identify 100 things that make me happy (besides money)

1) My red shoes
2) My red boots – it’s almost the right season for them!
3) My new brown shoes – I have two pairs of shoes!
4) My dark blue very sexy stretchy jeans
5) My orange tshirt
6) My purple tshirt
7) My nursing dress! very practical
8) My new socks that actually fit
9) My comfy Bravado knickers
10) My fabulous Bravado nursing bras with prints

1) I no longer need pain relief all the time
2) I no longer get flashbacks every night, though I still have nightmares most nights
3) I can think about my daughter’s birthday without crying
4) I have an exam scheduled under general anaesthetic to find out what’s still wrong with me
5) My periods don’t hurt much
6) I can wear trousers without pain
7) I’ve stopped oozing green goo from the wrong places
8) My hair is the healthiest, shiniest I’ve ever known
9) I am properly hydrated most of the time, which feels great
10) I have really excellent fitness – I can walk six miles up and down hills, carrying a heavy bag or a toddler, without getting out of breath or sore leg or back muscles. I can dance as much as I like. I am strong.

1) I cooked a great dinner tonight in spite of never having done anything like it; I put trout, onion, sweetcorn, bay leaves, ginger, and leftover potatoes in the slow cooker, and left them there. It was fabulous.

2) I have almost finished knitting a cute waistcoat-thingie.

3) I write good pomes at http://lnc.livejournal.com/

4) I write interesting articles on breastfeeding and motherhood at http://ailbhe.livejournal.com/

5) I invent exciting games for my daughter to play

6) I am an innovative problem-solver.

7) It occurred to me to take my knitting and the football to the playground with my solar-powered radio. Bliss ensued, on my part and that of my toddler.

8) I can make up songs to suit almost any 14-moonth-old’s occasion.

9) I made a baby! How much more creative is it possible to get?

10) I design a mean interior.

1. My house was built in 1899 and the date is worked into the brickwork of the terrace across the road.
2. There’s a lovely wood-and-plasterwork arch in the front hallway.
3. It’s bijou. Or compact. Or cosy. Or small. It’s the right size for us.
4. My bedroom is south-facing and has yellow walls.
5. My library is south-facing and has a bay window with a windowseat made by my mother and my husband.
6. I have a decent shower and a good bath.
7. My bathroom is yellow and white.
8. My dining room has one wood-panelled wall.
9. I have adequate storage space.
10. I have the satisfaction of knowing that I did almost all the decorating myself, and what I didn’t do, my husband did.

1. Being married to my partner in all senses, not just the lagel one.
2. Having my partner finish my sentences when I run out of vocabulary and just say “er” a lot.
3. The way my partner brings me tea.
4. Kissing him.
5. Hugging him.
6. The way he always sits in the bathroom and chats to me when I’m having a bath in the evenings.
7. The fact that he thinks attractiveness is an intrinsic part of who I am, regardless of what I look like at any given time.
8. The way he gets really very silly about maps. He’s keen on them.
9. He agrees with me a lot, even when he thinks about things and doesn’t just say “Yes dear” automatically.
10. He saves up tidbits of information for me during the day.

1. Feeding my baby when we wake.
2. Eating breakfast with my baby (and my husband).
3. Finishing all the morning chores by 9 am and having the rest of the day free to play with my baby.
4. Having a clean, tidy house for my baby to play in safely.
5. The decor in my front room – our Library – with its colourful rug and bookcase full of toys.
6. Reading to my baby.
7. Reading “with” my baby, each our own books.
8. My baby playing naked after a bath.
9. My baby learning to use a fork.
10. My baby running over and giving me a hug.