happy

I've been analyzing happiness lately.  

It's been a reoccurring theme all over the place. Radio, books, life in general.

On NPR, Terri Gross interviewed an author the other day who wrote about parenting--a book called All Joy and No Fun.

Any hands?

Take this cute little baby that is pulling up to stand now.  I smile and clap and am so proud of her!

But now in her crib, she can't figure out how to get down once she's up.  And she's tired.  So there's more crying going on.

Plus she just might pull this wobbly rocking chair over on herself.  Well, there's no might about it.  She's done it.

AND, she can reach the lego table with all those colorful little bits.  It's her favorite go-to spot now. 

I'm consistently amazed at how I can be so happy and then so unhappy all in the same day. Those toddler emotional roller coasters have definitely rubbed off on me.

While I'm joyful at watching her accomplish these amazing milestones, it's not fun knowing there will be bumps and bruises along the way.

"Clap along, if you feel, that happiness is for you."

We are loving Pharrell's song, "Happy". 

It was our theme song over the snow break, and I even tried to get the kids to make their own music video with some new words.  Here's what we came up with:

Clap along, if you feel, that snow days are for you.

Clap along, if you feel, sledding's what you want to do.

Because I'm happy...

Clap along, if you feel, like an igloo without a roof.

Clap along, if you feel, like snowball fights are cool.

Because I'm happy.

Joaquin was so happy building this igloo.  He actually built two igloos:  one on his own, and the other with the help of his dad.  He nearly froze to death.  I had to force him to come in.  And he NEVER wants to stay outside.

The next day, the snow was so frozen, he could walk on his igloo.  

So I often wonder why I'm not happy.  

And I'll take you through my thought process.  Here's how my crazy brain works.

I thought about my husband and his happiness.  He gets up and goes to work and generally likes his job.  He gets lots of pats on the back and team lunches.  Not to mention those little things called checks, plus maybe a bonus every now and then.  He's acknowledged for all the work that he does.  That would make you feel good, right?

Then I imagined us trading places.  I'd go to work and he'd stay home with the kids.

But then I realized he'd love that, too.  He'd watch TV all day, play games and take naps.

And the little light bulb lit above my head, and I realized I'm just not doing anything for ME anymore. And I know this.  I've been ranting about it for awhile.  But I'm realizing it's in the little things, too.

So instead of folding clothes or crossing off one more To Do, I went to the gym this morning.  Yes, I'm dog tired, but exercise is good for people.  It makes them happy.  (Plus I could get a small break from my joyful children. Win-Win.)

Next, Diego and I had planned to eat at Chick-Fil-A.  This is not unusual for us when I go to the gym, but we almost always eat from the drive-thru.  WHY?  So I can get home and fold more clothes?  (Which is weird because me and three of my kids almost always have NOTHING to wear.)

What an amazing lunch we had!  It was SO HAPPY!  And I'm not kidding.  What a difference it was eating inside verses on the run.

Here's a bullet list:

*  Diego had the run of the playland.  There were no other kids at 11am.

*  Carmen had her first applesauce pouch and LOVED it.  She even figured out how to use it!

*  Another older couple couldn't stop smiling at us and even commented on how much fun we looked like we were having!

*  Carmen went in the playland for the first time and was squealing with excitement.  Diego banged at her through the plexiglass, we listed to the echo on the slide, we looked for the moon in the rocketship windows.  

I wished I had my camera, but snapping away can be distracting from enjoying the moment, and that's one of the important things about happiness.  Living in the moment.

And the day got even better.  Carmen took a huge nap and Diego and I were able to play tag and baseball outside in our melted, snow-soaked, muddy yard.  Our driveway is full of puddles, so we played 'throw the pebble into the puddle' and made up our own rules.  But then we discovered crystal rocks, and there were amazing treasures hidden among the moss-covered gravel.  We searched and searched until our hands were overflowing with beautiful, wet rocks.

And that was happiness to us.

I know I can't throw the to-do list away everyday, but how often can I?  

Once a week?

The sign at the gym says a one hour workout is only 4% of your day.  I can give myself 4% of my day.

I've been waiting for everything to fall into place until I can be happy.  And that's just not going to happen.  I have to choose to be happy...right now.

And right now, I can smile at this happy day I had.  (Although the evening turned to pot, but that would just ruin the story, wouldn't it?)

How about you?  What was the last thing you remember that made you truly happy? Please share it! 

the january cure

I know it's February.  But last month, I followed along with Apartment Therapy's daily steps to decluttering your home:  saving the world, one room at a time.

I didn't get to each one, but there were a couple that were life-changers.  The first weekend, we had to clean the floors of the home...vacuum, scrub, sweep, mop...I thought it was an odd place to start.  That's usually one of the last things I do.

And my kitchen floor knows it.

It got an amazing hand wash by me (and the kids pitched in, too!).  We could actually feel the difference on our feet!  We were gliding around and felt like we were walking on clouds, that floor was so clean.

But then I got thrown off course when they asked us to choose one of our big projects we had listed and start on it.  My big project:  declutter the bookshelves in our craft room/library/sunroom/playroom.  You know it's bad if a room has that many names.

I knew this was going to be one that got worse before it got better.  Yes, the shelves were a jumbled mess, but at least you could see the floor.

Let's get a close up of the jumble o' stuff.

Photo albums...notice recycling and odd bits on top of shelves.

Craft baskets filled to overflowing.

There are some glimpses of organization in the past...see those crayon jars sorted by colors...yeah, but look at the mess of papers below.

The books!  They actually are somewhat organized here, but I was going to have to be brutal in purging these, keeping only the best of the best.

And one last before:  a blurred mess of paint, ribbon, tape and who knows what.

So then I got started.  And basically, everything that was once on the shelves came off and on to the floor.  There were piles here and there with destinations known only to me.

But slowly some shelf space started to appear.  The key to organized shelves is really SPACE.   And early on, I decided I was tired of them being flat against the wall.  I've really always hated these shelves because they're so tall, but this was a money-free makeover so I need to think creatively.   I decided to turn one and create a little craft alcove.  At least the shelves are open so it doesn't block the space completely.

I finally got the piles out of the room.  (Really, they were just moved to another room ready for the upcoming children's consignment sale.) 

Ready for the after photos?

The craft space now has a box for everything.  One for glue, one for scissors, one for sharpies...so much easier to clean up after projects!  I also moved the printer here.   Since we use that a lot for crafting, it makes more sense.

I came across these dollar store alphabet cards I had bought long ago.  And wouldn't you know, they fit perfectly on the side of that bookcase.  Unbelievable.

Our new reading area, along with our calendar board.   I enjoyed using our many stuffed animals as decorations on the shelves.  They used to be piled high in a basket and rarely touched, but these were the first things grabbed off the new shelves by both Diego and Carmen.

Not sure why this shot is so blurry, but you get the idea.  A little box is home to more stuffed animals; some maps of the world and our globe for exploring; an empty wood frame surrounds one of Joaquin's weaving projects from school; and there's a basket of nature supplies for learning about the great outdoors.

Here's the other side of the room.  The mobile on the wall is made from a few watercolor pictures by Diego that were punched into squares.  It was originally going to be for Carmen, but they wouldn't hang right.  I love them here on the wall.

Oh, did you notice those hideous lines on our wood floor.  Of course you did.  Beware of those Pinterest ideas...have you seen the one where you take tape and make a track for matchbox cars?  Notice how they abruptly end (where there used to be a rug).  Don't put masking tape on your hardwood floors.  I'm sure you already knew that.

And one last view from the side.  That huge bucket is recycling for crafts.  The back porch is a project for another day.

So what do you think?

We've done numerous craft projects since the room has been finished, and I can truly say it still looks like this.  Even when it doesn't, a quick five minutes is all it takes to get everything back in its place.

Now on to the rest of the house.  I need a cure for each month of the year.

handmade valentines

We always get started on our school valentines way early.  Usually that first holiday in January.  They've been sitting in ziploc bags ready to give out for weeks.  Just long enough for Joaquin to want to do something different.  Too bad.  So sad.  These are what you are giving out.

Soccer ball and baseball hearts.  One says 'I get a kick out of you' on the back, and the other says 'You're a hit!'

Isabela's required a few glued fingers from a glue gun and dollar store bags but are almost cute enough to eat:  paper fortune cookies that say Happy Valentine's Day.   

That's a lot of LOVE.

If you'd like some more ideas, here are some we've done in years past:

Valentines from 2013

Another valentine idea

Valentines from even longer ago

i do it

Now she hasn't said, "I do it," but she gets her point across.

 Blueberry smoothie gets a little messy.

 And sometimes becomes a blueberry bath.

 But she's so proud.

i heart faces--purple

I never realized how little purple is used in my pictures.  I wish I could have gotten these happy brothers with the entire giant sign they are standing on...it spells out L-O-V-E.  I guess pushing each other to fit into the same space is brotherly love, right?

See more purple pictures at iheartfaces.com!

glimpse of spring

Do we still remember this wintery weather from several days ago?

Why, yes, we do...but it makes us all the more grateful for today's 70 degrees.

Goodbye, snow shovel....

....hello, sunshine (and big green leaves).

Maymont was the only place for us after being cooped up for so long.

You'll notice one little face is absent in these pictures.  Poor, Joaquin.  He threw a huge tantrum in the car on the way there, and there was only one option...he had to stay home with Dad and clean while the rest of us enjoyed the park.  

I wasn't sure I'd be able to enjoy the day at all, knowing one of us was so upset, but all it took was a little fresh air and the beautiful scenery and all was forgotten.

I let Carmen explore from her snug ride in the carrier.  She loved the bark on the trees and leaves rustling in the wind.

The kids climbed pines, birches, and magnolias.

 The koi pond was still a little frozen over.

There was lots of stick-poking going on.  I had to stop Diego after repeated attempts to jab his stick under those giant rocks.  I just knew he was going to uproot some hibernating snake.

Give that baby some love, would you?

Have you ever seen a pinecone that looked like a flower?  These were amazing!

Someone was worn out.  That's a juice box in her hand.  Isabela gave her a few sips from her straw, but the bags are what's really fun.

Come on spring!  We're here for you.