2011: Choosing Happiness

I am 5 days into my experiment with 'choosing happiness'. I am convinced that I can control my happiness through conscious choices each day & moment & this is my experiment this year.

Yesterday was a doozy. Scoobs preschool was not in session & somehow I had missed the memo. I was planning on that time on my computer while the lady was napping. Instead I had a crying 3-year-old who needed my whole attention. I decided to succumb...even if it wasn't totally happy, in fact, I totally missed a few opportunities there & cried on the phone to Scot instead. Then my sister needed to drop her 4 kids off after naps. I was happy to have them, but you all know that adds some chaos to the dinner mix. I ordered pizzas. Then Scot called & was going to be working late. I was on my own for bedtime.

And I had a choice what I was going to do with it.

When this has happened in the past, I have completely skipped bedtime routines. Baths? Maybe. PJ's? for sure. Stories? Not a chance.

Last night I decided to keep the bedtime routines to a 't'. I made the choice to follow through because a lot of those things are important to me in the big picture & I decided I could muscle through it last night...even though I was tired & had a mountain of things to do on the other side of bedtime {which I will inform you didn't get done}.

So we bathed. We blow-dryed {yes! her hair needs blow drying!}. We pj'ed. We storied. And we rocked. Even on a good night the lady doesn't 'usually' get rocked. But I kind of wanted the breather & Scoobs had a little picking up to do before our story time was to begin. So I sat & I rocked.

And I felt the love. It was a moment. A moment when I realized how quickly time is passing me by when I saw her legs stretching over the arm of the rocker adorned with her painted toenails. I wanted to die & never leave that moment right then and there

And while I was singing to her, Scoobs sauntered in, sat on the ottoman & joined in loving on his sister. He picked a few songs & gave her lots of hugs & kisses & that is when I about melted & decided this IS happiness. It is the intangibles that don't show up on a stat sheet. It isn't an awesome 4 hour nap that our toddler took, or a new shirt we found at a killer price {although some days it is!}, it is the moments when I am with my kids & all our spirits are aligned & we can just be.

Note to self: Bedtime routines rock! Choose that.