A couple of week’s ago I told you that my word for 2016 was Happy and that my plan was to do things that make me happy and try not to do things that don’t make me happy. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
But my focus on being happy isn’t just limited to what I do or don’t do – it’s also about appreciating the smaller things in life that aren’t really a big deal to anyone other than me because these small things add up to make my life a happy one. I thought I might get into the habit of sharing a few of them with you every month….
- I love how happy Master Frugal is at school – he’s such a kind hearted boy and I know his teachers always tell me that everyone likes him and that he really is popular among his friends but I’ve never seen it for myself as much as I have this week. I dropped him off at school (which I don’t normally do as he walks most days) and there was a big group of the boys in his class outside the gates waiting for him. One of them looked up and grinned when he saw him and shouted him and then the others followed suit. They all ran to meet him and within seconds he was in the middle of the group and they were all high fiving and happily chattering away. I watched as they walked into school together and I did get a bit of a lump in my throat – such a small moment but my favourite of the week I think.
- Miss Frugal has always been popular with her schoolmates but since moving up to secondary school she’s a changed girl. She’s still shy around strangers but she has so much more confidence than she used to have and has so many friends that I can’t keep track. She used to be quite sporty and would regularly go for a run and to the gym each week but since turning 13, her interest in sport is almost non-existent! She made me proud this week though by offering to come running with me so I wasn’t doing it on my own and although I declined her offer (for now I’m happy on my own with my headphones) I’m really pleased that she put me first.
- I lost 2lb this week at Slimming World which made me very happy! I have a holiday with Miss Frugal to look forward to and I think that’s the best motivation I could have to be honest although the holiday’s at the end of April so I won’t be anywhere near what I want to be by that time. I’ll be a lot closer though – 2lb a week will add up to 28lbs which would be brilliant.
- I love that I’m treating myself to a new pair of trainers today for running – I’ve had my old ones for years and they’re still in great condition as they’ve been worn so little but they were chosen (by me) more for the fact that they were looked good and were pink and they’re not the most comfortable for running in as they’re quite heavy and bulky for trainers. I didn’t want to buy new ones until I’d done enough runs to know I was going to stick to it though so I left it until today.
- I’m happy I’ve managed to stick to this week’s meal plan which has sometimes meant cooking more than one meal as not everyone likes my Slimming World choices. I am managing to make most meals Slimming World friendly but I’m not a master at it yet so sometimes I have something different.
- I’ve decided to make myself a photo wall in the hall and I’ve spent a lovely few hours going through photographs choosing my favourites. I’m in two minds about whether to make all the photos black and white in black frames which I think will look good against the white walls but I do like the colour versions too. What do you think?
- The smell of tea cooking in the slow cooker makes me smile as it’s a concoction that’s been made using normal mince but bulked out with Quorn mince which was on offer. My family swear they don’t like Quorn mince but they eat it regularly without realising! BTW, I referred to it as a concoction as I have no idea what the resulting meal will be like as I was going for a BBQ/tomatoey type flavour but ended up throwing all sorts in. Which brings me to the next thing that’s made me happy this week….
- I seem to have suddenly found my cooking mojo again – this week I’ve cooked curry, soup, healthy fried chicken, meatballs as well as what’s in the slow cooker right now.
What’s made you happy lately?
Don’t miss out on future posts like this – receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe. You can also find me on BlogLovin, Yummly and Networked Blogs and I’d love to see you over on my Facebook page and on Instagram.
Image credit: Shutterstock, Angie Makes
