A Case of the HAPPY Mondays.

I have previously blogged a bit about goals that I have set for myself.  Well one of those goals is to work on mastering the art of positive thinking.  There are several people in my life who are constantly amazing me with their ability to move through every challenge that life brings their way with a positive attitude; and they are people who have a very special place in my heart.  I have to admit I am not always that person.

To that end, I have realized that Mondays tend to be the most negative day of the week for me and therefore I am determined to tackle Monday in a new light.  I am going to list the things that make me happy, whatever they may be, on each Monday!  Wow ... now that it's out in writing, that seems like a very lofty goal.   

Meaningful Mondays:

1.  I love taking my kids to swim lessons!  Watching them go through the learning process, try something new, push themselves out of their comfort zone, and then feeling a sense of pride at their success is incredibly gratifying.  

2.  Lancome Self Tanner - yup that's right, I LOVE my new bottle of self tanner for my legs!  I am really not a vain person, I am just self conscious about the fact that my legs can never seem to hold a tan - plus I feel like it hides the annoying spider veins that appeared during pregnancy. I highly recommend trying it! 

3.  My creative outlet found in embossed note cards.  I really needed an outlet that is just for me and my creative side and this is something I can work on a little bit each day.

4.  My gym membership is making me very happy lately ... well that and really sore.  Working towards my weight loss goal!

5.  Mint chocolate chip ice cream - NOT helping me towards my weight loss goal but DELIGHTFUL!  For memorial day weekend we stayed in a small town on the Eastern Shore called St. Michael's.  They had an adorable ice cream shop in town, Josephine's, with the most amazing mint chocolate chip ice cream.  I can't stop thinking about it ... so today at the grocery store I broke down and bought Ben & Jerry's Mint Chocolate Chunk ... YUM!

6.  Taylor's toddler speak - she has something very important to say, and she is saying it for sure, I just have no idea what it is ... but whatever it is, it's totally cute!  And the facial expressions that go along with the long diatribes are priceless.  But the number one coolest thing about Taylor's toddler speak is that Jakob knows exactly what she is saying ... so cool!

7.  Jakob and Taylor asking to watch baseball with their daddy!  WOW ... I love watching my husband be a dad.  

8.  Raineer Cherries ... found them at Whole Foods today and I couldn't help myself!  Purchased two bags with a huge smile on my face!

9.  Making plans to go to Portland!!!!  YEAH ... the Pearsons are going to be in Portland in July!  Not sure on the specific dates yet, but stay tuned!!!

10.  Friend's who encourage me to be a better person, just by being who they are.  Thank you Katie Miller ... you are the inspiration behind my Monday blogs.  

You know, I set a goal for myself to write 10 items that make me happy and I felt like that was going to be really hard ... but you know, that was easier than expected!  We all have so many things to be thankful for and so many joys in our lives; whether they be gifts with purchase from the Clinique counter, discovering the joy of reading, or looking at pictures of loved ones that we have lost and reflecting on all the joys they brought our lives.  Headed to bed feeling very thankful, blessed, and happy!

Cheers!