try the 21-day happiness plan

I can’t check this often enough to keep up! I think I may have to keep the ideas until they’re all collected and then try it on my own.

Random acts of kindness…hm. The random part is the hardest!

Getting to bed early is gonna be tough, although I’ve been so beat lately that twice (even without knowing this goal) this week I’ve gone in to read right after the kids went to bed, and was asleep in short order.

And laughter is hard, too. I don’t laugh easy any more. Not sure why. But today I got a couple good ones just retelling stupid St. Peter jokes.

Exercise-well, today while working in the copy room I kept one eye on the door and one ear on the rhythm of the copy machine, and did all kinds of marching/squatting exercises while I waited for jobs to print. Considering Ms. Shamberg had me do about two thousand copies, I burned a few calories-but I’ve also committed to my PEERtrainer group that I’d do a half hour of step this evening. (Also, no candy today!)

Positives:
1. Scrapping with friends.
2. Pot roast French dips with homemade rolls for dinner, and no dinnertime rush because I put the meat in the crockpot this morning and the bread dough in the machine an hour ago.
3. Peace Like a River by Lief Enger. I wanted to start over immediately and read it again.

Three things for today:

1. The excitement of the MathCounts speed round at Regionals today—and Braden took 2nd! How could this kid be mine?! State, here he comes!

2. Seth took his Dad’s surprise challenge. He was called to the office for a Valentine’s gift, but they couldn’t find it until after 4th period. A dozen pink roses—what? He read the card (12 roses, 12 girls, we challenged him) and managed to give away half of them before school got out.

3. Heart-shaped orange scones for breakfast. Heart-shaped cheese cutouts on the spaghetti for dinner, and a table strewn with candies.

Friday, simply no time to get this done:
1. ComedySportz. Amateurishness and all.
2. The image of friend Lauri’s husband Wade pushing a stroller with two tired babes while carrying an exhausted Bassett hound over his shoulder (I laughed as much at Lauri’s telling of this story as I did at the comedy club!)
3. Sunshine. Day after day. Awesome.
Today:
1. Brett staying calm and reasonable in the face of Seth’s utterly unacceptable grades.
2. Seth passing his driving test!
3. Owls hooting somewhere while we sat in the hot tub.

Workouts—1/2 hour step yesterday. None today. Weekend break!

1. The way James shudders when he plays a roll on the snare, and the conversation I had with Seth about it after the concert. Generally, how together Seth can sound at times.

2. The whole post-concert root-beer-float tradition. Started by my father-in-law back when his band/choir concerts included all grades and ran three hours. The promise of floats, I think, was given in hopes that his own dozen children would behave through the ordeal. That Mom finally put her foot down and told him she had attended her last 3-hour concert. (Go, Mom H!) How our own kids look forward to the floats.

3. My friend Calie’s compliments and thanks when I did a little lettering in her scrapbook for her during the scrap day today. And her very cool letter-stamp system. I might have to consider one of those.

Oh, can I do four? 4. Plans with Lauri and Wade to go to ComedySportz tomorrow night! I’ve been wanting to do this for so long!

Okay, workout. Today it was about 1/2 hour on the step. INterestingly, this was easier on my tailbone than the regular walking.

1. I have learned to make perfect biscuits. Perfect. As in, the Junior League would think a Southerner made them. Tonight’s were the best ever. (I ate four…but then, that’s not exactly positive!)

2. I have a fire going in the fireplace my husband plumbed and pointed himself.

3. New vacuum. With attachments. Finally, an easier way to clean the base of the baseboards-plus, for a while I will have an upstairs vac and a downstairs vac, until the Sanitaire dies. On top of all that, I got it at Tuesday Morning for a tiny, tiny fraction of the regular cost-about 20% of the list price. That’s 20% OF, not 20% OFF!

Now, exercise: I walked this morning, but slooowly…and only for 40 minutes. The tailbone is not better today. I’m exhausted from dealing with the change in my natural gait!

1. Derek (a K classmate of Anna’s who looks like he was drawn by Sendak) running up to me today, stopping abruptly in front of me with his arms thrown out: “WHERE did you get those oranges?” He had just finished snack and apparently plans to beg his mother to buy some Cara Cara oranges as soon as she gets home.

2. Georgia, who is so beautiful at five it just breaks your heart, with bright blue eyes and a pixie grin with dimples and a perfect little heart face, saying to me, “I want to have a playdate with Anna!”

3. Walking outside in the sunshine.

Despite tailbone injury from sledding with reluctant beagle, I walked about 2 miles yesterday and about 3 today (45 min. or so each day).

1. The feeling of stretching tired muscles as I walked following a long wall sit.

2. My friend Lauri’s smile at finding me in her driveway when she returned from a long trip.

3. My freshly cleaned refrigerator.

What’s the task for today? I’ve tried searching for the plan online, but it’s not there…Red is but not the plan, sigh.

1. Collecting smiles while I directed the music today. Happy circumstances brought several extended families to visit our congregation, and it was fun to be up front where I could see them all.

2. Being able to scribble down and then transcribe all three blessings of babies today. Three is a lot, and two of them had experienced Grandpas pronouncing the blessings…and I still managed to get down nearly word for word. Fun to hand them around to surprised parents after.

3. Sitting next to someone whose actions contributed to a very painful experience in my life three years ago…and feeling no rancor or irritation with her.

Workouts will be M/W/F and T/Th when I can work them in (those are my volunteering days).

But hey, the first day is really pretty easy…