happiness Archives – The Pinterested Parent

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happiness

Thu
04 ^th

A Space Just For Me

Posted by Pinparent — 10 Comments

Visitors often giggle as they walk into our front door. The reason for the chuckles is probably that they are greeted by a giant cardboard house surrounded by a play kitchen and piles of children’s books. If you look around our house there is very little proof that there are adults inhabiting it. Our coffee table is a Play-Doh crafting workshop. Our DVD cabinet is filled with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Mary Poppins and several Disney classics. The decor hanging on my walls are made out of paper plates & toddler hand prints and the crafting supplies that made them are scattered all over our kitchen island and dining room table.

Most of our home has been branded & claimed by our little girl. That is alright by me. That messy pile of clay on our table expands that beautiful imagination of hers. Those DVD’s have brought comfort & cuddles when my daughter has been ill. Those crafts have given us hours of bonding and smiles. Our home is a happy one, unkempt, cluttered and filled with Play-Doh, toys and love. Still, I do sometimes miss the memory of a tidy home. I might not have that clean space anymore, but I do have one comfy little nook that is all mine.

After our daughter has been tucked in to bed for the evening & my husband has passed out on the couch, it is time for me to retire to my favorite spot.

Duke keeps my seat warm for me until I get there. I snuggle in with him nuzzled up at my feet. This is my time. This is where I unwind, reflect, and work on my favorite outlet, my blog. My space is not much. The cushions are flat & worn. There is dog hair everywhere, but on my chair with my laptop laid across my legs, I have shared many funny stories, ideas, crafts, recipes and thoughts on being a mommy. Sure, I could have a home office with a fancy desk and a PC like we used to, but we gladly traded that in for a crib and changing table. Who needs a desk? This is my office.

Do you have your own cozy work space? Please share with us.

Check out WeWork & check out some other creative work spaces. WeWork is a co-working company that aims to inspire creative people to do what they love. So… If you’re interested in learning more about WeWork checkout some of their locations to see if they are in an area near you!

Mon
24 ^th

100 Things That I am Thankful For

Posted by Pinparent — 14 Comments

Why is it that it takes the holidays for us to reflect on the things in our life that are most important? On New Year’s we resolve to better ourselves, on Valentine’s Day we show appreciation for our spouses & lovers and on Thanksgiving we give thanks for all of the gifts that god has given us. We should resolve to be better every day. We should celebrate our love & all of these gifts every second, but with the stresses of work, bills & daily life often we do forget. The holidays do offer a great nudge. This week is Thanksgiving. There are many things that I am grateful for but often take for granted. I challenged myself to make a list of 100 things, some are things that I cannot live without, some are the little things that make me smile, but all are things that make be thankful. These are not listed in any particular order.

1. My husband & daughter and my extended family

2. Life and health

3. A good-natured debate

4. Watching my daughter sleep

5. Low fat frozen yogurt

6. Weekends off

7. My memories

8. Sweatpants

9. Art

10. My daughter’s laughter

11. Owls

12. Changes of season

13. My mother-in-law

14. Spanx

15. Meditation

16. The money in my wallet

17. Beauty in unexpected places

18. Our travels

19. Chocolate

20. Inspiration

21. My sister

22. Color

23. Day dreams

24. Heated mattress pads

25. Inside jokes

26. Home movies

27. Forgiveness

28. Good friends that are always there

29. Books

30. Unsolicited compliments

31. Thunderstorms

32. ‘The Princess Bride’

33. Tears of happiness

34. Hugs

35. Upbeat people

36. Decaf coffee

37. Foot rubs

38. Singing when no ones listening

39. Raw honey

40. Our dog

41. All the I love yous

42. Old photographs

43. A good sneeze

44. The blogs that I follow & the ones that follow me

45. Peppermint Patties- Get the sensation

46. My mother visiting in my dreams

47. Pinterest

48. Central Air

49. Post-It notes

50. The Beatles

51. Water

52. My snooze button

53. Dance

54. Finding a solution to a problem

55. Bubble baths

56. The warmth of the sun

57. Cherry blossoms

58. Swiffer

59. Baby feet

60. Traditions

61. Drive through windows

62. “The Big Bang Theory” nerds

63. Naps

64. Movie quotes

65. Moments of silence

66. Kisses

67. Brie & jelly

68. Dimples

69. Anti-bacterial wipes

70. Netflix Streaming

71. Internet shopping

72. Sunsets

73. Family outings

74. That perfect little black dress

75. Herbal tea

76. Pearl jewelry

77. The sound of bagpipes

78. Respect

79. Moments of clarity

80. Snow Days

81. Looking up at the stars

82. Cuddling on the couch

83. Our home

84. Christmas Carols

85. The sounds & smell of the beach

86. Toe socks – Have you ever worn a pair? You would be thankful too.

87. A blank canvas

88. A quick-witted comeback

89. Girls’ nights out

90. Kindness of strangers

91. Nutella

92. The lessons I have learned from the mistakes I have made

93. Puns

94. Musicals

95. Vicks Vapor Rub

96. A lit fireplace on a cold night

97. Hair colorant

98. Over-sized sweaters

99. My glue gun

100. God for blessing me with all of these gifts

What are you most thankful for? Can you list 100 things that you are grateful for? I challenge you to post your list. Link back to me if you do so that I may see what makes you thankful.

Tue
11 ^th

Through The Eyes Of A Child

Posted by Pinparent — 14 Comments

This weekend we took an early trip to Santa’s workshop to beat the crowd and get in our Christmas lists. My daughter asked Santa to bring her a train set this year and some more Play-doh. She made certain to reiterate that she wanted a train set two more times before leaving his side.

Outside of his workshop there is a room, a magical room filled with twinkling trees & falling snow. I watched my daughter & her friend as they ran through the fake snow. As the snow formed small piles around them, they tossed it up into the air, giddy with excitement. At first I began to object, but the objections trailed off. Have I ever enjoyed anything as much as they do right now I wondered? I stared at my girl, unable to blink. I didn’t want to lose a precious moment. I felt my eyes well up with tears. I hoped that nobody saw me. I felt silly to be crying, but I just couldn’t help it.

There are moments when a mother cries. The tears are not from sadness, they are from joy. Sometimes there is so much happiness, so much love that your body simply cannot contain it. When it finally bursts, it can bring forth an explosion of smiles & laughter and at other times it flows out as tears. These tears are not bitter, they are sweet.

I felt as if I had never witnessed anything quite so beautiful. I could feel her wonder. It was magical. Her energy was contagious. I found myself grabbing a handful of snow as well. Before I could throw it, I was hit in the face with a small handful of white flakes. My assailant was a dimpled face angel with braids in her hair. She laughed uncontrollably. “I got you, mama.” She giggled & then ran away.

I looked around at the disapproving looks from the other mothers at our antics, but I simply did not care. Let them look. Today, I see life through my child’s eyes. Today, I am innocent and free and I don’t care what others think. With tears in my eyes, snow in my hair, a smile on my face & love in my heart I realize that this is my happy place. This is what life is all about. This is why I became a mother.

Sat
31 ^st

The Thing About Parenting Is…

Posted by Pinparent — 10 Comments

We all do it differently, but have the same goal.

Our other relationships & even our selves will take a backseat

We all want to be the best parents that we can be.

We will have days that we feel like super-mom or dad & there will be days that we feel as if we are failures.

It can be frustrating, exhausting & rewarding all in a matter of just moments.

You will judge other parents even if you don’t mean too. (Admit it, you do)

You always worry.

You will make mistakes.

Nobody warns you just how hard it is or maybe you just weren’t listening.

Time goes by quicker than it did before you had children.

You will accidentally injure your child at some point.

It is full of surprises.

You will get pooped on or peed on.

You will have disagreements with your spouse on how to raise your children.

You always want to talk about your kids, even if no one wants to listen.

You will not always have all the answers.

It makes you appreciate your parents more.

You see bits of yourself in your children & it is not always good thing.

You can hardly remember what life was like before you had kids.

It makes you redefine your ideas of a clean house.

You waste a lot of food.

You will always love your children, but you might not always like them.

You understand unconditional love.

It is a full time job, but the best career choice you will ever make.

It is beautiful!

What is parenting to you?

Tue
18 ^th

The First “I Love You”

Posted by Pinparent — 18 Comments

The last couple of days have been rough ones for this mama. Mai had an epic melt down a couple of nights ago over the content on her dinner plate. Apparently everything mommy makes these days is “too spicy”. FYI, I made macaroni and cheese. She went to bed extra late & woke up far too early. She was “the naughty child” at gymnastics yesterday morning & threw herself on the floor at the grocery store & made a little bit of a scene. A kind passer by took pity on me & actually stopped and asked if she could help me. Like I said, it has been a tough couple of days.
Some days being a mother is just too hard. It leaves you mentally and physically exhausted.
That was how I was feeling last night. After returning home from the grocery store I was beat down. I was getting ready to start supper, but Mai was ultra cranky and clingy. I pushed my preparations aside and sat on the couch with my cranky daughter and snuggled with her for a few minutes. As she sank in to my arms, I could feel the stress releasing from both of our bodies. I lie there relaxed for a few moments, drinking in the smell of my daughter’s hair and the feel of the smooth skin on her soft little cheek.
As much as I was enjoying this tender moment, I did have to start making dinner. I stood up and excused myself from my daughter & headed to the kitchen.While, I stood at the island, cubing up some ham, Mai came to me and wrapped her arms around my legs. “Mama, I love you.” I quickly scooped up my child and gave her a kiss with a tear in my eye & a smile on my face. It is just further proof that even the bad days in parenting are still pretty good.