"Making Me Happy" Monday

I did this last week, and think I'm going to try to make it a weekly ritual. Feel free to join me and let me know if you have so I can be sure to pop by your blog!

Things making me happy today:

*Whatever alien replaced the MH yesterday seemed to disappear overnight. We had a fabulous day together - one of those days that reminds me I was made to be a mommy.

*Disappearance of said "alien" meant the sweetest little girl ever today, and not ONE temper tantrum (and one VERY happy mommy).

*The MH telling me at rest time that her heart had a smile on it because she was so happy (and then proceeding to take a 2 hour nap - unheard of these days!).

*After bad weather rained snowed on our parade, DH and I enjoyed a fantastic and much needed evening out on Saturday night to celebrate his birthday. Made even more perfect by the fact that we ate at our of our favorite restaurants, with a hefty gift certificate handed to DH by his boss, joined by our closest friends, and entertained by the interesting (read: whacko) couple next to us who insisted on buying us a round of drinks after we'd paid our bill and were ready to leave. They wouldn't take no for an answer, so all of us, including our server, downed shots of Patron Silver. GREAT. TIMES. And lots of laughter.

*My first Saturday of the season as a tax widow wasn't as awful as I thought it would be. MH and I found our way to story hour at a very cool toy store we hadn't yet been to, made an awesome craft, and had a very klassy lunch at Chez McDonald's. (note to self: no more Saturday visits to McDonald's PlayPlace. Ever.)

*DH let me sleep in until after 12 yesterday afternoon, and was completely reasonable when I was completely (and admittedly) unreasonable and bitchy for no reason I could explain other than I didn't feel like being anyone's mommy or wife, just for a little while. Honey, you are a WONDERFUL man.

*I finally found a case for my iPod Touch so I am no longer afraid to take it out of my house. I must agree with Apple, who calls it "the funnest iPod ever." Gotta love free Wi-Fi at Panera and the library. Although (shock and awe), Chez McD's does NOT have free Wi-Fi. One more reason to boycott.

*MH and I had so much fun at home today doing lots of nothing. Crafts, new toys, and our fave - an impromptu dance party around our kitchen.

*Rachael Ray's Mini-Meatball Soup for dinner last night. It rocks. It rocks even more for lunch the next day. Today's lunch ROCKED.

*DH's new stove-top espresso maker (birthday gift from above-mentioned friends). There's a new barista in town . . . can you guess her name? Can anyone say Fat Free Decaf Caramel Latte last night AND tonight? I think I might just be as good as Starbucks. And definitely cheaper. There's also the added draw that I don't need to leave my kitchen.

*Obama's inauguration tomorrow - we are part of history in the making!

*The MH's birthday invitations are addressed, stamped, and ready to go. Now we just need to pray that the party doesn't get snowed out!

*I have decided that I want to go back to school! Undergrad transcripts have been requested. Advice is being gathered. Calls are being made. I am really hoping that in a few years I will be a certified elementary school teacher!

*I have a list of many goals for 2009, and so far, I'm doing a pretty good job of keeping up with them. I've decided that yes, calling them goals is working far better for me than calling them resolutions.

There are many more things I'm sure I could go on about, but these are what come to mind for now . . . come on and tell me what's on your happy list today!



Edited to add: LOVING Twitter these days! Especially loving the discovery of TweetDeck and its wonder-powers!

"Making Me Happy" Monday

On today's happy list:

*It's DH's birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the best husband and daddy anyone could ask for! We are celebrating with an overnight to Boston next month, complete with tix to see Dirty Dancing (the play I wasn't even aware had become a play and am out of my mind about seeing!), compliments of my brother - can't wait!

*We have the cutest, most amazing little girl - as soon as she got up, the MH gave her daddy a huge birthday hug and kiss, and ran to get him a few special birthday presents. These included a Mickey and Minnie book (complete with her own special reading), a pink Care Bears elephant to sleep with whenever he wants, and as he was walking out the door to work, she ran after him to say "I just wanted to remind you that Mommy and I would like to take you to lunch for your birthday!". I could eat her up!

*Even though it's hubby's birthday, he brought ME coffee in bed (well, he does that every morning if I'm awake, so it's always on my happy list), and (way before going into her room to get a birthday kiss and hug when we knew she was starting to wake up) made the MH her sippy cup of chocolate milk (without animal crackers) so I wouldn't have to get out of bed to do it. Did I mention he's the best hubby and daddy ever?

*MH and I are taking a ride down to Daddy's work today to take him out for a birthday lunch.

*I finally got a cooling pad for my laptop so I can now rest assured that my motherboard will not burn out as hubby has convinced me it could (also happy the bottom of my computer isn't feeling so hot on my lap anymore!).

*Snowpants! Remember how I couldn't find them anywhere because I was an unprepared Mommy? I found and entire set (one of 4 left and the only size 4T) - complete with parka, snowpants, and mittens for $16 at BJ's yesterday! And it's adorable! And pink! And great quality! And it fits the MH perfectly! And the $16 price tag? Not even a clearance price!

*That huge snowstorm we were supposed to get? Didn't amount to much at all! Had a great time having friends over Saturday night during said "storm" playing Rock Band and American Idol on the Wii for hours. A pee-your-pants great time.

*Loving Twitter. And my new favorite way to use it - TweetDeck. Thanks Spoiled Mommy!

*Fabulous new cozy sweaters bought from Macy's for a steal.

*Exact style of brown wedge boots I've been searching for for the past 3 months - also purchased at a decent price during above shopping trip.

*The iPod Touch DH got me for Hanukkah - it's like having a mini computer with me at all times! I am having a blast downloading apps and walking around the house with my new little gadget.

*A free minute for blog posting! It feels like I've been consumed with so much lately that I have not had time to post at all. The MH walked daddy to the door and has not come back to snuggle with me in bed - I can hear her happily playing away downstairs, which is a rare occurrence (the playing alone part!). I have made it my goal for 2009 I (I figure calling it a goal is better than a resolution because a goal is something you work towards, whereas a resolution implies definite change. Hmm, maybe I should change that to resolution!) to blog at least a few times a week. It's part of my me time. It's part of my sanity. It's part of documenting my family's history.

*My little MH just finished her playing and crawled right into my bed to snuggle up on this cold and gray morning!

I don't think I've had a chance to say it yet, but Happy New Year! I'm looking forward to an amazing 2009!

A Sunday Well Spent

Today was action packed from the start.

It was filled with family contentment, happiness, and inspiration.

PJ Library is a program we participate in where every month in the mail, we receive a Jewish book or CD relevant to both a current holiday and MH's age. It's completely free for the first 2 years of enrollment, and just $18 each year after that up until age 6. It is fantastic!

We love receiving our special book every month - PJ Library books are full of learning, and it makes me so excited to see MH specifically pick a PJ book at bedtime (even when they are completely "off season" - she definitely has her faves!).

In addition to receiving these fantastic books (did I mention that they're FREE???), there are PJ Library events all year long.

This morning, MH eagerly picked out a pair of new jammies to wear to Temple for one of these programs to participate in a couple of hours filled with Jewish learning, a wonderful craft, music, and meeting new friends. Watching her take pride in her religion and see how much she'll enjoy attending Sunday school in a couple of years was heartwarming and made me full of pride.

After the program ended, DH, MH and I shared a fabulous brunch at one of our favorite spots. Again, I felt a huge amount of pride as MH practiced writing letters (her favorite today was H) while we waited for our food to arrive. This letter-writing thing is new . . . a couple of weeks ago, she was playing at her easel when she exclaimed "Look Mommy! I made an A!" And she had. She has continued to write more and more letters since then, completely on her own. It's so exciting!

Next up, a visit to see Grandma G at her rehabilitation facility.

That's right! This morning, MIL was transferred out of the hospital and into a wonderful facility where she will receive extensive physical therapy and literally learn to get back on her feet.

Over the past few days, I have become an advocate for MIL, working hard to make sure she would be in a facility that would make her happy and want to work hard at getting better. I am blessed to have some wonderful resources who helped me achieve my goal.

For the first time in about 10 years, I saw a happiness in MIL's face that I have never experienced.

She walked, further than I have seen in ages.

She smiled, saying I'm the best daughter-in-law she could ever ask for.

She beamed, as MH quickly became the littlest ambassador at the facility, introducing herself to everyone she met, endearing herself to the nurses and other staff (we were immediately shown where cookies and juice could be located for her enjoyment any time we visit!), and cheering on Grandma G with every step she took.

I was happy (which might be a slight understatement).

And proud of how hard I fought to make sure MIL will be getting the best care possible in the best environment possible, regardless of what others in the family thought.

After a wonderful visit, it was off to the Jewish Federation of RI (JFRI), the largest Jewish fundraising organization in the state.

The money raised by JFRI helps on a local, national, and global level (one of the local levels being helping to fund the fabulous aforementioned PJ Library).

I've become involved in several committees of JFRI over the past few years, mainly so I could understand more about why it is that they want and need money so badly.

I've learned that the things they do are amazing.

I've learned that they don't just "want" my money. That a small donation can help feed people in another country for a month. Or provide medication for someone who would otherwise go without.

Today was "Super Sunday", a day when people volunteer their time making phone calls to solicit and secure donations.

And, while I'm normally content to send in my donation every year, wishing it could be more, this year I decided to commit myself and my husband (with a little added incentive since my best friend and her husband were chairing the event) on a much larger scale.

I was briefly trained in how to solicit someone over the phone, something I must honestly say I was not all that comfortable with.

However, I quickly took on the attitude that this was not personal. I was not asking someone to give money to me. I was asking for money to help people in need - something that at this particular point in time is far bigger, and far more important than my worries that someone would hang up on me, or worse yell at me for interrupting their dinner.

With the first calls I made, I was fairly close to hyperventilating. I got some interesting excuses. I even got the daughter of a previous donor who told me that the said donor was no longer alive (not the best call of the evening for me!).

I also started to gain a bit of comfort. And confidence.

And as soon as I secured my first donation, I was absolutely positive that it would be no problem to keep going.

I spent three hours on the phone, soliciting people I did not know, and earnestly thanking them from the bottom of my heart for whatever it was they could give.

The experience was fantastic, and I would do it again without hesitation.

I have no idea how much money I raised in total, but that part really doesn't matter to me.

What matters is that we were doing a mitzvah.

For three hours (which passed so quickly), I was a part of something far bigger than me, and something that I can speak of with great pride.

All in all, I'd say it was a Sunday well spent.

My heart is full, and for the first time in weeks, I feel at peace.

Happiness is . . .

A leisurely family trip to our fave ice cream spot after dinner.

The kiddie size is equivalent to a large anywhere else.

The MH likes hers pink.

There is nothing better than watching her try to maneuver a huge cup/cone of melty, sticky, strawberry soft-serve and loving every last driplick of it.

Or laughing when it starts to rain and hubby gets the great idea for all of us to finish said ice cream in the car.

And on the way home, MH exclaims: "Oops! I had a little accident . . . I spilled some ice cream on my dress!"

And getting home to find that not only is it on the dress, but all over the back seat (along with the gazillion napkins I have handed her along the way now covered with ice cream and EVERYWHERE) and her carseat.

And not really caring because we had such a great time.

And feeling just a tiny built guilty because I indulged in said "kiddie size" cup of soft vanilla with hot peanut butter topping. Heaven.

But not too guilty because before we know it, summer will be over, and these impromptu trips will be a thing of the past until next summer.

And the fact that hubby had more ice cream on him than anyone (eating a cone and driving are not a great combination for him)!

OK, off to whip hubby's butt at a little Wii tennis.

That counts as exercise, right?

What's making YOU happy right now?