100 Happy Days

To be honest, I didn't blog about doing this because I really didn't think I would do it. Like pretty much everything else in my life, I thought I would start it and be passionate about it for a few weeks only for my enthusiasm to wane and eventually give it up a few weeks in. But hey! I surprised myself. Tomorrow is my Day 100 and guess what? I am pretty happy.

The point of 100 happy days was not as some Facebook trolls suggest, a means of bragging or attention seeking but a way to point out the little things in life that make me happy everyday. What I have learned in the last 100 days is pretty profound. I have realised who makes me happy, where my joy lies. I have learned about my priorities in life. Looking back on my phone photos each night was an interesting process. Weeding out the dross in my mind and replacing it with an image that encapsulates a moment of happiness has provided me with a more positive outlook on life.

When my friend Angela posted on Facebook about the project I was a bit sceptical about whether this would a) last and b) make any difference to my mood. The space of time between giving birth to Jamie and starting the project was a difficult time. Not because of any mental health issue this time (thankfully) but just because I was feeling bogged down in that new mum territory where all I do is lose sleep, change nappies, feed children, clean up mess, discipline my 3 year old, shout, swear, shout some more, feel guilty, beat myself up a bit about being useless, feed them again, clean again, feel undervalued by my husband who comes in from work to the chaotic mess that I have tried so hard to prevent all day.

I had lost sight of the light. One of the most prominent lessons I have learned is that even on the darkest days there is always light. You might need to try a bit harder and look a bit closer to see it but it's there on the horizon. I look into the eyes of my children, the warmth of touch from my husband, the sunset or rise, the ways the clouds move, the unconditional love of a pet, the acceptance of family, the closeness of friends, the escapism of music, the taste of a favourite food and the wonder of life as a child would see it.

That is where my joy lies.

I am happy. I love and I am loved.

Here's to the next 100 days . . .

Check out my Instagram feed for my 100 Days of Happy 

Some of my Favourites

Random Kindness - February Facebook Friends

I know this is March but February was a blur! I have decided not to make this a linky since nobody is linking anyway. Here is my Kindness/Year of Giving post for February. 

February was all about friends for me. I met up with lots of my friends as many of them had agreed to have book parties for me. It was lovely getting out (with and without the boys) and reconnecting with people. I decided that for my February Gift Giving I would choose somebody from my Facebook friends list to surprise. I was watching my feed and one of my friends, who I haven't seen for many years, was posting a fair bit about February being dreary and miserable. She was longing for some sunshine in her life.

I went to school with Clair and we knew each other well. We were not overly close friends but we always had plenty of time for each other at school. We both started off at the same uni before Clair left to move to Australia. We lost touch I suppose somewhere along the line until one day, a Facebook request from her popped up. We got chatting and she was back here in Scotland, she had a little girl and was living with her partner (now husband). Over the next few years she and I both went on to give birth to handsome boys. We have since bonded over topics of conversations such as grazed nipples and nursery etiquette. She has been inspirational to me by watching her shrink in size over the past year with the help of Slimming World.

Despite her moans and groans about February being a rubbish month, I chose Clair as my person this month because she is an inspiring person. She hasn't had an easy time of things but yet she remains a positive person. She strives for the best for her family and is headstrong. She is a fiercely loyal friend and is compassionate, always seeking to see the best in others. She has been there for me through many an upset status! I have to admit that turning up on her doorstep last Thursday was a bit nerve racking. Despite all our chat and insight into each others lives through Facebook, we are not the little girls we were at school. I hadn't seen her in person since around 2001.

I needn't have worried. She welcomed me with a hug and the conversation soon flowed. I had brought her an Alice in Wonderland, Mad Hatters Tea Party picture (lovingly handcrafted by the lovely Jo from Tinkability Crafts). I know she likes this kind of thing as her 30th Birthday theme was Mad Hatters Tea Party. I hope she likes it and I hope that when she looks at it hanging on her wall she is reminded of me and how friendships can be fluid. They are not a solid, unchangeable state. They develop and grow with nurture like flowers in a garden. Some flowers in your garden of friends will be precious and beautiful for a short time but die out with little hope of renewed growth. Some are weeds that you should really clear out. Some are annoying bushes that need little maintenance to survive but can take over your life if not cutback regularly. Others, like my friendship with Clair, are hardy perennials that will continue to thrive with the right amount of care and the right amount of sunshine. I hope that I have brought her some sunshine in this rather dreary February.  

Random Acts of Kindness - January

Well at the start of the year I laid out my plans for a kinder 2014 and what a month it has been.

For my first act of kindness I decided to send a copy of my favourite weaning book to a friend of mine, Carrie, who has just embarked on this magical journey. She has been sending me supportive messages throughout my pregnancy and since Jamie was born. She had asked me for my advice on weaning just before Christmas so I knew it was something she would be receptive to (some people may find being sent a parenting type of book through the post a bit insulting) but she knows how much I loved the whole weaning process and I am just so desperate to share it. 

I also decided to treat my husband to a bit of random kindness. I often overlook him. He has stuck with me at times over the past few years when other men would've run a mile. He has been looking for a change of job for a while and he finally got one a lot closer to home. The night before his first day I put together a 'back to school' hamper for him with some essentials such as a few shirts, a jumper, a new tie, a manly packed lunch bag, water bottle, flask, some helpful post its, a notebook and pen. He was surprised I think and although he's the type of man who doesn't say much, I think he was touched.

I've also been on the receiving end of kindness this month too.

My sister Kate bought me a lovely bath bomb from Lush as she knows I'm finding it hard to make time for myself at the moment. She is my step sister and came into my life when I was 21 but I love her like she's always been around. She is quite a bit younger than me but I've watched her grow up a lot these past few years and she has really been there for me since Jamie was born. She gives up her Saturday nights after a long day at work to keep me company while my husband swans off to watch ice hockey. I hope she knows how much I appreciate her and I hope I can return the favour when I support her as her bridesmaid in the next few years.

I recently started selling Usborne books and some of my friends have been kind enough to host or attend parties to help me get started. Thank you so much xx

I parked in the car park at the cinema the other week, running late as usual, JC was excited to be having a mummy date. I got to the pay and display machine to put in my £1 for all day parking when I realised that my 10p and 5p collection in my purse only came to 95p.  How bloody typical! I went to walk away, my inner voice giving me a real good beating for being so late, disorganised and unprepared when a hand came from behind and slotted a pound coin into the machine.  A nice old lady had seen me struggling. She wouldn't take my 95p worth of dross! What a lovely example of a random act of kindness. 

My husband bought me these beautiful flowers this week, just because. 

Have you been kind this month? Has someone been kind to you? I'd love to hear about it. Feel free to link up below...