The Eight Splendid Truths of Happiness
How about this catchy title. It made me want to read the characters below it and I am glad that I did. You will be too! Not to mention, I now have another great blogger who also happens to be a bestselling author to follow. This is absolutely a wonderful read as are many of Gretchen Rubin’s other post.
More about Gretchen Rubin:
Gretchen Rubin is one of the most thought-provoking and influential writers on happiness to have emerged from the recent explosion of interest in the subject. Though her conclusions are sometimes counter-intuitive—for example, she finds that true simplicity is far from simple to attain—her insights resonate with readers of all backgrounds.
She’s the author of the blockbuster #1 New York Times bestseller, The Happiness Project, as well as several other books (including three dreadful novels safely locked in a desk drawer). On her popular blog, The Happiness Project, she reports on her daily adventures on her way to becoming happier.
Raised in Kansas City, she lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.
Check out her one minute movie that made me open my eyes and be thankful. http://www.theyearsareshort.com/
Check out her website: http://www.happiness-project.com/
Thanks Gretchen Rubin for making my day! I cannot wait to read more about your adventures, studies, theories about how to be happier.
XOXO
Misty
Closet organizing & teenage weirdness…. huh?
My weekend was jam-packed which leads to my posting late on this Monday night. I started organizing my bedroom closet Friday along with allowing four girls spend the night at the house. Needless to say I was not able to get it finished. I’m still working on it and look forward to sharing before and afters. I had no idea that things in my closet could fill up my master bedroom. The great news is that so far I have 6 large bags full of clothes and shoes that we are donating for disabled veterans.
Now to the four girls spending the night. That was actually a breeze. It really is a lot less crazy now that their a bit older. The girls were pretty behaved. It wasn’t until the next day that things were crazy for a bit. We had plans to take our daughter to get a new bat, bat bag, new glove, and anything else we though she might need for softball. I let the girls know that we would have to take everyone home soon so that we could get some things done. It was then that things got crazy. My daughter came to me to let me know that I couldn’t take one of the girl’s home. Something about she couldn’t go home without her sister. I was just a bit confused by that. The sister didn’t spend the night at our home. I asked my daughter if her friend could call her parents and see if it would be okay if I take her home. It seemed to be a huge deal. So then I recommended that this girl call her parents to see if it would be okay if she went to another one of the girls houses so that we could run our errands. That didn’t seem to be an option either. At this point I have to admit that I am getting a little suspicious. My daughter said that her friend was going to be picked up by an older sister who would come get her when she woke up. I explained to my daughter that we cannot wait for her sister to wake up and come get her. We had to get errands done and it was already afternoon. Finally my daughter tells me that if I pick up the other sister that I could take them both home. It wasnt that I didn’t want to pick up the other sister but the other sister was not at my home. She was not my responsibility. I felt as though the situation was a bit odd. My daughter was so upset that I wouldn’t pick up the other sister that it caused a huge fight between us. I tried to explain my concern and why I felt the way I did about this but all my daughter couldn’t understand. The girl told us that her sister was on the way. We waited for a bit and I decided to take the dog for a walk. Next thing I see is this girl and another one of the girls that spent the night tell me they are walking to the house where the other sister is at so that they do not inconvenience their dad, who now is apparently the one picking them up, and didn’t want him to have to drive two places. At that moment I felt like someone slapped me in the face. Did they really just tell me that they were walking to where her sister was and that they didn’t want to inconvenience the person coming to pick them up. Why couldn’t I have just drove this girl over to the house that her sister was at? Is this bizarre to anyone else? Are teenagers just that inconsiderate? Was there something else going on?
Sunday came quickly and our daughters ball practice was cancelled due to rain. My husband and I decided to take my daughter and her friend to the batting cages for a couple of hours. There were only two time slots that I could get back to back so we really had to rush to get there. Would you believe that half way there I realized that I had forgotten my purse and my husband his wallet? We rushed around and forgot money. You have to have money to pay for the batting cages. We got there and they allowed us to go ahead and get started while my husband ran home to get his wallet and my purse. At least we didn’t forget the kids. I had to laugh. The girls had a great time and they came away from batting practice more confident.
This was also the weekend for setting our clocks forward. Although it was daylight a bit longer , Sunday night came quickly. I hoped to go to bed early and get a good start on the week but because of the change in time I found myself up until after two in the morning. I fell asleep tonight watching a movie with my daughter. I think it was around six thirty. I woke up around nine thirty so here I am at twelve thirty and I’m not sleeping.
I better call it a night. Just a reminder that I am still running the $25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway. It will end this weekend so be sure to enter everyday.
Goodnight or Good Morning, which ever.
Who beat the hell out of me?
Today is going to be a very tough day. How do I know? As I was climbing out of bed this morning and I seriously think I heard my muscles scream “don’t move, I hurt”. Then I realized it was me that was screaming. Okay, so I am exaggerating a little but I want you to understand that every muscle in my body hurts. What have I done to myself ? We took our teenager and one of her friends to the ball field. The thing is I had a really great softball coach when I played ball and he worked us hard. He worked us hard and we became great. I could help but think about my old coach as I was taking my daughter through the old softball routine that I did when I played fast pitch softball. They were having a great time and my husband and I were having a great time. It turned out that we were having about two hours worth of a great time. Just so you know I’m lucky to complete a twenty-minute exercise routine. I should have already known that this would end badly for me.
I guess I could do the “On the bright side of things” saying. I think I will. On the bright side of things not only did we have an awesome time but my husband and I are getting our butts back in shape and it is a lot more fun than that twenty-minute work out I always think about doing each morning. Notice how I threw that think about doing in there.
The girls were whooped just as much as we were after our two-hour practice. My daughters friend told me that her previous practices didn’t work her as hard as we did. After our practice we still had to grocery shop. My body was already beginning to hurt. Don’t laugh! We started walking around collecting our groceries and I recall the girls went to grab something and my husband says to me “I think I need a wheel chair but don’t tell them I said that”. So as soon as the girls came back with whatever it was they had to have I told them what he said. He denied it. Now you can laugh.
As I sit here this morning drinking my coffee and although it feels like someone beat the hell out of me I can’t help but think how freaking awesome it is that I get to do something I really enjoy with the people I really love.
So if anyone finds me laying on the ground like in the graphic below. At least everyone will know that I went out happy.
Happy Monday!
XOXO
Hair got you down? Inexpensive at home hair mask
It’s always this time of the year when my hair really has had enough. The cold weather really dries out my hair. I’ve broken hairs and have been shedding all winter long. I’ve mixed concoctions together to find something that makes my hair feel good. I liked the outcome of this one a lot so I could not wait to share.
Things you will need:
Any bowl that you can microwave for a few minutes.
Marshmallow Emollient (referred to as a moisturizer- are products that help to soften skin or to treat skin that has become dry. Most emollients are forms of oil or grease. You could use coconut oil or olive oil instead, if you have that one hand.
I purchased the Marshmallow Emollient at a local herb store called Cheryl’s Herbs (great place). It cost $6.70 and it last months. You use this very sparingly. Here is a link to her website: http://www.cherylsherbs.com/
1 Egg (I use 2 because I have very thick hair)
Small brush to paint the mixture on (you can use your hands if you don’t have this)
Measuring spoon
Hair clip
Oh and a towel to wrap around you because this will get messy.
First you want to put a tablespoon of the marshmallow emollient in your bowl.
Now break your egg and add it to the emollient.
Mix them together with your brush (fork and whisk will work too)
Now apply the mixture to your hair. I clip most of my hair to the top of my head and do it in sections. I have so much hair!
It will get hard as you are applying the mixture. Don’t panic thats normal. Ha! Ha! By the time you finish applying it will be nice and crispy!
Leave the mixture in for about 30-40 minutes.
Rinse with warm water.
Shampoo and condition as you normally would.
Add just another dab of the emollient to your damp hair (about 60-70% dry).
Now you can blow dry and style your hair.
Love that shine!
For an extra treat for the hair do some no heat curls instead of a blow dry and style. Click on the link below for a great no heat curl tutorial by my friend LadyLenzing.
To learn how to do no heat curls follow this link:
XOXO
What your teen wants you to know. A Teenage Perspective- It’s not easy
Being a parent is hard and our children do not come with manuals. Being a teenager is hard and we parents do not come with manuals either.
The problem with being a teenager is that it is like a roller coaster. It is a bit exhausting being a teenager and just as exhausting for parents who have to live with one. One minute they are happy and the next minute they want to scream at the world. I recall seeing a television program that talked about teens and the program explained in-depth that the teen brain is still “under construction”. The impulsiveness, the mood swings, and all that other crazy stuff is an important process in the brains development. I am sure glad to know that there is a reason for all this madness. I have to laugh when my daughter tells me that I don’t know what it is like to be a teenager. Good lord, do you think I could forget. I remember it starting out all awkward and stressful but I also remember it getting better. That is what I want my daughter to understand. It gets better!
I asked my daughter to share some thoughts with us. Things that us “Parents” should know. If she feels this way I’m sure there are other teens that feel the same. I’m proud of my daughter for being a voice. Asking her to do the video is one more way for me to understand and to continue to stay connected with her. Parents talk to your teenagers and teenagers talk to your parents. We parents are not as lame as you think we are and we love you more than you could ever imagine.
Here what my teen has to say: