How to → Be happy :-)

The top how to search on Google is How to be happy, so here is my take in no particular order...

♥ Be positive - See the best in everything. Live by the mantra 'Everything happens for a reason.' Find the positive reason.

♥ Do something new everyday - Even if it's just taking a different route home or reading a different magazine to your normal one. We tend to live our lives in a lull, in robot mode not thinking. Shake it up a bit.

♥ Learn something new everyday - What's the Finnish word for sunshine? Ask yourself a question you don't know and search for the answer.

♥ Do something just for you everyday- Take a long hot soak, paint your nails, have a glass of your favourite wine, enjoy being you.

♥ Be in the moment - For a moment. Turn off the tv, sit in a quiet room, close your eyes and just listen. Life rushes by and we are either thinking about the past or future, rarely what's going on around us now. Don't let your mind wonder, pull it back and listen to the birds, the leaves on the trees, just be.

♥ Speak to at least one friend or family member everyday - Keep in touch with your loved ones, they are special, so make sure you appreciate them.

♥ Be thankful - Think about all of the good things you have in your life. No matter how bad your day was, there is usually someone in the world worse off than you are.

♥ Be compassionate- Have a clear out and take it down the charity shop if it's still good quality. Or sign up to volunteer, help others just by being you.

♥ Keep a journal - Write down your favourite memories, holidays, moments, funny stories, maybe call who you were with to reminisce.

♥ Champagne bubbles diary - I started doing this after it was suggested at a mindfulness course. At the end of the day just before you go to sleep, write down 3 positive things you have done for example, 1. Resolved an issue at work. 2. Started a new book. 3. Cooked a new recipe. 

♥ Smile more - Walk down the street and just smile to yourself, often when I do this I feel a bit silly, but that makes me smile more!

DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY! XXX

My minions!

Going to get some material and have a bash at making a cushion next!

Homemade scotch eggs

Homemade scotch eggs for dinner, mmm! From Lorraine Pascale's recipie book 'Home cooking made easy.' If you want the recipie let me know, they are delish!

I may make mistakes, but I get there eventually!

Take this pasta for example.... not cooked spaghetti before and it burnt as it was hanging over the edge of the pan. Oooopppss!

We had a lovely day today, we went to the giant sand pit in town and played and listened to Dave Benson Phillips singing and playing the guitar. I am hoping to interview him for this blog and my Facebook page, probably won't come off but if it does, it will be amazing!

We also went to picnic in the park in Tarring. It was so good to see so many people in one place enjoying the fun and games.

Well I'm off to bug people for interviews and watch some random tv for research for articles. I am currently watching extreme couponing and a woman spent $776.52 then with coupons she only had to pay $19.20, thats a 97% saving! I am going to research couponing on this side of the pond. Maybe we could take a leaf (or coupon) out of their book!

Make for free - Scrapbook

Easy and simple. Perfect to fill in on a rainy day. Decorate, add photos, fill with memories. I have put in things I like, whats happened in the world, favourite music, movies to watch and a wish list of holidays, hot tubs, things to do when she's older.

Finger fun

The most fun I have had with minimal mess. Just need some ink pads, paper and away you go! See how many animals you can make, my next challenge is a butterfly

Beer bread

Mmm lovely easy peasy beer bread. The quickest bread I have ever made. Recipe on my Facebook page Worthing yummy's.

I hope my balls don't drop.

Getting really busy at the moment, started a new page on Facebook which I am making a sort of online magazine. I have shelved the idea of printing one as I don't really have the money at the moment to put into making a really great magazine. There is a lot to juggle at the moment and I am so happy with where I am now, I feel like a new woman! I'm writing more, looking into writing children's novels, finishing my adult novel, blogging, Facebooking and researching new projects all of the time. I have signed up to do another abseil next year down the Spinniker Tower in Portsmouth, I am trying new things like art classes, I am going to try the meditation class, crochet classes, you name it, I have my name down for it. I also feel better since I have thrown my vitamins away, I read an article in the paper about them http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2376893/Multivitamin-studies-supplements-harm-good.html it's basically about them doing more harm than good. It made me realise that I am putting things into my body and I'm not sure what they are and why. So it has prompted me to be a bit healthier, I have eaten at least one piece of fruit today! Oh and eaten 4 chocolate biscuits, I guess I will have to work on that balance. I have been cycling a lot though and I am determined to cycle to Brighton from Worthing next weekend. I am also looking at doing a charity bike ride next year from Brighton to Paris, so I better get my butt moving and training! I haven't forgotten my quest to make myself smarter so my thing from yesterday is... The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing. So it's useful being a lefty then And todays sentence of wisdom.... No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple. Not useful for poetry then, maybe we should make up new words that rhyme with them? Probably not going to make me that much smarter, but I bet they will come up in a pub quiz one day!

A tampon box is holding my new best friend

After vigorous over plucking as a teen, my eyebrows are now thin pathetic little lines. I was considering getting them tattooed on but I have found my new best friend.....ta dah to the eyebrow pencil. Many of you may think er they have been around forever, but I am a bit slow on the up take. I can now see my brows in photos and in the mirror at a distance. I feel like they have been born again! I'm so happy!...Right off to get a life now, I have a tampon box full of make up to decorate. (It's empty of tampons and has proved to be a very useful lil box.)

Valuable lesson for the day

If you have an appointment with someone (a removal company for example) don't wait for half an hour to contact them to check if they are still coming. If they have not arrived after ten minutes call them, otherwise you may be stuck outside laying on half a sofa, contemplating how weird it would look to lay down on a bed which is waiting to be moved, in the front garden with a main road. I'm just praying it doesn't rain.

I have just seen a rainbow,  so its not all bad.

Can I make myself smarter?

I'm getting very frustrated watching countdown and only being able to make words up with 5 letters or less (Mostly less are 2 letters allowed?) Well technically it's 8 out of 10 cat's does Countdown, but even they well, the one in the cardigan is getting 7's and 8's! I am so jealous! So I am pondering the question 'Can I make myself smarter?' I will point out that in the ad breaks I am reading 'Being Jordan' by Katie Price, I can't find a dictionary. I did get the conundrum at the end of Countdown once, it was the highlight of my year when I was about 12, hell it's a highlight of my life. I can't remember what it was, I think it was detective but I'm not so sure.   

So starting tomorrow I'm going to learn something new everyday and document it for a week, i would do longer but like everything on here i start something and never finish it. I'm hoping with a short end date i will stick to it! 

I had every parents worst nightmare on Saturday when I lost Scarlett's Mickey mouse stuffed toy. Well actually she abandoned it in the toilet, I will have to tell her that is not acceptable parenting, no matter how much our children annoy us, we do have to take them home with us. As you can see by the picture we are making use of our new bike, I am thoroughly enjoying riding at the moment although I am sure the novelty will ware off! But seeing as I can't afford the gym and being back at home with access to food 24/7, it will be the only thing to keep the fat at bay. Well on that note I have an early morning bike ride to drop Scarlett off to her other Grandma's at 9am so best get to beddy bye's. Also I am writing an article on Debt distress for my Worthing Yummy's Facebook page which I have created as a sort of online magazine. Only been up a day so tomorrow I will be putting it out there to the world. Cream cracker knackered. x

Psyco cats tv show

Just watching a programme called 'my cat from hell' on animal planet. It's brilliant, cats hissing, biting and scratching their owners. It's psycho in kitty form.
A big bald bearded tattooed guy who is an animal behavioural goes to owners houses to calm the cats. He also has guitar case with him all the time for some reason (the man not the cat) I'm watching an episode with a huge cat called Mr Fluff, even I'm scared of this cat and it's on tv. Oh the guitar case has toys in it, ok...

Just a quickie

Poor boo  boo isn't very well, think she's worn out after our canal boat trip today and exciting bike ride.
We saw Rosie and Jim from the tv show years ago, will have to show Scarlett some episodes even though they freak me out a bit.

Picked up our bike this morning,  it's read and Scarlett has her own seat on the back. We went out this afternoon and I had forgotten how much I love riding.

Talking of riding (ahem, just your mind) we cycled up to the riding stables and I have enquired about horse riding again and about gettibg Scarlett started. I rode years ago for years, I grew out of it then went on my friends horse in high school....big mistake. She threw me off and I lost my confidence, but I think I'm ready to get back in the saddle again. I will have to sacrifice learning how to drive but I think this will be more worthwhile.  Stop me from putting on weight anyway.

Well I hope baby muffin feels better tomorrow, I have a busy day planned! No time for illness (can't stand ill people-but obv its different with my baby anyone else....don't come to me GOI- get over it)

TTFN

Sort your life out love

To do list * Have a hot stone massage * Have a facial * Start driving again AUTOMATIC (I cannot drive a manual- fact) * Fill in Scarlett's memory diary/ scrapbook * Get bike with child seat on the back (Paid deposit, pick it up tomorrow) * Cycle to Brighton * Get a kite * Get a job (Check start full time in a couple of weeks) * Book Butlins for Xmas break * Keep blog updated! (should be at the top!) * Finish Novel Blackmail and Betrayal * See Woman in Black on stage * Go to Tower of London * Organise a charity event * Get a hair cut (Getting it today) * Go to Saturday morning pictures with Scarlett more * Lose weight (Because that's on everyone's to do list)

Bit the bullett- Yellow brick road

This is not a decision which I have taken lightly, giving up my freedom, the life that I have know for 6 years to move back in with my parents. It was either this or have a nervous breakdown, but I have to say that Scarlett and I have adapted surprising well. She is happier than ever with me not shouting at her and I am less stressed and believe it or not more tidy (Well I couldn't be less tidy!) I have even cooked, dusted, hovered and I have been back less than two weeks. Obviously things are different from when I was 18, I have a lot more respect for my parents and everything they do and have done for me. Truth is being a single parent is not as easy as I thought it was. I had my head in the sand and pretended that everything was ok, when in reality everything was falling apart. luckily I recognised what I was feeling was not right and turned to my parents. I am incredibly lucky that I can come back and they will help me with whatever I need, I know not everyone is so fortunate. Going from 2 adults and one child to one adult and one child doesn't sound like a big adjustment but to suddenly have all of the responsibility is a big take on. It's been nearly a year since I became a single Mum again and I realised that I haven't dealt with everything from all of those months ago, emotionally or financially. So it's finally time to let go of the past and look to the future, I am going to get back on track and start paving my own yellow brick road. I thought 2013 would be my year, but I have realised life is about taking things one day at a time.