My Happiness Project

WARNING - SUPER LONG POST! This will be broken down into shorter posts at a later date.  I needed to put this all out here so I had it to refer back to!  For now, you might just want to read February and then worry about the rest later - unless your looking to create your own Happiness Project - then you can use this to get ideas.  I apologize for the length - it will not always be this way!  At the beginning of each month, I will re-post just that month to save us all a major amount of time!

If you read my previous post, you'll know what this is all about.  If not, go HERE and you'll see what I'm talking about!!

This is a rough draft subject to change!  This is what I've come up with so far. 

February - In honor of Valentines Day - I'll use what Gretchen uses and call this month Remember Love/ Marriage. 

Week 1 - Think before you speak when you are upset or annoyed.  Don't just say what comes to your mind.  Trust me - this one will be a challenge for me!
Week 2 - Praise your man every day.  This is already a work in progress - so continue on!
Week 3 - Continue Monday night dates.
Week 4 - Become the servant instead of always being the one served.

March - Boost Energy (Lord knows this is an area in need of massive improvement)

Week 1 - Exercise 3 days a week / 30 minutes per day
Week 2 - Say YES to physical activity.  I can't tell you how many times a day my son wants to play some crazy game that involves punching/hitting/kicking/wrestling/throwing/tackling/pain.  I try to get out of this as often as possible.  No more.  It's time to suck it up and say yes.
Week 3 - Eat a clean breakfast.  Small steps here people, small steps!
Week 4 - Take a multivitamin daily.  Actually - how about just take my meds consistently??  I am SOOO bad at this!!  Take my meds AND take a good multivitamin every day!

April - Contemplate Jesus (this may actually be something I'm already doing or will do sooner - but this is the month we'll really focus on it with no distractions)

Week 1 - Read the bible every day - no exceptions
Week 2 - Purchase or get from the library a new devotional book and use it
Week 3 - Everyday learn a new worship song
Week 4 - Purchase or get from the library a couples devotional and start using it together.  Pray together.

May - In honor of Mother's Day - Lighten Up/ Parenting Month

Week 1 - Play when asked.  Games, basketball - whatever - but play.  I know this is stupid - but I did not grow up "playing'.  Playing has been and will always be a difficult concept for me.  Sometimes I'm just plain inept in this way.  I need to learn to play.  Even at 17 and 14, they need me to play.
Week 2 - STOP whatever you are doing - reading - on the computer - cleaning - cooking - whatever - and listen.  Really listen.  Respond.  Let them see you are listening.
Week 3 - Think before you speak harshly.  When they make you crazy - don't react.  Stop.  Shut up.  Listen.  Try to figure out what's REALLY going on.  Then respond without being harsh.  Firm, not harsh.
Week 4 - Shamelessly stolen from the book - Be a treasure house of happy memories.

June - School ends this month which means the house goes to trash. Well, not this time.  June, we're gonna focus on the house.

Week 1 - No piles of laundry.  Keep. up. with. the. devil. laundry.
Week 1.5 - Plant flowers.
Week 2 - Buy or make something beautiful for our home. 
Week 3 - Make it smell wonderful.  Nothing better than a beautiful smelling home!
Week 4 - Clean the sink before you go to bed.

July - SUMMER!  YEE HAW!!  In honor of summer - July is dedicated to:  Be serious about play!

Week 1 - Complete a crafty craft.  Something fun.  Include the kids.  Make it messy, but make it fun! 
Week 2 - Be silly!  Much like not growing up playing - I also did not grow up being silly.  Learn to be SILLY!!  Any suggestions??  This is one I'm gonna have to research!
Week 3 - What do you find fun?  Figure it out.  What tickles your fancy and makes you feel like a kid at Christmas in anticipation of doing it?  Find it - and do it!
Week 4 - Ride a roller coaster.  Yikes.  Did I just say that??  I hate them.  But, in honor of my daughter leaving for school in one month - I will. ride. a. coaster.  of my choosing - but bigger than the iron dragon!

August - Start of soccer season.  Stressful time for me.  Also the time when I will drop my first born child off at college.  So this month - I'm going to focus on pursuing a passion.  Something I love.  Something to distract me from 2 very difficult things.

Week 1 - Keep playing my clarinet!  Instead of wanting to punch a wall in frustration or cry all the way home from Minneapolis - dive into the clarinet.  Play it until your lip bleeds and you've thrown all those emotions into it like the old days.
Week 2 - Write, write, and write some more.  Put some more time into writing that book.  It's long over-due.
Week 3 - Take pictures.  Find beautiful places, beautiful people and take a lot of pictures.  Find the peace and photograph it.
Week 4 - Sign up for a digital photography class.

September - Kids back in school means time to focus on Friendship!!  Plus, in the heat of soccer season and my first born being off at school - I'm going to need some shoulders to cry on, some women to hold me up and some laughter.  

Week 1 - Make 3 new friends.  Get outside of your comfort zone.  And at least one of them has to be in person and not through the Internet.
Week 2 - Remember birthdays - get them written down and start making some cards.
Week 3 - Find some women to hang out with regularly.  Bible study, book club, bunco.  Anything.  Start it yourself if you have to.  Surround yourself with women who love you, your family, your babies and who lift you up and love you just where you are.  Loyal friends.  Friends who laugh.  Friends I can call in the middle of the night.
Week 4 - Invite the new friends over!  Dinner, above group - whatever - just have them over!

October - Keep a contended heart.  Again - pulling myself through a stressful time!

Week 1 - Laugh out loud.  A lot.
Week 2 - Let it go.  Just let it go.  "It" meaning anything and everything that happens to stress you out.
Week 3 - Create a place of refuge.  On the deck, in the yard, in the house.  Create it.  Put beautiful music there, peaceful surroundings, a place to go. Create it and go there.  Put your bible, your journal, your headphones.   A place to go where you can get away.
Week 4 -  Stolen again from the happiness project.  Act the way I want to feel.  If I want to be happy - act happy.  If I want to be content - act content.  If I want to be peaceful, act peaceful.  If I want to be emptied of stress - empty myself of stress. Act the way I want to feel.

November - Learn to be Grateful.  In honor of Thanksgiving.

Week 1- create a Thanksgiving jar.  Every day write something your grateful for and put it in the jar.
Week 2 - Find someone in worse shape than you - sit and listen, go and help.  Realize how much you have to be grateful for.
Week 3 - Write a letter to the following people to tell them how grateful I am for them:  Marty, Elyse, Jon, My brother & sister, My Mom & Step-Dad, My in-laws, My nieces and nephews and maybe more.
Week 4 - Reflect - read what you have written, reflect on what you have seen.

December - Do it all.  Reflect.  Are you happier?  Is happiness something you can, in fact, work on?

I'm working on creating a button and a link up type of thing if you want to join in.  Give me a few days to figure that out, and then I'll put up a link party and you can jump in!!