Happiness...the finish line, but just beginning...

So today's the day...last day of my happiness challenge. I guess over the last week or so I've been reflecting on this challenge and what it meant to me, what I hoped to achieve and everything that has happened in between.

I remember the first day I decided to do this challenge, the thought of changing my lens on how I view the world was really appealing. I didn't know if it was going to work but nothing ventured, nothing gained right? It's really interesting to read my first post and how hopeful I was and am so gratified that I decided to do it, and pushed through the hard days.

Today has been a little difficult as we are home sick again today - E woke up worse if anything, so I really have my fingers crossed that these antibiotics kick in sooner rather than later. He alternates between warm and sweaty and cold and clammy and the tummy pains have been coming rather than going...not good. I've been dosing him up with lots of vitamins so here's hoping his immune system decides to give a roundhouse kick to all these yukky germs he's got going on.

So it's been pretty non-eventful which isn't exactly the way I wanted to end the challenge - I kind of wanted to go out with a bang. So I might take a different tack today and look overall at my challenge and what I'm grateful for.

Gratitudes:

• Overall, for the past 21 days life has been a roller coaster. When looking back, I can hardly believe that we are now in the situation that we are in, with an imminent move and a complete change to our whole lives. Three weeks ago my Toowoomba Project was in the pipeline, but definitely more in the 'I wish we could' category. Now just a few short weeks later, I now have a fabulous new job, resigned my existing one and gotten a wonderful (I hope) new place to live. Wow. If you'd told me this on Day 1 of the challenge, I probably wouldn't have believed you!
• I am really grateful for the meditation part of the challenge. I have slept better and been calmer than I thought possible during all of this change. It definitely helps keep any anxiety at bay. In fact, before my job interview I was so ridiculously nervous! You have to understand it's been such a long time since I had an interview and I was so rusty, so much was riding on it, I sat in the carpark there in Toowoomba absolutely freaking out. But I took a few deep breaths and spent five minutes clearing my mind and convincing myself that 'you got this'. And I did!
• One thing about being at home again today is that I actually made some real headway into my list. Removalists? Done! Electricity disconnect/reconnect? Done! Phone and internet? Done! I've also advised E's school of his imminent departure, paid the deposit on my new place and of course spent some time fart-assing about transcribing my list onto my Ipad. As you do. I even cracked a few boxes and quickly filled three or four before the momentum stalled. I've also taken some paint off a wall that I need to have repaired and thankfully my extremely handy builder friend has volunteered to fix this over the weekend. Handy friends are good to have and I'm pleased that my singular friend in Toowoomba has a very handy husband who I might have to borrow from time to time. Hey, remember I come from a family of women, who were generally in property management who had handy friends in high places on speed dial. And the less we say about my father's so-called 'handyman' skills, the better. Don't get me started on the time he cleaned the fish tank filter - let's just say it took 5 minutes to dismantle and 2 weeks to re-mantle (if that's a word). Enough said

Journal:
What a crazy couple of weeks, huh? I'm really looking forward to settling into our new place and letting life return to some sense of normalcy. I do feel so much better knowing that most of the important things are now under control - the only critical things left are to organise carpet cleaning and enrol E in his new school. Did I mention we google earth-ed our place and completely accidentally have managed to get a house 2 blocks from the nearest primary school? So awesome - E is used to having to get up so early to bus it to school and now he'll be able to roll out of bed and rock up in 5 minutes. So good.

Dad just rang and they are in Toowoomba tonight and he drove past our new place and has given the thumbs up. Apparently it's a beautiful street full of trees and lovely homes although he did say that the basketball hoop is missing (sadface). Will need to remedy that stat.

So now I look forward to all of the things I want to do in Tooowoomba, there's so many I'll have to make another list! First item on the agenda is to organise regular walking excursions with Willow and E and we're also going to take up yoga. I've been hearing so much lately about the benefits of hot yoga and really want to check it out - this sad old body could definitely make good use of sweating out some toxins. And as promised to my future self I need to start taking better care of me.

Other items high on the agenda is of course setting up our new place and maybe I'll even get an outdoor setting! I have an enormous balcony here but due to my champagne tastes/beer budget I have spent the last three years with this huge space filled with a BBQ and three plastic chairs. I have a covered outdoor area at my new place, according to the ad, however as it's at the back of the house and there's people still living there, dad wasn't able to report back on what it was like (no photos available on the ad unfortunately). With winter coming up I guess we'll be huddled inside for a few months so it will give me time to look around and save up for what I really want.

It's exciting to be moving somewhere I've never lived into a house I've never actually seen - the ad showed pics of a lounge room, great kitchen (with dishwasher - total necessity) and garage only. So the bedrooms, bathroom and outside are all going to be a surprise - hopefully a nice one. I'd like to think that with such a fantastic kitchen the rest of the house will match up too - however if not we can always move again although obviously this is something I'd like to avoid.

So happiness challenge - done. I really do think it has been so incredibly beneficial and I would highly recommend it to anyone in need of a bit of happiness in their lives. There were a few tough days thrown in the mix but ultimately I managed to find three gratitudes every single day, even if some of them were fairly lame! Every day got easier though, so I guess this tiny mind has programmed itself to look for the upside, which is what I wanted to achieve out of this all along. I have also learned to enjoy the now instead of 'being happy when'. Even despite sickness, anxiety and some major changes, life has been pretty damned good.

Random act of kindness:
Due to our housebound status, this is again really lame and consists of E getting a treat today consisting of his first taste of the new type of Rice Bubble bars - strawberry flavoured. Apparently it was delicious. I feel a bit let down as I kind of wanted to do something spectacular but I guess it's the consistency of taking the time to do something nice for someone every day that is the point.

Meditation:
Overall I may have fallen asleep in the middle of my poor attempts more times than I can count, but as I mentioned before, I've slept better and managed stress better than I have in ages so I really think this is something I'll try to incorporate into daily life from here-on out.

I hope this finds you at the end of your own challenge, if you did do it (or something similar) I'd love to hear how you went with it. Is there anything you do on a daily or regular basis that makes you happy? I feel like my future is wide-open and I'm really keen to try some new things so any suggestions would be welcome!

I leave you now with some photos that always make me smile...of course they're all of E!

xx

Happiness. Seeing the end of the tunnel. Day 20

So it's now just one more sleep before the end of my happiness challenge and there's a part of me that's quite relieved as this challenge really does have a habit of ruling your life and sucking your creativity - let's face it, it seems a little hypocritical to write a snarky post when you're striving to be happy and good!

However, there is a big part that will be quite sad to see it end.

I have promised myself to somehow incorporate the happiness challenge in my day to day existence - I mean, the whole point of doing it was to reprogramme the grey matter to think positively, right? If I feel myself backsliding I may have to publicly air my gratitudes and kindnesses from time to time on my blog, as it's better than a public lashing, yeah? At least for me.

So for the second-to-last time, here's my challenge for today:

Gratitudes:

• We went down to the carpark today to get the car and take E to the doctor only for the lift doors to open to the most horrific smell! Turns out there's a HUGE problem with our sewerage system and there was a plumber with his big truck trying to remedy it. Before the words registered, I said to E 'it could be worse, you could have a crap job like his' - and then realised this poor bugger literally DOES have a crap job...Bet his day was worse than mine
• Whilst getting up early, getting ready for work and then finding out that I have to stay home with a sick boy is not a fun experience, I did manage to get some mid-week cuddles that are such a rarety these days. I hate E being sick but he gets very cuddly when he's not feeling well and is so very cute. So I am happy for that, if not for the circumstances
• Thirdly I am grateful my new discovery and boredom killer...Scramble With Friends. Although apparently I'm a natural at this and already two friends have declined to play again as I've kicked their butt which I think is just bad form ha

Journal:
So an unexpected day at home today, with Elijah being unwell. The doc confirmed potential tonsilitis so he's been prescribed antibiotics to relieve it which is great - hopefully these will kick in soon. The main issue is the stomach migraines which have reared again, I guess in place of the raging headaches I've been experiencing (but which thankfully seem to be easing this afternoon).

So we've not done a whole lot today except the doctor and a quick shopping run and a bit of work and surprise surprise...more list making. Maybe I'll actually sit down and ACTION these lists soon, but not today.

Random act of kindness:
I bought E a cheesymite scroll after the doctors. We had to wait for almost an hour for our appointment and he was so good, although about to fall asleep and bored witless! Once again E delights me by his excitement over the simplest of things. Love him to bits.

Meditation:
Another success - made it through and then slept soundly, yea for me!

So tomorrow being another day, is also the last day of my challenge. Let's make it a good one!

Hope you're having a fantastic day, let me know if you have any happy news to share! Make sure you subscribe by hitting on the buttons below! I'd love to hear from you.

xx

Happiness, forwarding addresses and chocolate. Day 19

So today I have felt absolutely lousy. I've been battling something for a few days now and I think it's about to win the war. I woke up with a raging headache and despite about 3 litres of water, a good proportion more than the prescribed dose of Nurofen and two Hydralite drinks in case it stemmed from dehydration, I am still struggling.

The Nurofen have taken the edge off slightly but have just left me feeling somewhat loopy so apologies if I ramble or simply don't make sense today.

Generally I should probably take the 'day off' my blog, as who wants to read about someone being sick? But I feel that I've gotten so far through my challenge that I'd feel a bit let down that I didn't see it through. It may be short and sweet but even feeling like utter crap, I am sure I can muster up some positivity and maybe it will help kill off the sick cells currently waging war inside me. Come on dopamine, don't fail me now...

Gratitudes:

• So I got a house today! That's something I am so relieved and thankful for. The rental application process is brutal, and as I mentioned previously, this particular real estate seemed overly zealous, ringing pretty much every family member, colleague, sometime acquaintance and high school nemesis (nemeses?) they could track down. Huge thanks to all those who were pestered contacted and forced to say something nice about me. My new place seems so cute, I looked it up on Google Street View and am dying to see inside, I hope it measures up to the photos and if it doesn't I will simply blame those same people whose kind words helped my application be successful. The best part is there is a park literally less than a block away, although I've somehow ended up backing onto a Catholic primary school so I really, REALLY hope they don't have church bells ringing before dawn on Sundays
• I am so happy that things are now all systems go - with a forwarding address I can now really get stuck into the logistics and despite being too brain-dead to actually progress to much today, I have contacts for pretty much everything all written out ready for me to attack in Scarlett fashion, ie. tomorrow
• Thanks to all of my colleagues who told me today they're not sure how they'll cope without me, I know you're telling porky pies to boost my ego but it worked. Smile in place despite agonising pain in head

Journal:
Today's journal should really simply read "made it". As this is incredibly lame I will try to elaborate. I'm trying to wrap things up and hand things over and am in the process of writing heaps of lists both at work and at home. With severe brain fog it's not that easy but I think I managed to sound vaguely coherent when explaining something to one of my newer colleagues.

I'm also excited about some very cool plans my fellow bloggers and I have for our blog - stay tuned to see some regular features from Cathy and Willow that are so uniquely them and promise to make you laugh, dance and salivate. Can't wait to read them myself!

Random act of kindness:
I have a laptop and an external monitor at work that I use as a dual screen combo - highly recommend this setup to anyone, it is brilliant. Anyway, today I offered my monitor to one of my bosses when I leave and you'd think I just handed him a lifetime supply of chocolate. He was ridiculously excited and both his PA and I are hoping his 'shiny new toy' will divert his attention away from his unholy fascination with Iphone apps for at least a week or two.

Meditation:
Despite a nanna nap yesterday I still had no trouble falling asleep and think I nodded off in the middle once again...ooops. Perhaps some things take longer than the prescribed 21 days?

So hoping I feel better tomorrow and can offer something more exciting than 'my head hurts' and 'I'm moving'.

xx

Happiness. Pasta. Bubbles and Boxes. Day 18

Just a couple of days left of my challenge and I'm determined to finish it on a high note! I've been thinking in the last few days about the lessons I've learned and how although the challenge may be winding down, the trick is to keep looking for positives and making sure I don't backslide into any negative thinking.

Moving to a new town will definitely help with this as there will be so many new things to discover and all of the fun things that go along with exploring a new environment and finding where we fit in.

Onwards and upwards, huh?

Gratitudes:

• So happy to see my dad today and spend a lovely few hours with him. We had an amazing Italian dinner which was so yummy but I'm now so full I think I'm about to explode! E had basically an upscale version of mac and cheese, followed by cookies & cream gelati which looked really awesome. Nice to also see that The Voice transcends all age barriers as dad had to rush back to their hotel and us to our apartment to make sure we didn't miss a moment. They're only in town briefly so that my stepmother can have a few tests so this is likely the last time we'll see dad whilst residents of Brisbane (another 'last'!)
• Dad also brought me so many boxes for my move that I think I'm now more than sorted! So grateful for these, boxes cost upwards of $5 each these days so it is a huge saving. Now I'll be able to get started on packing up my place. Reality sinking in!
• So grateful for the long weekend and nanna naps. I lay down to read this afternoon and the next thing I know it was an hour later. Felt so good to have a little snooze during the day, it really is a luxury when you're a mum!

Journal:
Not a great deal to report today apart from seeing dad this afternoon. We had a long, lovely lazy day broken up only by a quick trip to the bakery for some provisions. As the shops were all shut for the public holiday (closing on Labour Day...oxymoron???) I actually had to take the car out but I guess I'm just getting into practice for my move to Toowoomba. Cannot imagine my new place will be less than a 2 minute walk to the shopping centre so I'll have to get used to it!

Was just thinking that there are going to be so many changes to our lifestyle that it's ridiculous. Right now we throw our rubbish down a chute, we'll have to get used to remembering 'bin night' once again! We also have an automatic swipe door on our building so having to use keys will be kind of weird!

But the pluses definitely outweigh any negatives so it's all good.

It was also fun to watch E have his first soft drink tonight in more than a decade. When he was little he was handed a cup of what he thought was red cordial but was actually soda, took a huge gulp through a straw and promptly went red and started spewing bubbles everywhere. The look on the poor little guy's face was priceless and I couldn't help laughing. Since then he's refused to try any sort of drink with bubbles, which has been perfectly OK with me. But he announced the other day that he'd like to try lemonade as he likes lemonade ice blocks. So he had a couple of sips and decided that whilst he didn't hate it exactly, he's still not a fan of the bubbles!

So all in all, it's been a fantastic weekend. So happy right now!


Random Act of Kindness:
I picked E up his favourite meat pie for lunch from the bakery down the road. It's so lovely to have a child who gets excited over something so little.

Meditation:
I was so tired last night but actually made it all the way through and immediately had one of the best night's sleeps I've had in ages! Success!

So hoping you all had a fantastic weekend! We're off now to watch The Voice, hooray!

xx

Seafood pizza. Bacon. Doing nothing. Happiness Day 17

I'm now standing on the precipice of my last few days of my Happiness Challenge and it's made me rather reflective. It's been a fairly time consuming exercise and some days have been really tough to fulfil. There are simply some days that I don't want to be happy, dammit! Although perhaps I can credit this challenge with ensuring the last two weeks have probably had the lowest ratio of bad days I've had in ages.

The challenge has made me think a lot about what makes puts a smile on my face and a spring in my step. Everyone seeks happiness, everyone wants happiness, but what is happiness exactly?

If you google 'happiness' there are over 62 million hits ranging from deep and meaningful to clever and silly. Everyone has their own interpretation of what happiness is, but so many say the same sorts of things just using different words. My two favourites are at the opposite ends of the spectrum but essentially say the same thing:

'Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony'. Mahatma Gandhi

and 'Happiness is like jam. You can't spread even a little without getting some on yourself'. Anonymous

Incidentally, what the hell did we EVER do before google?

Gratitudes:

• I woke up feeling slightly unwell this morning so am thankful that a) it's a Sunday so I can legitimately do nothing and b) it's a long weekend so everything that I probably shoulda, coulda, woulda done today I can do tomorrow instead. Mucho gratitude for this
• I haven't actually left the apartment today but instead have once again been enjoying the glorious weather on my balcony. I really love my balcony and will definitely miss it when I leave, although I'll be trading it in for a backyard and a covered outdoor area which will likely be far more private and green so it's all good. I love to be outside and have missed that in unit living, so my balcony is a godsend
• Thank you for the great response on my post about being a single mum. Sometimes it's really difficult to write about things that are deeply personal however it is extremely liberating and gratifying when your writing catches people's imaginations. I'm still learning about this whole blogging business and trying to find my feet and what people like to read, and if someone can read what I write and identify with or get something out of it, then that is a wonderful feeling

Journal:
The day has whizzed by despite a (too) early wake-up and a lazy day of doing absolutely nothing. I was about to go for a nanna nap when I realised it was past 4pm and that I probably missed my window if I'm going to sleep tonight.

It has been a really lovely day, I cooked bacon and toast for E and myself for breakfast which I haven't done since I can't remember when. Then...blissful nothing.

Now we've made homemade pizzas (seafood, my favourite) and they're in the oven for an early dinner. Mmmmm.

And tomorrow a few bits and pieces of tidying up and then meeting dad for dinner, lovely.

Loving this weekend, if this is what happiness is, I'll take it.

Meditation:
I stayed up far too late last night for no apparent reason and once again fell asleep at some mid point during the bedtime visualisation. Perhaps that's why I feel lousy today?

Random act of kindness:
This is lame but I let E run over and grab sushi for lunch and that's about as far as I got. He was happy so I guess it counts?

So have you had a good day? Do you get a long weekend too and if so, what have you been doing with your time? Would love for you to let me know.

xx

Happiness. Date Night. The Hunger Games and more Ninjago...Day 16

So day 16 of my challenge is upon me and I am happy that it's crazy!

I just got home from date night with my son after what has been the most excellent of days and a brilliant beginning to a long weekend.

So let the gratitudes begin!

Gratitudes:

• I am so grateful to be finally making some headway on my Toowoomba Project. We visited the police station today to lock up my son submit my police certificate request so that is now out of the way. I've been also making lots of lists of things that I still need to do so whilst there's heaps there I'm feeling much better organised and like I have some direction. Small blessings. I get my boxes from dad on Monday so packing and sorting will begin in earnest then.
• I say this a lot but Elijah is quite simply the light of my life. He has the craziest sense of humour and is forever running into me to tell me this nutty story or that...he has me in stitches daily and is turning into a right little character. Me being me completely encourage him to embrace his nuttiness individuality and made him go and change out of his boring blue shirt into his fangs one. His enthusiasm for our move is making me even more excited. I think if he was really against moving I would seriously reconsider as he's quite a wise little soul underneath that crazy persona.
• Lastly I am grateful just simply for the most perfect day. We woke up reasonably early and went and had breakfast, haircuts, did a bit of shopping and then came home for a lovely relaxing afternoon followed by date night. Everything was just perfect.

Journal:
So I surprised E tonight with tickets to see The Hunger Games. We saw it a few weeks ago and loved it, but I was so focused on matching the movie to the book and trying to remember what came next, and REALLY REALLY hoping it wouldn't suck to watch it in detail. I felt kind of like a third party observer rather than getting absorbed in it. So I really wanted to see it again to just really sink into it and WATCH.

And it was even better the second time around. Going in knowing it was going to be good allowed me to really get into it and appreciate the nuances of which the movie is full of. I know all the critics have said this, but Jennifer Lawrence is quite simply brilliant. She has captured the spirit of Katniss and played her with depth and feeling, I really don't think any other actress could have topped her performance. She WAS Katniss. I'm a big fan of a fabulous strong female character (see previous Scarlett O'Hara admiration post), and no-one who's read the books can doubt this woman is one. However, I was really afraid whoever won the role would just play her as a straight out badass without really capturing the emotional backstory that brought her there in the first place. Watching her quite literally shaking in her boots just as she was entering the games was worth the price of admission.

I cannot recommend this movie or the book highly enough. If you haven't read or seen it yet, then what are you waiting for? I've asked E to write his own review on the movie and I will post this as a comparison to mine (I'm sure his will contain an overuse of the word 'RAD' - just saying).

Check out the link to Amazon at the bottom of the page if you want to get your hands on a copy - I promise you'll be just as hooked as I am. Just a hint, the second book is even better than the first and you CANNOT imagine how much I'm anticipating that movie!

Random act of kindness:
There's been a few today and all centre around E. I just love to surprise and delight him because he gets so excited and it's just infectious. We went browsing through Toyworld and of course Ninjago was the hot topic of the day (for the uninitiated, see my post I don't speak boy). Some of the spinners, whatever they are, were on sale for half price so I let E get one. We had to toss a coin as he couldn't decide between two, and don't ask me what they were due to the language difficulties experienced when speaking Ninjago (all I hear is blah blah blah). Crazy how a $9 item can make you feel like the best mum in the world. I followed this up with his favourite breakfast and then The Hunger Games tonight, so all in all, my son has gone to sleep with the biggest smile on his face and his parting words of 'this was the best day ever'. Job done.

Meditation:
I am either getting better or worse at this, I always fall asleep during the process but am sleeping so well lately that I'm clearly very relaxed. And despite the millions of things running through my head of all the things I have to do (two weeks...eek!) and the copious quantities of caffeine I consume right before bed, it doesn't seem to stop me from dozing off really quickly. So despite the niggling feeling that I'm doing it all wrong, I'm pretty cool with it all.

Please let me know what you thought of The Hunger Games! I am pretty damn obsessed with this series and despite having read the trilogy three times now am already itching for a fourth go-around. I can't decide if I'm on Team Peeta or Team Gale. Obviously Gale is Thor's bro, and seriously hot, but then again he's dating Miley Cyrus so there's your downside right there. Peeta on the other hand is kinda dorky but so sweet without being sickly that he's kinda winning me over too. Torn.

Twilight who?

Would love to hear your thoughts on the books, how they compare to the movie, did you love, hate or meh?

xx

Date Night - The Hunger Games

The happiness challenge. Day 12

Past the halfway point now! I think part of my issue with this is that I'm not so good at following instructions and my first instinct when I feel obligated to do something is to find a way to get out of it. But perhaps my lesson here is to learn how to stick with things?

So here we go:

Gratitudes:

• I'm grateful that for the past few years I've been sitting next to someone in the office who is genuinely the most happy and positive person I've ever had the pleasure to meet. I asked him last week if he was in a good mood and his response was "I'm always in a good mood". And you know something, it is absolutely true. I tried to think of a time over all these years where I've seen him in a bad mood and I really couldn't think of one! Mind you, this guy works crazy hours, is ambitious and motivated and generally does the work of several people. Yet he's always got a smile, joke and a kind word for everyone that crosses his path and has us all in stitches on a regular basis. Somehow he's worked out the key to happiness along the way and I wish I'd taken the time to observe and learn from him as he's someone I deeply admire. I'm really thankful to have met someone like him, there's so many days I'm not feeling great and then I have a chat with my fellow deskmate and his infectious happiness rubs off.
• I'm also grateful for one of our newer girls at work. She's been thrown in at the deep end and has calmly and resolutely put on the happy face and motored on through. She has become a real support to me over just a few short weeks and I know that she's going to be a powerhouse there after I leave. I always like to know I'm leaving things in good hands and her capable and happy nature are going to be a great asset.
• Lastly I am grateful for my friends who are going to great lengths to ensure I get a sendoff worth remembering. I leave Brisbane not without sadness and I think there'll be a few tears before kickoff to be honest. I feel very loved and supported by some amazing women who are absolutely my family, regardless of blood ties.

Journal:
So like a typical ostrich I'm trying to ignore the fact that I'm going to be homeless soon unless I pull my finger out and start making arrangements. Life has just been so chaotic lately and I feel the body and brain just needs a brief respite before digging into it with gusto. I'm not that good at making decisions these days, the Toowoomba project has been probably over a year in the making and now that I've done it, you'd think I'd be barrelling forward but I just can't do more than a brief plod each day. Oh well, I have a long weekend coming up and will try to make some headway then. Although with my dad and stepmother visiting, likely I'll be distracted enough to procrastinate..ha. I'm also looking forward to Mothers Day on Sunday, my gorgeous E always makes me a card and loves to go over to the shopping centre to pick me out a gift. I must say after some dubious offerings in years past, he's developing some excellent taste!

This post also cannot be complete without a reference to The Voice. The battle rounds were on last night and we were glued to the TV despite it taking more than 2 hours. So tired by the time it was done, and I truly don't know how E woke up this morning as his bedtime is usually around 8ish. Well worth it though, some of the pairings were so heartbreakingly good, I seriously don't know how the judges were able to choose. In most cases I think they got it right although on a few of them I bet they're kicking themselves for pairing up certain duos knowing they'd have to get rid of one.

So looking forward to doing it all again tonight.

Tweet of the evening: "Confucius say: two Maddens are better than one". Love it.

Meditation:
I vaguely recollect starting to drain the bad but not sure if I finished before I nodded off? Did feel slightly better this morning so maybe that's a sign? Work in progress.

Random act of kindness:
I offered to do a couple of things at work today as I saw someone struggling a bit, and for once I didn't immediately think, oh good, my random act of kindness! It's only now when I'm sitting down thinking about what I'm going to write that I remembered. Perhaps I'm starting to do these things automatically instead of overanalysing? Time will tell.

So it's been a bit of a reflective day today. I guess the nostalgia will start to build in the next couple of weeks as I get on the countdown to the Toowoomba project (not a tree change. Not).

Hope you're having a lovely day! Are you following the happiness challenge or have you done something similar? I hear the Laws of Attraction theories are quite similar and would love to hear from anyone who's experienced any of these.

xx

The happiness challenge. Day 10

Day 10 and the good vibes keep on coming. Of course it's the weekend so is relatively easy to find the upside on everything!

Happiness challenge is full-steam ahead...today at least!

Gratitudes:

• I'm so grateful we got to see some friends today before our big move. They're off on the holiday of a lifetime tomorrow and we'll be relocated by the time they return home. So this was our last hurrah whilst still residents of Brisbane and it was lovely to spend some time with them before they (and we) depart.
• I probably sound like a broken record but I am ridiculously grateful to have such a centred and flexible kid who, whilst freely admitting he will miss his friends and to some anxiety about our move (will the kids like me?), his excitement outweighs his fears and he is really looking forward to going. I probably wouldn't have made a move like this if he was violently opposed to it and his acceptance and supportiveness has been a godsend. It was also fantastic to spend the day with one of his schoolmates and another boy who he didn't know very well - listening to them play it became obvious to me that I have raised a little diplomat who seems to smooth the ruffled feathers and be the referee in many instances! That's pretty damned cool. Even if he is mega jealous that his mate gets to go 'under Niagara Falls mum, and to Legoland and Space Mountain!'
• I am grateful that since I've been living in my place I've accidentally become pretty organised. I've had to find a bunch of paperwork this weekend and was putting it off thinking it would be a gargantuan task yet they were exactly where I thought I MIGHT have put them if I'd been better organised.

Journal:
Saying goodbye to some friends today was hard. This is my first farewell as they are going on holidays for 5 weeks to Canada and the US (jealous!). We'll be well and truly in Toowoomba by their return, although we've arranged for a sleepover a week or two after they get back so it isn't exactly 'goodbye forever'. Our kids have become really close in the past couple of years at school and it will be hard for both of them to not see each other every day.

It was a fantastic day though, adults on the deck (despite a rainy and cold day), kids playing happily not killing each other inside, BBQ lunch, great conversation and lots of laughter. It was really nice to spend time with a friend and make a new one!

Settling down now for the night to indulge in what is fast becoming our family tradition - watching The Voice. The battle rounds begin tonight and they look electrifying. Cannot imagine the poor judges having to pick, it would be like asking which of your kids you prefer (probably why I only have one).

Random act of kindness:
We did the BYO BBQ thing today as my friend has been ensuring that nothing would be left in the house before their holiday.  We took some sausages and rissoles over and stopped off on the way to buy a loaf of bread from the bakery as I knew she wouldn't have any. And what's better than bakery bread?

Meditation:
Again I stayed up too late last night and then fell asleep within seconds so meditation or not, my mind and conscience must be clear!

So the challenge wasn't exactly a challenge today, in fact this entire weekend has been restful and lovely, probably the calm before the storm! I've been Instagram-ming up a storm and thought I'd share some with you from our weekend.

Hope you've had as lovely a weekend as we have!

xx

Apparently writing gratitude lists makes you a better person

So I keep hearing about gratitude journals and apparently listing the things that you are grateful for make you...er...well, grateful.

And here I've lived all these years just BEING grateful and just now find out I've been doing it wrong. So in the spirit of doing things by the book, here goes:

Bec's Gratitude List

 My amazing son Elijah who is the light of my life. And because you make double choc brownies that kick ass. And you'd kill me if I left you off the list.

My dear friend just let me know her entire family except her has it coming out both ends and she is the designated cleanup girl. So I'm really, REALLY grateful not to be her right now. 

I realised the other day that most of my closest friends have known me since I was 15. We've gone through tears, tantrums, angst, drama and really bad hair together...and that was just last Saturday night. Yet we have loved each other through thick and thin (and these days unfortunately more thick than thin). You make me laugh, you listen to my crap and we can spend hours talking about nothing in particular. No girl could have better friends...and I'm not just saying that because you're holding all my embarrassing secrets to ransom.

 My sanity. Oh wait...

My Kindle. Now people think I'm really intellectual and can't tell that I'm really reading trashy chick lit. Win/win.

Apple. A life without my iPhone, iPad et al is no life at all. Now I never have to look out a window or indeed have to talk to a stranger as everyone knows its rude to interrupt people when they're pretending to be engrossed in their phone. Bless you Steve Jobs. As god is my witness, I'll never be bored again. You made an app for that and I'm totally grateful.

My ability to laugh at myself. Thank God.

There. Now I feel much more grateful. And like a much better person.  Totally.