Happiness 101.11

It’s almost lunchtime on Friday. I am in my new lower-level office space, in my new-to-us condo townhouse, on the outskirts of Canada’s capital, Ottawa.

A lot has changed since I last wrote, way back in November 2012. The simplest way to tell the story, is by listing my current happinesses, and letting you fill in the blanks. Enjoy!

• Pulling into the driveway to see our two crazy dogs up on their back legs, pawing frantically at the sidelight window, desperate for us to “Come inside, NOW!”
• Overseeing our two big kids (Q now 12yrs, Miss G 11.5yrs) collaboratively preparing meals and special treats in the kitchen.
• Listening to our two little boys, The Twins, (TJ now 7yrs + DJ 8yrs, born on the same day a year apart), chatting together before falling asleep in their shared room.
• Appreciating the last of the daylight as it kisses the tops of the trees in the rolling park outside our front door. As Jamie and I sit on our front step enjoying—most often—a sip of Bourbon, we recount the day’s highlights and anticipate the day ahead.
• Discovering + downloading new music from NoiseTrade.
• Finding treasures at thrift shops to decorate our home + my body.
• Browsing Pinterest, especially for home decor, blended family ideas, fashion + crafts.
• All six of us at the dinner table.
• Just the two of us at the dinner table.
• Having my hair brushed + braided at bedtime.
• Exploring new craft distilled + small batch beverages with Jamie—bourbon, whiskey, gin, wine + beer! And yes, we enjoy in moderation.
• Tickle Tuesday at bedtime with The Twins.
• Late night grocery shopping with Jamie, hunting for deals.
• Listening to the kids’ daily highlights.
• Receiving text messages from the kids when they are at their other parent’s homes. FaceTime is even better!
• My big kid still wanting tuck-in at bedtime, complete with chatting, hugs + kisses.
• Hearing my ‘new’ kids tell me they love me, both in person and on the phone.
• Spending time with my parents at the riverfront home where I grew up, and sharing that magical place with the kids.
• Being a super cool Mom, and super fun ‘Dad’s girlfriend’.
• The beautiful way our children have become friends, truly enjoying each other’s company.
• Loving + being loved.

{ Psst… I love to receive feedback on my posts. Please leave your comments whenever you feel inspired to do so! }

Happiness 101.10

• Returning to my favourite place on Earth after being away for 26 years.
• Letting go of past fears and embracing present strengths.
• Amazing friends.
• Taking my kids to Toronto, and to the top of the CN Tower.
• Learning about religion, politics + golf.
• Ice cream in the park.
• 24hr bike tour of Ottawa with Quinner.
• Kayaking.
• Swimming though seaweed.
• The Old Spaghetti Factory.
• The LEGO® Store.
• Butterflies.
• Bargain hunting at Value Village and The Salvation Army Thrift Store.
• Knowing my boys are so wonderful and fantastic, and being told so by all who meet them. 
• Snuggles + Giggles.
• Allowing love—in all forms—to enter my life.

{ Psst… I love to receive feedback on my posts. Please leave your comments whenever you feel inspired to do so! }

Happiness 101.9

Every so often it is vital to one’s mindset and vibration to define and appreciate the little things which make us beam with happiness and joy.

Here is my list of Happinesses of late. What’s on your list?

• the wonderful warm days we are enjoying this Autumn. Above 10°C in November means no bulky outdoor wear just yet.
• spending time with my big sister, Debbie. Love that she has recently introduced me to cross-border shopping, and several wickedly good movies like Burlesque and Bridesmaids.
• hearing my children sing along to the radio in the backseat of the car, and secretly admiring them in the rear view mirror.
• my friend Tara’s blue hair.
• the anticipation of spending all day every Saturday on the ski hill this year. Both boys are in the all day racing program. Loads of fun ahead!
• being inspired by our amazing female Members to spontaneously train, even when I may have had no intention of doing so.
• the warmth of the radiator in the bathroom when I step out of the shower.
• Twitter. Who needs to watch/read the news anymore? { follow me @JoeGirl_JTL }
• watching RSVPs come in for my JoeFourOh! party. Some wonderful surprises, and friends from decades ago coming to celebrate with me. Goosebumps.
• kissing my boys’ closed eyelids at bedtime—indeed one of the sweetest body parts.
• scampering brown squirrels.
• typography.
• flipping though photos of stuff I’ve made… not bad :)
• bedtime meditation.

Happiness 101.8

Haven’t posted a Happiness list in over a year {tsk, tsk}. It has been a very, very happy year indeed. Some things that make me smile lately…

• songs I can sing along with
• the promise of rekindling my most precious friendship
• wrapping my arms tightly around my children
• illustrating; I have discovered a certain knack for pen and watercolour
• bedtime chats with Quinn + Jake
• Marley’s dances with Marshall
• scrambled eggs
• our family Gratitude Journal, which resides on the dining table
• Nat’s raw laughter
• handing over past treasures of the boys’ clothes, books + toys to friends with a new baby boy
• Fawlty Towers on YouTube
• the way Quinn says “I love you” and reaches up for a kiss when the school bus arrives
• paying bills
• movie nights on the open sofabed
• capturing great moments in pictures
• comments on my blog posts {hint, hint… is anybody out there?}

From photo to illustration, a housewarming card

My favourite dance partners

The fabulous Nat, adored

Happiness 101.7

Ah, happiness…

• listening to my kids talk to each other.
• discovering frogs and turtles and fish as we hiked around Pink Lake today.
• Jake discovering Mica (“Mom! Look at all these sparkling things!”), and leading us to the old mine, where we found oodles of it!
• the practically-new BBQ my Mom + Dad passed along to me (“If you don’t take it, it’s going on the curb with a FREE sign.”)
• touch.
• thinking the same thought, at the same time.
• Andrew’s new iPhone.
• swimming in my childhood pool, with my kids and their friends.
• just under two weeks until Marshall opens his new gym.
• raw veggie salad.
• my two Lillians.
• rain.

Happiness 101.6

The best way to invite wonderful things into your life, is to be thankful for the wonderful things you already have. Some of my recent happinesses…

• Today’s heavy white snow blanketing every tree branch.
• I heard a Cardinal’s song this morning. Though I could not find him, his voice was exhilarating and fresh.
• The colour orange, and how it reflects my new life—Always Forward!
• Looking up at the black and white photo of my birth father, whom I never had the opportunity to meet, but with whom I feel such an intense connection.
• Knowing I am offering motivation, guidance, encouragement and inspiration to so many of my friends. Actually often brings a tear to my eyes…
• Jake’s bum.
• The way Marley (my sweet Shepherd mix pup) demands my attention every time I am on the telephone. She’s worse than a toddler, and I love it!
• Today’s workout with Marshall. I haven’t trained with him since January 15th… I needed it! Excited to commit to a 3x/week training schedule with him once again.
• My two amazing sons showering together this morning. Quinn washing Jake’s hair, making sure to keep the suds out of his tender eyes.

Happiness 101.5

This morning’s frost, twinkling in the early morning sunshine, brought such happiness to my heart. Yep, I’m typically a pretty happy gal, but every so often Mother Nature encourages me to stop and embrace the moment.

Today’s happinesses:

• Feeling yesterday’s squats in my thighs and butt. Who needs sex, drugs and rock‘n’roll when your body can feel like THIS!?
• Jake finally enjoys watching Dora the Explorer. I was beginning to think he was a freak.
• The attitude is shifting in our house. Less negativity. We catch each other, and encourage positive thoughts and reflections. Feels wonderful.
• Sunshine.
• Reconnecting with a friend.
• Watching Quinn beam as he reviewed better-than-he-thought math homework marks.
• The Cranberries. The Fray. Kings of Leon. The Killers. Blue Rodeo. Great Lake Swimmers. Peter Gabriel. 3 Doors Down.
  
• This week’s full moon.
• Hot baths with lavender bubbles.
• Tetracycline finally kicking in, right at the end of its 14-day course.
• My new hot pink Converse Chuck Taylor low-tops.
• Jake designing a bead necklace at the desk beside me.
• Thinking of my childhood friend, Jen King, on this, her 37th birthday.

[Jen and I at Nangor Resort, Summer 1986]

What are your happinesses today?

Happiness 101.4

It has been far too long since I made a regular appearance here. As such, I spent much of today reading through the JoeGirl archives, trying to collect some inspiration to write. There are so many posts from the past year that I think are worth revisiting, but I’ll let you find those on your own. Look thru June and July 2008. There is some excellent material back there.

I was particularly inspired by my Happiness 101 entries. And—as I have been distracted of late by my obsession with all things health + fitness, and unable to think of anything else inspiring—I thought a simple Happiness 101 post would be the perfect way to kick off more regular contributions here at JoeGirl… once again.

Here is my current list of simple things that bring a smile to my face just thinking about them.

• Dancing. Summer 2009 favourites? “Boom Boom Pow” [Black Eyed Peas], “Poker Face” [Lady GaGa], “Calle Ocho” [Pitbull], and “Africa” [Karl Wolf].
• Walking down the stairs to Marshall’s gym, anticipating another incredible workout.
• Marley, surprising me by gently putting her head on my lap from under my desk.
• Sunshine. We’ve had record-breaking rainfall here in Eastern Ontario this Summer.
• Rainbow Trout and fresh steamed green vegetables.
• Putting on a pair of shorts from last summer and watching them fall right off. Two sizes too big is such an incredible feeling.
• Finally picked out a new pair of skis today to replace my defective ones. They are spicy sweet—Elan’s Black Magic.
• Quinn and Jake laughing together tonight. I have no idea what they were doing, but the sound of their laughter made my heart sing.
• My shiny new Sharpie pens.
• Jake delivered a fresh sprig of garden Lavender to me while I was in the bath this evening.
• Thinking of darkening my hair.
• Bare feet. Short, unpolished finger and toenails. Makeup-free face. Hair pulled back in a low ponytail. Simply… Fresh.
  
• Knowing I can trust my best friends with my life.
• Vodka + Tonic with lemon and lime.
• Falling asleep listening to my iPod—Angels + Airwaves. The Fray. Colbie Caillat.
• My three boys. They are so darned adorable [See picture below. Taken July 25, 2009].
  
• Knowing you are still out there, ready to read when I am ready to write.

What are your Happinesses today?

Happiness 101.3

Watching Marley romp and pounce in the foot of fresh, powdery snow.

Listening to children play in, and neighbours shoveling, said snow.

Tonight’s peach winter sky—the result of city street lights reflecting in the falling snow, casting a comforting, hazy glow over the neighbourhood.

Barenaked for the Holidays. Harry Connick Jr. Johnny Cash. John Denver and The Muppets.

Ellen’s 12 Days of Giveaways!

Andrew announced he’s taking the week between Christmas and New Year’s off.

Marley’s bright beautiful eyes, thanks to surgery last Friday.

Shelley tackling for the first time—and conquering—her new snow blower.

Devon playing Fox and Hound in the snow with our kids.

Feeling in control.

Happiness 101.2

In nineteen hours, Jake will be at daycare for the first time since July 24th. That means I have Quinn all to myself. Just like the old days. I adore Jake—of course—but there is something magical and uniquely sentimental about spending one-on-one time with your first born.

Here are some of my favourite Quinn happinesses:

• We love to be silly together. Tickling, telling potty-humour jokes, eating dessert for breakfast… being silly with your kid allows them to believe you were a kid once too.
• Flour, eggs, vanilla… Baking tops the list of favourite Quinn and Mom activities. Raisin Oatmeal Cookies sounds like a delicious back to school choice for this week.
• HORSE. Have you played this simple game? Try to keep an inflated balloon up in the air as long as possible. Reach, stretch and run to keep it from touching the floor. If the balloon lands, the person closest to it collects a letter of the word HORSE. The last player to spell the complete word wins. This is one of Quinn’s favourite games to play with me. Of course, you can use any word you like. Well, maybe not Supercalafragalisticexpialadocious. Unless you are a marathon player.
• In our ensuite bathroom, we are blessed to have a big soaker tub. No jets, just really deep and wide. I love a bath, especially with Quinn. We fill the tub with water as hot as we can stand it, add loads of bubbles and talk to each other openly about life. When the bubbles are dissolved, it’s time for bed. Surprisingly, even at the age of seven, Quinn is not yet shy about our bodies, or his. I thought this tradition would end around age four, but I am thankful it still remains.
• Quinn loves to be startled. So any opportunity I have to sneak up on him is a guaranteed gigglefest. Lately—and I can’t recall why I ever started this—I have been taking a simple spray bottle, tuning it to the finest jet setting, and blasting him with water right before bed. He tears into fits of laughter, runs and hides behind curtains, under covers, crouches down beside the bed, but I still manage to soak him. It’s hilarious to watch him run and hop around. He loves it.
  
• Then, once in bed—and most nights we snuggle together in my bed until Andrew comes up and transports long-asleep-Quinn back to his own room—we spray our pillows with lavender, tell each other goodnight and I Love You, search for each other’s pucker in the dark—though I usually get his nostrils—and drift off to sleep, often hand in hand. It doesn’t get much sweeter than that.

What are some of the cherished traditions you share with your children?

Happiness 101.1

Frustrated? Want to go for a run and never come back? Feel like tearing out every hair on your husband’s head?

Me too.

But why dwell on the stuff that makes you miserable? Turn that frown upside down, Girlfriend! I challenge you to follow my lead and share the first ten happinesses that come to mind—right here, right now.

1. Misting my pillow with lavender water every night before bed.
2. Hearing Jake say “ank-u, Mama” over and over until I respond “You’re welcome, Jake”.
3. Sitting in my blue room. Beading, doodling, writing... or doing nothing at all.
4. Ellen DeGeneres, though I can’t even remember the last time I watched her show.
5. Swinging in the hammock, while the river’s breeze tickles my face.
   
6. Remembering Jasmin. Okay, this can bring great sadness too... She was such a sweet girl.
7. Finding the perfect colour.
8. Being barefoot.
9. Dancing in the kitchen—alone, or with my boys.
10. Snuggling.
11. Oh, had to throw this one in... Will Ferrell.