The Answer is Always Yes.

So today after almost 30 days of my "100 days of happiness" project on Facebook, I am starting to get sick of talking about "me"! I think this project is great, because it helps you look for all of the blessings in your life, but I'd like to focus outside of myself for a while! Soooo...for the next little bit I will be posting not just things about what's happy in my day, but concepts, ideas, etc., that will hopefully spread happiness to others. Today, I'd like to share a little concept that has really helped me. Anyone who knows me knows that so much of my happiness comes from the blessing of being a mother and having my sweet girls. I want to share a little idea that helps with children: The answer is always yes. Now, before you panic, this probably doesn't mean what you think it means. This means, when your child asks, "Can we play at the park?", and the answer is really "No" (for that day/time) , You respond with an enthusiastic, "Yes! We can do that on Thursday!" (another day that will work), and then follow it up with something that will distract the children from their disappointment, like, "You know what would be so fun? We could have a picnic too!" This works in many situations. For example, "Mommy! I want that toy!" in the store...Instead of following up with a "No", Saying, "Oh what a cool toy! Yes, you can have that when you earn enough allowance! We'll talk with Daddy about some chores to help you earn faster!" sounds sooooo much more positive, loving, and hopeful. It often helps to circumvent temper tantrums and makes the whole experience more fun. My parenting philosophy is to nurture my children with love and happiness as much as possible, even when saying no to something or disciplining them. Obviously there are situations where this won't work, but in general, I hope it helps a bit to make those "No" moments a more positive experience! Love you my friends!! I hope this has made someone happy today or been helpful. xxoooo

Breakfast of Champions…

It may be time to grocery shop. Formulating breakfast today was akin to a journey to Mount Doom. First, I could not have cereal, because there were no bananas, and without fruit, cereal is of course unacceptable. I tried to take inventory of what I had in the house to put something decent together. I rejoiced over my cleverness when I devised a plan to have Nutella (left over from our Christmas 'treat' food) with natural peanut butter on whole grain bread. At least this would include some protein, healthy fat, and whole grains. I put my plan into action, and upon seeking the aforementioned bread, I found that it was now extinct in the ecosystem of our pantry. I then wondered how my husband had made lunch for the girls (something he was in charge of last night), which added to my mounting anxiety. Refusing to give up, I determinedly searched the pantry and found some multi-grain French bread. If I could cut it in half and toast it, it would work just fine, although the whole grain aspect of my meal would suffer. I placed the bread on a plate, grabbed a knife, and proceeded to drop the knife on my finger and lose a chunk of the bread, hurting myself in the process. Pressing forward with no surrender, I sliced the bread with purposeful focus and attempted to fit it into the toaster. This was nothing short of an epic fail. I returned to the dangerous cutting process and shortened the bread. I stuffed it violently into the toaster, refusing to admit defeat, and despite my attempt at denial, I almost immediately smelled the inevitable burning of the abused and angry bread. I had to unplug the toaster and surgically remove the bread to avoid burning down the house. Then I had to rummage through the kitchen to find the bigger toaster, which I attempted to lift out of the drawer with one hand, while in a fit of inconvenient obsessive compulsive disorder, I attempted to keep the other hand sterile and ready to handle food . I plugged it in and successfully toasted the bread, prematurely celebrating my victory. My triumph was hilariously exterminated when I went to the pantry to pull out the Nutella, which was empty. SERIOUSLY?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!? I think I can hear hysterical laughing in the cosmos….