Happy Mom and then some: A little dose of positive to your life

Mothers have a huge responsibility over their shoulders. Well I have learned that in order to raise happy children and maintain a happy home you must be happy first.  In order to understand that concept, first let's talk about what is happiness.  To me, being happy is a state of contentment and gratefulness with your life and what you have.  Now, feeling happy enables you to see things more clearly, to feel positive and hopeful and it gives you a different outlook on life.  But here's what I think is the most important and crucial part of this concept; if you're happy, you're more  likely to see more solutions to your problems, or plan "B's" and "C's" as I call them, as opposed to being stressed out and feeling miserable and promoting it within yourself.

Here's a few things I have tried to keep me happy and in check:

*  Wake up every morning and think of something positive to look forward to that day.   This could be a nice cup of coffee or ordering take out for dinner tonight, or simply a bath before bed; the possibilities are endless. Make it happen and think how lucky that you are able to enjoy the little things in life.

*  Pamper yourself! Do something that will allow you some "you" time like a mani-pedi, a massage, or getting your hair done, etc.

*  Buy yourself something pretty.   Update your closet often.  That doesn't mean you should go on a spending spree and blow your household budget.  There are many shops where you are sure to find cute pieces at bargain prices!  I love Ross, Marshall's, T.J.Maxx, N.Y. & Co., etc.  I don't go there to look for something specific, but when I'm there and see something I like and the price is right, I get it.

*  Smile at people and greet everyone you see!  Always keep an eye out for an opportunity to do something to help someone and/or be kind to someone just because.  It will surely  lift their spirits and yours.

*  Schedule some sort of physical activity at least 3x a week.  This could be a walk, bike riding, running, visit the gym, etc.  Your body will feel rejuvenated and you will feel less tired, pretty soon you'll find yourself doing whatever activity you chose more often in the week.

* Eat healthy and drink lots of water.  I 'm not saying not to give in to all those sweet cravings we all have.  I never restrict myself when it comes to treats in moderation, but make an effort to choose the apple instead of the cookie for that afternoon snack and before you know it you won't even miss buying the junk food.  Same goes with water.  It is hard at first but soon that's all your body will crave.  The best part is that you'll feel better and will have a lot more energy to handle anything that comes your way.

* Finally, make sure you love what you do.  Whatever your job or career path make sure to enjoy it.  If it comes to a point that you're miserable doing what you're doing.  It's time to move on, it's time for a change.  Never settle and always follow your dreams and try to succeed in reaching them, if you don't at least you can say you tried.

How are you encouraging your kids to help out with chores at home this summer?

Summer time means lazy, long days, staying past your bedtime, and endless fun activities, right? but how are you incorporating chores into your daily Summer routine?
I always stress the importance and benefits of sharing the responsibilities at home and doing chores.  However, it is not always the best part of anyone's day and although most chores get done, for the most part they involve a lot of nagging and dragging. Here is an idea I incorporated at home this Summer and so far we're all pleased with the outcome.  I involved the children in the making of a chart with a list of chores that needed to be done around the house along with when and how often they needed to be done.  Once the list was completed, we decided on a $ amount ranging from .25 to .75 that we thought was fair depending on the complexity of the job, to be assigned to each chore.  How does this work?  Simple.  Each kid picks the chores they feel they can handle each day and do them. When they complete their chores, they write a list of what they did and how much they have earned.  At the end of the week, we tally the amount of earned $.  Now here's where things vary a little.  I'm not fond of giving children allowances since I feel that I spend on them daily on things other than basic needs.  Being that it is Summer and those daily expenses increase due to ice cream cravings, movie outings, extra snacks, and other activities, the kids get to "earn" the money to pay for them.  As the children complete their chores each week and tally how much they have earned, then we determine what activities they can afford for the following week.  For example, if there is a movie they want to go watch, they need to complete enough chores to earn enough money to pay for it.  This way they don't get to handle actual money, and they get a sense of responsible spending.  It's never too soon to learn to manage your money.  Not many adults know how much they can afford to spend!  And, I don't even have to mention that the teacher in me is thrilled at the fact that they're getting a daily review of counting, adding and subtracting money😍!  Some of the benefits I have been pleased to have gotten from this idea are that the kids are taking ownership in doing their chores, they are appreciating the value of working hard for what they want, and the value of every hard earned dollar.  They are also more conscious of not making much of a mess around the house and picking up after themselves without being told since they appreciate how hard it us to pick up and clean up.
I'm very pleased with the way this idea is working for us at home.  Do you have any ideas that have worked for you at home with your kids doing chores?  Please share your ideas and experiences on the subject. 😉

The reason behind this blog

Here I am at 2am writting my first blog.  Finally! I've been dreaming about this for a LONG time!  I could find many excuses except the time and determination to start blogging.  So here I am.  Why did I decide to write? If you're a mother, and like me, also have a 2nd job, then you'll understand the reason behind this madness.
I am a mother of 3 children and a dog, I've been married for over 2 decades, and I have a second job as an elementary school teacher.  If that wasn't enough to paint a clear picture of what my life is like, then let me add a few details to let you in on a regular day in my life..  Picture a Wednesday night around 6pm, dinner is still in the making, homework is never ending, dog is pacing for food, love and attention, I just realized I haven't even been upstairs to change, one of the kids announces that we have to go to Walmart to buy something that they HAVE to take to school tomorrow, oh, great! I just realized I don't have enough milk for breakfast tomorrow, and yes, we have baseball practice at 7pm! Exhausted yet? If you can relate, this is the blog for you.  There have been countless times when all I wanted to do is give up! Run upstairs, lock my bedroom door, and let Calgon take me away!!! But the truth is, no matter what, no matter how tired, I knew I had to keep going, and somehow got the strenght, and made it through.  It wasn't until recently though, that I started vocalizing and sharing my "day" with other mothers and came to realize that I'm not the only one! and guess what, the more I shared, the better I coped.  So this is why I'm here, to create a community of mothers, to share ideas, to vent, to learn and to gather strenght to keep going.  Looking forward to an interesting journey!😎