Music gets me through. Through difficult times, bad moods or a chore I simply dread. Today was no different. My in-laws are visiting this weekend and there was so much to do. I've had a sick kid home for over a week and so many chores had been pushed to the wayside. Just turn up the music and chores are almost a joy to complete. Almost. (At least there was joy in the music!)
I was in a store today that had retro lunch boxes. The metal ones with stripes and plaids and polka dots and tv shows and music groups and cartoon characters. It brought be back. I almost bought one. I should have bought one. Because having those memories flood back was fun. Such a simple little item making such an impact. Maybe I'll go back and get one. Because we all deserve a little retro joy!
Field Trip! I love accompanying my kids on their school field trips. Today we saw Sleeping Beauty ballet. Sure the kids were a little bored - especially my boys. But there was so much to talk about on the way home. The costumes. The special effects. Who fell asleep. It was my youngest son's first field trip. So he didn't care that it was boring. He was just glad to feel like a big kid, hanging with his friends, eating lunch outside. A fun trip and a joy for me to witness.
Valentine's Day isn't just for boyfriends and girlfriends and husbands and wives. It's for me and my kids, too. I had so much fun sneaking little boxes of candy with heart shaped wrapping paper where they would find them. And they had so much fun receiving and sending Valentines at school today. Sweet reminders of how much joy we all bring each other.
We don't have date nights (and a good thing, too, 'cause I'm not much of a night person). We have date days. And today we celebrated Valentine's with a little lunch, a little shopping. It's nice to get out and have adult conversation and dream a little together. Some early joy in an early Valentine's date day!
I kicked out a bunch of errands today. All online. Banking. Shopping. Letter writing. Sometimes my dinosaur of a computer annoys the heck out of me. But today? He was my best friend. I can't believe how productive I was today. You name it. I got it done! Now that's joy!
I've just discovered this site and saved a boatload of money on an attraction near us that I knew my in-laws would be interested in. Tickets that were typically 7 dollars were only one dollar each. What would normally cost 49 dollars only cost a mere 7 bucks. Now that's a little added joy to my wallet!
My sweet cravings typically include chocolate, coca-cola and ice cream. I'm not a big candy, cookie and cake person. And I rarely choose to enjoy angel food cake. But tonight I had a luscious piece, complete with fresh strawberries. It was simply divine. Who knew? Angel food cake could taste of joy.
I haven't lost the weight I wanted to. And I honestly thought yoga would be more helpful in that area. Maybe I'm expecting too much from one exercise practice. But I keep plugging along. I've kept at it longer than any other exercise regimen. I'm not sure why. What I do know is that yoga makes me feel so good. Yoga is joy, in my opinion.
A good read. I crave a good read once in a while. Sometime to immerse myself in. I've found it with The Book Thief. Fascinating story. Interesting story-telling. It's one I look forward to finding time for. And while the subject matter certainly isn't "joyful" --- looking forward to snuggling on the couch, getting lost in the story brings a little joy to my day.
I love Chinese medicine. I love how natural and organic it is. I love the miracles it seems to create - non-invasive, simple, pure. But sometimes, modern medicine needs to step in. My son has been struggling with high fevers and what we thought was an ear infection. We were doing all the right things but his fever had been in the 103-104 range for 5 days now. It was time to try something else. And lo and behold, after two doses of antibiotics, his temperature is normal. Overall, I think we, as a culture, overdo antibiotics. But when you use them when you're supposed to? Joy!
No news here that I'm a big Disney fan. I'll watch any movie they produce. Secretariat was no exception. We watched it today, cuddled on the couch, with popcorn and drinks and enjoyed every minute. I love how Disney creates movies both kids and parents can enjoy together. And I loved the story of this amazing horse. My parents owned a race horse once, and I never witnessed mistreatment of the animals. I did, however, witness the pure joy that horses seem to feel, being allowed to stretch their legs and move as fast as they can. Secretariat seemed to embody that joy. Plain and simple.
I wish I were more timely in publishing my daily joy. And I've explained before how I carry a little notebook with me to jot down the joy of the day so I don't forget. I hate it that I haven't made the time to regularly utilize this blog - both for joy posting and for exploring those few who check in or have a similar blog mission. I will try to do better. I truly will. But for now, for today, when I'm a little discouraged by the lack of interest in my humble blog - Stat Counter shines a little joy. It says that, yes, indeed, people are peeking in. Not many. But a few. Making it worth it to me to continue.
Turtles. Simply turtles. You know when someone laughs and then, even though you don't get the joke, you laugh too? Today was one of those days. Just the mere mention of them sent my youngest into a fit of giggles. So today's joy is brought to you by turtles.
My mother-in-law buys the kids the craziest and best gifts sometimes. Last summer they went on an Alaskan cruise and bought the boys a card game - Alaskan Go-Fish. My oldest son is home sick today and he wanted to play. Pretty soon we were playing the best out of 5, the best out of 7, the best out of 15. Yes, 15 games asking each other, "Do you have any Pink Salmon? Do you have any Brook Trout?" Hilarious and joy!
Such a simple, winter drink but brings back such good memories of snowy afternoons of my childhood. I no longer live in the snow (thank goodness!) but that doesn't mean I can't share my love of hot chocolate with my kids. Today was a rainy and bitterly cold day. Hot chocolate and whipped cream to the rescue! Chocolate joy in a cup!
I love this Facebook/Zynga game. Each round is five minutes long and the time just flies. I'm a good player but not the best player....yet. ;) Practice makes perfect, right? It's a pastime that exercises parts of my brain and allows other parts to relax. And a balanced brain brings me joy.
