Happiness {12}: More Than Surviving

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happiness

Participants in “Write 31 Days” pledge to write for 30 minutes on a single topic every day in October.  My topic?  Happiness.

 

Right about the time I started blogging, I realized that we were in sort of a happiness hole.  Being in survival mode for so long hadn’t been good for anyone in our family.  (You can read all about our journey here.)  I started looking at various parts of our life and trying to figure out how to up the satisfaction quotient.

Given our particular set of blessings  and struggles, I want to thrive, not just survive.

 

Crystal Paine’s book helped me start the thought process behind my attempt to thrive.

It was this book that got the ball rolling and helped me think about how to make little (and big) changes in order to get out of survival mode.

I’ve talked before about creating a homeschool I love, creating a wardrobe I love, and creating decor that I love.

 

I’ve come to terms with accepting that Cee’s health isn’t going to get better.  There will be good days and bad days, but I can’t sit around waiting to be happy until things get better.  This is especially true over the past week or so, since her pain is increasing, and it doesn’t seem like there’s anything we can do.

Accepting this reality, my newest focus in helping our family thrive is my kids’ happiness.  I want to create a home that my kids want to come home to.  How can I help them thrive, not just survive?

On the one hand, I’ve already given this lots of thought.  We have family game night, Vlasic Family Time, and lots of reading aloud.  Because we homeschool, they have more time than the average kid to play and explore.  But I’m not sure that’s good enough.

 

I started listening to a new book that offers further advice.


Simplicity Parenting:  Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids”

I’m not very far into it, but it’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect.

People get stressed out with too many options.  Too many clothes, toys, games, activities, movies, TV  channels to choose from creates stress.

Kon-Mari your life, and you and your kids will be happier– that’s the gist.

Kim John Payne makes the argument that precisely what kids need is less “busy” and fewer options.

Based on the little bit that I’ve listened to, I’ve figured out a 3-step plan for creating a home my kids love.

1. Purge All the Things

I need to get rid of all the junk that accumulates with kids.

2.Clear Our Schedule

I need to be more intentional about creating opportunities for “carefree timelessness” to use Matthew Kelly’s words.  The kids need to have plenty of bored time and less screen time.

3. Be Present 

I need to add a little more Yes Day into our lives.  A little more laughing.  A little more listening.

 

We’ll see if there are more parts to the plan once I get through more of the audiobook.  In the mean time, that list seems both too simple and too daunting.  But it’s a good start.

 

The Happiness Series
Day 1:  The Evolution of an Idea
Day 2:  In a Cave
Day 3:  The Pursuit
Day 4:  Peanuts Gang Style
Day 5: A Beautiful Death
Day 6/7:  Like a Moody Teenager
Day 8:   Survival of the Fittest Gardening
Day 9:  My Sunday Best
Day 10:  Traditions
Day 11:  Still in the Cave
Day 12: More Than Surviving

 

Follow along via facebookbloglovin, or email subscription (above). 

I’ve enjoyed participating in Rosie’s My Sunday Best Linkup.  So in order to participate, here’s a pic of me and The Bubs today in addition to all my happiness thoughts.    🙂

msb-9

8 Comments


  1. // Reply

    Aw I love how you and Bea are color coordinated 🙂 And I’m eager to hear more about Simplicity Parenting! Sounds right up my alley – now that the kids are getting older they want to do ALL THE ACTIVITIES but I’m so protective of our time together that I’ve said no to a lot of things… I just feel like it’s more important to be together as a family than to be gallivanting off doing this that or the other “enriching” activity!


    1. // Reply

      Right! Whether or not my kids did taekwondo isn’t probably going to matter all that much when they’re 25 or 40.


  2. // Reply

    Wow, you are so brave to take on the 31 day challenge! Those 3 steps are something I try and implement as well. Moving often helps with the purging of all the things. But then the moving often hurts the being present. Baby steps! PS – CUTE BABY 🙂


    1. // Reply

      The balancing act between accomplishing things and being present is tough. Hopefully purging will help long-term. 🙂


  3. // Reply

    I love the meditation of needing to choose happiness now despite circumstances. I don’t even have the excuse of a chronically ill child, and I still use every excuse in the book of why I can’t be happy right now. I need a kick in the pants.


    1. // Reply

      I think that’s human nature. Things could always be worse, but we focus on how they could be better. It. Takes. Such. Effort. to choose to be happy, but I know it’s worth it. 🙂


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