C'mon On, Get Happy with me!!!

"The Happiness Project" is an article written to overview a book ("C'mon, Get Happy") written by Gretchen Rubin. I toyed with the idea of trying it out, mostly because I have a million and one New Years resolutions that I would like to make and they started to feel very overwhelming. When Santa placed the copy of Woman's Day magazine containing the article into my stocking, I figured it was some sort of a sign.

The Happiness Project for 2010 is about focusing on what makes you happy. The idea is to choose twelve areas or goals that will make you happier. Each month you will concentrate on one, but you continue concentrating on each one so by the end of the year you are working on all 12! You can read the article here for a deeper explanation. (There is also a really cool blog that you can check in on to give you ideas and keep you focused... http://www.happiness-project.com/.)

Here is what I decided my happiness project will look like:

January: Music
February: Fitness
March: Creativity
April: Organization
May: Service
June: Energy
July: Love
August: Parenting & Friendship
September: Relaxation & Care
October: Reading
November: Thankfulness
December: Giving

I chose something that will be easy for me to do in January, since I am starting a bit late and need to get organized with this project. (I'll post my specific goals for that in about a week.) If you are missing something or just want to work on being the best you possible, join me. Develop your own Happiness Project and post about it, then let me know in the comments so I can come read about it. I would love to have a group of us working on this together! We can all use a little more happiness in our lives!

Facebook

One thing that I have loved this year is Facebook. I am certianly not on it nearly as much as I was before the baby came but it is fun to catch up with friends and find people that I haven't heard from in years. Here is a collage of some of my status' from this year.

Merry Christmas 2009

Here is your second annual virtual Christmas card. Enjoy!

The Wilkins’ Family Quiz 2009
(How well do you know our family? Choose all that apply.)

1. At this time last year, we had the blessing of traveling from Michigan to Maryland for the holidays. Which of the following was not an illness that one of us was afflicted with:
A. Strep throat
B. the stomach flu
C. Tourettes Syndrome
D. Pneumonia
E. pregnancy (Yeah, it counts as an illness)

2. After finding a notice on the door of the home we were renting informing us that our house was going to be auctioned due to our landlord’s impending foreclosure, we:
A. started a long and exhausting search for a new home to rent.
B. sued our landlords and were given the house as settlement.
C. had Realtors calling to schedule between one and seven house showings a day for three months.

3. On May 6, during one of those house showings, we decided to go out to dinner. While killing time at Bob’s Big Boy:
A. Denise continuously asked Barrington to tell her what time it was.
B. Jackson and Luke enjoyed balloons that were made into hats by a clown.
C. Denise decided that, yes, she was really in labor.

4. After heading home from dinner and putting the kids to bed, Barrington and Denise headed to the hospital where they:
A. perused the Internet on Barringtons’ Blackberry and updated Denise’s Face book status to:
Denise is in labor.
B. wondered why they waited so long to go to the hospital when the epidural wasn’t able to be administered.
C. welcomed Grant Alexander Wilkins into the world at 12:20 a.m. on May 7.
D. were “reminded” that the doctor wasn’t able to be found when the nurse continuously repeated, “Don’t push. You don’t want ME delivering your baby!”.

5. At 8 pounds and 7 ounces and 20 inches long, Grant was the _____________ of the three boys.
A. smallest
B. middle
C. largest

6. Denise and Barrington quickly learned that having children 20 months apart is far more exhausting than having children 4 ½ years apart. This is compounded by:
A. Luke learning to talk and scream “NO”, “STOP PIP”, AND “SUP UP”.
B. Grant’s colic and food intolerances that require Denise to avoid all dairy, soy and corn products or pay $100/week for prescription baby formula.
C. Jacksons constant imitations of Velociraptors and Wolverine.

7. We moved to a new house in August. The best things about the new house are:
A. The friendly neighbors and children right next door.
B. The pond that keeps Jackson and Luke busy looking for tadpoles, “ice skating” or being the receptacle of any object that will make an interesting splash.
C. The raccoons, foxes, groundhog and skunk that had to be trapped in order to make the yard safe for the boys.

8. In the move, we misplaced the box containing Grant’s birth announcements. Because of this:
A. We have no idea to whom we sent an announcement.
B. You might not have received one. (But we love you anyway.)
C. You might find that you have been sent two.

9. We had lots of visitors this year who came to visit or help with the new baby and/or move. Who came to see us?
A. Aunt Kim and cousin Anna (all the way from England)
B. Grandma Nancy
C. Pop Pop
D. Grandma Helen
E. The Tooth Fairy

10. Jackson (6) began first grade and his first year away from home all day. This has helped him to:
A. become even more responsible and polite.
B. realize how much he misses his family.
C. try (and enjoy!) new foods after seeing his friends eating different things.
D. learn to read.
E. become daring enough to do a cartwheel on the soccer field immediately after passing the ball.

11. Luke (2) began going to preschool at a friends’ home this year. He is fun loving, yet bashful. His favorite things to do at school are to:
A. play with the train table and Cars phone.
B. put himself into timeout.
C. repeat himself because he refuses to take out his pacifier.
D. flash his classmates by dropping his pants and taking off his diaper when the teacher leaves the room.

12. Grant spends his time:
A. watching his older brothers act like crazy people.
B. doing anything other than sleeping.
C. crying in his car seat.
D. being bounced or bouncing himself.

13. What we love most about this time of year:
A. Christmas cards, holiday decorations and Christmas carols.
B. Being able to stay in touch with the people that we love...YOU.
C. Celebrating the birth of our wonderful Savior.

With much love and wishes for a very happy and healthy new year,
Barrington, Denise, Jackson, Luke and Grant Wilkins

(Quiz answers: 1-A,B,D,E 2- A,C 3-A,B,C 4-A,B,C,D 5-A 6-A,B,C 7-A,B,C 8-A,B,C 9-A,B,C,D,E 10-A,B,C,D,E 11-A,B,C,D 12-A,B,C,D 13-A,B,C)

Activity

Grant just turned seven months old. He is becoming active. Much more active than the other two were at this age. He rolls over both ways and can sit on his own for brief periods of time. This is one of those boring videos that parents think is cute. He is showing off his new stylish moves in the bath. (Don't have your volume too loud or my voice might just break your glassware.)

How we roll...

I believe in being honest. This is what I allow my children to drive around in everyday. I'm not proud of it. It is one of my greatest embarrassments in life. Cleaning the car is ALWAYS on my to do list and it generally gets bumped for other things, ESPECIALLY when it is cold outside. (Btw, I took this picture AFTER spending a good 30 minutes gathering about 12 inches of papers, toys, books, etc. from on top of what you see pictured above.) In the last few months, both Barrington and I have stopped to give rides to older women. In both cases we were mortified because the poor old ladies had to hike their feet up on top of diaper bags, church bags, books, you name it, just to sit in the passenger's seat. One of the ladies couldn't even find a spot to put her cane. I am even embarrassed when I give an unexpected ride to a six year old. I find myself excusing the funk, even to a child. I have only seen one car that was worse than this and I found it nast. (That is my word for when something is uber-nasty.) So, why am I posting this and adding to my humiliation? I really have no idea. But, if I've ever given you a ride and my car was clean, you can bet that I spent a good deal of time cleaning it for you. I'm always willing to help when I can...just be sure to give me a good 24 hours notice before your car breaks down on the side of the road and you need a lift. I'll need that much time to empty things out so that there will be room for you. And, if you can't give me that much time now you know what you are in for. You have been warned.

Thanksgiving

This post is just a quick chronicle of how we spent our Thanksgiving this year. Forgive me for being less than creative but I'm just grateful that I am taking a couple of minutes to do this. Things are CRAZY!

I wanted to spend the day with friends since we weren't able to be with family. That didn't work out because it seemed like everyone that we asked had plans. So, we did our small little family thing again this year.

There was food, easy food. I'm talking canned veggies, frozen pie, store bought rolls. I wasn't going to spend hours cooking for us when the kids were likely to hate everything and I couldn't even eat half of it due to my "Baby Grant Diet".



Jackson even took a picture so that I could be in one. (And he actually loved the food and tried lots of new things!)




Grant enjoyed his sweet potatoes:



Future film directors were born:





School Thanksgiving crafts were displayed:



Naps were taken.

There was a lot of this:



Lists were made of things for which we are thankful.

Cookies were made and delivered to the police to continue our tradition of doing something to show others that we are thankful for them.



And Grant looked on enjoying his very first Thanksgiving:



All in all we had a very nice and laid back day. We were able to get a lot done and had a lot of fun together. (We even listened to Christmas music on the way home from the police station. I caved a few hours early!)

To my dear "sweet" boys...

Dear Jackson,

The next time that you and your friend are playing at recess and decide that you are both "sick", please make sure that it isn't when both of your brothers are napping. Also, when you come home because of a stomachache the first thing that comes out of your mouth should not be, "when we get home, can I have some ice cream?" In addition, if you really want people to think you are sick moaning, groaning and laying around are in order. Wrestling, fighting, eating two waffles and generally acting like a wild man with ADHD on PCP are not the best ways to get sympathy. And, yes, you are going to school tomorrow.

Love,

Mom






Dear Luke,

You are more than welcome to jump on Mommy's back when she is laying on the floor and pretend to go for a ride. You are only two so it is understandable that you get your animals mixed up. However, until you learn that people ride horses, not cows, your riding days are over. Also, if you disagree with Mommy when she tells you that it is a horse you are riding and not a cow, choose any other animal to correct her except for the one you chose: elephant.

We will be doing a lot of work on recognizing animals over the next little while.

Thank you,

Mommy

Go ahead, call me Scrooge

I love holidays. They give me something for which to look forward. I love them all. For years, I've had this "thing" about when it is the proper time to begin celebrating Christmas. I have always begun my all-things-merry jubilee on December 1st. However, last year, I felt forced by the uber-early-celebrations all around me to begin my personal celebrating the day after Thanksgiving. And, honestly, I wasn't that upset about it. This year, however, I have to take a stand.

I don't know if it is the city I live in or the entire state of Michigan for that matter, but I kid-you-not when I say that there are at least two radio stations that began round the clock Christmas music the day after Halloween! This is just down right annoying to me. You may call me Scrooge or this crazy guy,



if you must, but this early celebrating is out of control.


You should know that I LOVE Christmastime. I love everything about it, except the cold and the ultra materialism. I will listen to the good old Christmas tunes (and I will love every minute of it) from the day after Thanksgiving to the January 1st. I will drive around to look at the lights and decorate my home and do all things Navidad. Since we moved 18 months ago, Christmastime is even more special because it is the one time of the year that I know we will be with our family and our lifelong Maryland friends. (And, really, what better place to be at Christmastime than "Merry"land. I know, I'm hilarious.) Of course, I love celebrating the birth of my Savior, as well.

On the other hand, there is just something about dragging out a holiday that takes away from the specialness of said holiday. Imagine if there were fireworks every day. How unique would the Fourth of July be? And, not to mention how this early celebrating takes away from the other holidays. I mean, really, what's wrong with Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday and I think it is overlooked. It is squished right in between two more "fun" holidays. It isn't full of candy or costumes or cookies or gifts. It is about food and friends and being thankful, what can be wrong with these? And so, I will put up my orange and brown Thanksgiving decorations and enjoy the fact that I have so much for which to be thankful. I will hum Jason Mraz or U2 or even Pink songs and TRY not to acknowledge the fact that I am hearing premature jingle bells all around me. Yes, you can call me Scrooge or the Grinch, I call myself grateful.

Four Words: Ri Dic U Lous

I am the first person to be leery about vaccinations. I am pretty sure I am in the minority because not one person commented on this vaccination post that I wrote way back. I just don't think shooting a kid up with 5 or more vaccines at one time is the way to go. I never let my kids get more than two at a time and even then I research to find out how the preservatives in each shot might interact with each other. Some may call me a freak but I have known that about myself for quite sometime now.

Anyway, we always get a flu shots. So, I have known for quite a while that I wanted our family to get the H1N1 vaccine. Jackson has asthma and Grant is too young for the vaccine so I was HIGHLY encouraged by my OB to get everyone vaccinated. The problem? I can only conclude that it is the Michigan government or the doctors here. Apparently, most of the doctors in the area did not order the vaccine. My pediatrician said that she wasn't all that worried and that her patients would have to find another place to get it if they wanted it. My OB's office is still waiting for vaccines that they did order. There is, apparently, a shortage. However, the local health departments seem to have an unlimited supply of the stuff.

A couple of weeks ago, Barrington decided to go in late to work to stand in line with me and the three kiddos. We pulled up to the place 30 minutes before the clinic started. The rain was POURING. We parked in the grass and, after bundling everyone up, we made our way to the line. After a quick investigation, we decided that we were not going to stay in a line of which we couldn't even see the end. It was crazy. So I figured that we just wouldn't get vaccinated. But, over the next week the thought kept nagging at me that we needed to get the shots. (Call it the Spirit or call it my hyper health anxiety, either way I was going to listen.)

So, Thursday, Barrington came home early and we took Jackson out of school. This location was at the Palace. This is the stadium where the Pistons play. It is large. It is the home of a NBA team. They decided to move it there so that people could stand in line indoors instead of outside. This is what we found:



Yes, there was a line outside. This was because the line was too long inside. It went around the entire arena and then flowed outside. Is it just me or is this out of control? The woman in front of me had twin 2 month old babies that she and her husband held the entire 4 HOUR wait. The older people in wheelchairs waited without a word of complaint. The children were amazingly patient, even my own. I have to say that I didn't come across one person who had a nasty attitude. The workers and the people waiting in line were nice and helpful. The Salvation Army was there giving out free hot chocolate and water. And the time really didn't seem as long as it was. I was shocked that we were there for so long when we got into the car and saw the time.

What I don't understand is that I have heard of people in other states having no problems getting the vaccine from their doctors offices. My father's doctor in Maryland called him and asked him if he would like to come in and get a shot. THEY CALLED HIM!!! And yet week after week there are thousands of people here waiting in line for shots. And to think, we get to do it all again in 28 days because the boys need two shots to be fully protected.

Have you been vaccinated? If so, what was your experience like?

Fall Festivities

Yes, I'm still alive. I have missed blogging, but I just can't seem to find the time. (Well, time is not really the issue. The issue is energy. I'm forgoing a shower tonight to blog and it's probably not the wisest choice I've ever made.) These days I find myself blogging in my head. I've posted many times since July. The problem is that I've created these posts in my mind while I am bouncing a baby or sweeping crumbs off the floor for the 50th time or out walking. The posts never quite make it to the computer screen. I am hopeful, though, that they will soon. I guess it isn't so bad that I am living life rather than typing. That's how I will rationalize it to myself, at least.

I thought a good place to start would be a quick rundown of all of the autumn festivities that have taken place. When a fellow blogger wrote about her excitement about summers end and autumns start before Labor Day, I thought I would cry. I love the hot air. (Well, it really couldn't be considered hot this year, but it was warm.) I love wearing flip flops everyday and knowing that days will be filled with soaking up sun at the park or taking the kids on walks. I HATE being cold and everything that comes along with it. I thought I would be sick when I saw the first patch of yellow leaves on a tree near our home in September. (Fall starts WAY too early out here.) However, we are in the thick of Fall and I have found myself enjoying much of it.

For the last little while I have been on an orange kick. I am LOVING the color. I want to decorate my house with it and even wear it. I'm not talking about construction cone orange but, well, this:



This is the tree right in front of our house. For about a week it changed nearly daily to different shades of a glorious sunset. I can't get enough of the colors of the fall. These are the trees that I got to see as I entered our neighborhood for weeks.


Don't they just wake you up a bit and make your heart happy? I also love the way the leaves look after they have fallen down and are scattered on the sidewalk (before they turn brown). I've so missed the spring in Maryland when the trees blossom and make me feel like I am walking through a tunnel of flowers. Then the petals fall to the ground like snow. The leaves this year made me feel quite the same way. We had some days when the weather warmed up. I strapped Grant onto me and headed out for some leaf raking. I reveled in watching Luke play in the leaves. He was so very excited to run through and throw them. I hope I will always remember the way he pretended to be swimming through them, so sweet. Afterward, the babies and I had a little photo shoot. Luke was thrilled to get to hold Grant.






We had two sets of last minute visitors. My sister, Kim, and her little girl, Anna, came all the way from England to stay with us for a fun filled week. It was SO wonderful to have Kimmy back around and to get to know Anna better. We watch her on the computer all the time but it just isn't the same. The boys had a blast with their only first cousin. (This was so much fun that it will have to have it's own post...one of these days.)



My awesome father came out to bring us gifts and visit for a while. It was so fun to have him here. The weather was wonderful and Luke is still looking for Pop Pop to play with him.




(Jackson was at school when we realized that we hadn't taken pictures right before Dad had to get on the plane.) Having family here is probably the biggest reason that I am seeing things through rose colored glasses lately.

And, of course, there was Halloween. I love dressing up the kids. (Especially when they are young enough for me to choose their costumes.) This year Jackson decided to go as Batman, while Luke got to be Frankenstein and Grant was a little puppy for his very first Halloween. We were blessed enough to have friends to trick or treat with which made the experience so much more fun for all of us.



I was so thrilled to find the doggy costume that Jackson wore when he was a baby. I couldn't find it for Luke's first Halloween. I just think it is the cutest costume ever. (And the baby is pretty cute too.)



This is the first year that Jackson was able to carve his own pumpkin. He was very proud of himself. (That's his Batman mask on his head, not a du-rag. We don't roll like that yet, hopefully never.)



And now most of the leaves have fallen and even been bagged and taken away. Winter is on it's way. I'm going to try to keep a positive attitude about it. Maybe it will turn out to be just as nice as the Autumn has been.