Happiness Week 12

Even during the most mundane and ordinary days of life there are things to be happy about.

What Made Me Happy - Week 12

03/19 Organized Closets

***

I spent a huge chunk of time cleaning out the kids rooms and closets because it had reached the point of being a problem and although this might appear cluttered it is still so much better. The older I get the more I yearn to have all our spaces neat and organized. I'm sure my mother is rolling her eyes. I was a very messy child. I think having an organized environment provides some control in an often uncontrollable world. Also I find it difficult to be mentally organized when my environment isn't. I recently read a book a friend recommended,  Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider. What I got out of this book is that when we keep things we don't need or want we are choosing to live in a space we don't enjoy as fully as we could or that doesn't function as well as it could. Why would we do that? Good question especially once you realize that you can't have both a bunch of junk and a house you love to live in. It's as simple as that. The two are incongruous. So I decided to get rid of some stuff this week. Clothes the kids are too big for. Clothes with holes (Ainsley hates holes.) Toys we don't love. Junk from the junk drawers. Papers. Bits and bobs in the kids's rooms.  It's taken days. It wasn't fun. I had other things I'd rather do. But the result. Heavenly. For a moment....until it gets messed up.....in about a 1/2 hour.

  

03/20 Labels

***

I like labels. At first glance my house looks pretty organized. I like that. But the truth is, within, things are still not. My binders have needed new labels for about 3 years. And inside were so many old papers that they were as good as useless. But not anymore. We are starting fresh.

03/21 Independent Children

***

My kids have to be independent because I am busy. Even Ainsley has to. Sometimes I feel bad about this but I think it will serve them in life to be able to be self-sufficient.  During my reorganization week I looked over and found Ainsley playing Calico Critters at the table. "Who got those out?",  I asked, suspicious of her brother and sister. She raised her hand to say "I did." Way to go Ainsley!

 

03/22 When Children Follow Instructions

***

Ainsley was playing with a game while I did paperwork and reorganizing. Then she brought me the medical kit to open. "No," I told her, imagining all those pieces mixed together scattered all over the floor. "Only one toy at a time. Put away the game first and then I'll open the medical kit." It took her awhile but sure enough she put all the cards and pieces back into the box and placed it on the shelf and then brought the medical kit back to me. I was so impressed that she listened and followed my instructions to the best of her ability (she couldn't put the lid on the box). It's easy to underestimate this girl.

 03/23 Sun and Blue Skies

***

Finally we saw the sun today and it was glorious! I had a nurse for Ainsley and the other kids were at school and even though I was running errands I had time to open the sunroof and enjoy the weather while I ate my lunch in the car.

03/24 Improving

***

I kind of grew up with this idea that people are born gifted or they aren't. True there are some exceptional people who are born naturally able to do certain things with little effort, but what I've learned is that those people are few and far between. The overnight music sensation has likely been a musician all their life. The little known actress who becomes a huge star actually grew up in a family of actors. The athlete, the writer, the strait A student, the artist, the entreprenuer etc.  Most people who are good at something are because they've worked hard at it. Adrian has been frustrated that he wasn't playing as well as some of the kids on his sports teams. We've been trying to tell him that many of these kids have played for years and he needs to practice if he wants to be good. He is not a gifted natural athlete (he's our child after all). I think it's finally sunk into his thick head and he has started to practice regularly and now understands that just a few minutes here and there won't cut it. I think he's starting to enjoy it, which is the best, when it doesn't feel like work. It seems to be paying off. He had his first baseball game of the season today and he did great! Even if he never becomes a star player we are so truly proud!

03/25 Increasing Confidence

***

We've started keeping the walker in the family room. Tonight Ainsley saw Evie and Adrian chasing each other and she decided to get into her walker by herself and walked it over to the step and "asked" us to bring it up for her to use. It's so encouraging that she is feeling more confident in it. After many phone calls I got her scheduled to start outside (meaning outside the school system) PT in April. I'm hoping they can teach her to fall and reduce Ainsley's fear so she is comfortable taking more risks.

***********

I am hoping to spend more time this week paring down my photo collection. I've come to realize that I need an entire year dedicated to that. A single month just isn't going to cut it. I'm finding treasures but they are buried deep.

To view a slideshow of the entire Happiness Photo Project click here. For more about what this is all about click here.