother, sister, 3 kids, and I go outside. At some point during this Bill shows up and so do our neighbors, 2 parents and 2 teenage boys. I call Don who has been mia to come experience the madness. He decides to let our 2 dogs join the outside party. Bill wants his dogs out too. One of the neighbors two dogs thinks what the heck am I standing in my yard for look at all that fun and comes over. Oh did I forget to mention to you that Mom and Bill are having an addition put on to the house and we have big holes and dirt piles all over the yards? Yup. So my sister is standing closest to the road to fend off escapies, Mom is tying eggs to the tree while Daxton stands there afraid to move because he doesn't like the grass. 5 dogs barreling around. 2 toddlers twirling and rolling. 2 adults and 1 teenager with the dogs other adults, and 2 more adults and 1 teenager watching... for a grand total of 12 humans and 5 dogs.... outside in our front yard, just to tie eggs to a tree.... to remind us of Jesus' new life and the new life found in Jesus.

Let's get something clear right from the start

Just to be fair I want to make sure everyone knows a fact about our family..... I don't think anyone in it actually juggles, well at least. After three and a half years of marriage I did just find out a new fact about my husband. He can juggle. I found out because I was going to write "actually knows how to juggle" but to be safe I asked. Good thing apparently! He does say he would have to practice a fair amount to be any good. I should tell him our good friends have a juggling lesson on their blog... shot out to matt! HEYO!