Clap your hands.
Do a little dance to that Pharell song no one seems to be able to get enough of.
Then shout your joyfulness from the rooftops so your friends and neighbors can hear you.
You know, for accountability purposes.
I don’t know about you, but when I tell people I am going to do something I am instantly like 79.9% more likely to actually follow through. Failure alone is one thing, but failure, with an audience hanging about to heckle you is another beast entirely.
That is partially why I recruited this Happy Mamas Team and then invited all of you to join us. For accountability purposes. And cheering, we expect lots and lots of cheering!
I didn’t want it to be like all of my other resolutions. You know the ones, where come March you’re back to eating rolls of cookie dough in your bathroom and trying to find the loophole on your gym membership so you can cancel your contract without a fine.
This can’t be that and for me; happiness doesn’t feel optional like weight loss and seeing more of the world.
So, probably you’re wondering, after two months of concentrated effort, am I happier yet?
Keeping it real here, if I’m as honest and introspective about this journey as I am trying to be, I don’t necessarily feel measurably happier yet. I know that I have been less grudgy and more forgiving, but I still mull over the unjoyful things in my life.
Mostly business related pressures are causing major stress, and that stress in particular is having an adverse effect on all elements of my happiness, including that I reserve for mothering my children.
I’ve determined something must be done about that.
I’ve moved to the point where a 5 year plan isn’t going to cut it. If this keeps up, in five years, I will be that little blob with the rain cloud over his head in those Zoloft commercials.
I don’t want to be a sad blob human.
I’m giving myself 5 months to whip my work stress into shape.
I’m still determining what that 5 month plan looks like, but I am certain that one needs to be born. Because, instead of fully enjoying happy mama moments with the people who matter most in my life, I spend countless hours working through work struggles in my mind, hashing out problems and searching the crevices of my brain for solutions. It’s exhausting and, I suspect, my constant worry over it actually zaps my motivation and creativity, creating an ugly, vicious circle of inactivity and lack of inspiration that is thwarting my efforts.
Probably now you are confused. Because I sound crazy.
Well, welcome to my world.
In an effort to get out from under this hefty unawesomeness that seems to be plaguing me, I’ve come up with Happy Mama Movement Step 2…
Pause and appreciate the rarely seen beauty of your children enjoying an activity together where no one is being punched…
Enjoy an early morning cuddle even though it is SO early in the morning. Why is it always so early in the morning?
Take time to laugh at with them (it’s not a mirror, it’s a window! A WINDOW! With a room full of people on the other side)…
And sigh at them…
And appreciate how far they’ve come…
Like this one super famous smart Dude (long dead American poet, Walt Whitman) once said, “Happiness, not in another place but this place…not for another hour, but this hour.”
Which, loosely translated I think means, everybody go to happy hour!
Join Team Happy Mama and share your joyful mothering moments with us!
This month’s featured Happy Mama is Krystyn from Really, Are You Serious? Happy Mama of FOUR daughters who finds joy in her well behaved children, spending time with her husband, and Mexican food. Arriba! Also, she is singularly responsible for the gorgeousness of DudeMom.com. She designed this mammajamma and, if it’s ever not working, totally my her fault!
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Love this so hard! I want my kiddos to remember me as not only the mom who worked really hard for them, but as the mom they had fun with!
YES! DudeDad is clearly the “fun” one in the house, but I am working on it!
Aww this is so cute. Loved the post, and it really gives some inspiration to do something for my blog as far as posting goes. Yep! Yay~ Thanks for the promptage.
Hooray, Jenny! We would love to have you join us every month. It would make us HAPPY!
I was just saying yesterday that I need to be better about doing this. And that means sometimes work doesn’t get done as quickly as it should (you understand, right:)
I’m still trying to find the balance in being the best mom, wife and business owner I can be. Honestly, I don’t think it’s completely possible!
I am feeling crazy subpar in all of those areas. On the bright side, I am a beast in Zumba right now. What? It’s something!
You didn’t sound confusing or crazy at all, I was nodding my head like YES YES YES. I let sooo many stresses (especially work) get in the way of my happy moments and you’re right I’ve got to cut it out.
Easier said than done, right? I feel like I get in these funks. Everything is on the down swing and I have to find something to focus on to pull me out. FOCUS!
Job stress BLOWS. How about a virtual happy hour via Google Hangout or Skype? I’ll meet you there? :)
Lol, I’d have to put a bra on for that, right?
The window mirror is KILLING ME. And work stress probably is too, not necessarily so figuratively. I’m trying not to let stressors I have zero control over get me down but it’s hard. It’s hard.
I’m trying to be more intentional about living in the moment too. The last month was difficult. Incredibly difficult. Healing from major surgery sucked the life out of me. Thankfully my kiddos gave me reasons to laugh and smile each day and reminded me that the pain would soon pass. Love being part of the Happy Mama crew. :)
So happy you are on the mend. Also, separating worry from every moment of life is SO hard. That’s why I’m focusing on it this month. I need some worry free moments!
I’m trying to do this more too. But then I have been for about a decade (a.k.a since my first dude was born). I think it is challenging when we have so much else going on but still entirely impossible. That’s a totally positive outlook, right? ;)
Lol. I think I’m generally pretty good about doing this. Maybe that’s why this particular time in my life is so uncomfortable for me. I’m not used to letting stress affect my joy. I’m a happy person!
We are so on the same page, and if not the same page, we are at least in the same chapter. I totally feel this post. Especially now with everything that I have going on. I have to remind myself every day to live this day and not the ones that are coming up.
Okay, do we need to have a Google Chat? I don’t know what’s going on. WHAT’S GOING ON???
Work stress has been on my mind a lot lately too and I really hate it. Hate that it makes me grumpy at my kids and less patient. My new job pays much less but has much more work involved…how is that fair? Certainly not but I must find a good plan to work my way through it too. Other than making it until the end of the school year in June.
Loving those last few pictures and dude #3s quote. He has something there!
I know, I recently took a WAY less challenging job that pays exactly what my killing-me-slowly job pays. I may not be as mentally challenged there, but I am so exhausted with being over worked that it’s sort of a fair trade off. At least like for now…