We get that being happy is sometimes the LAST thing you want to do when the kids just ruined your fave blouse, but we still think there are plenty of reasons to grin it out…
It’s International Day of Happiness today (20 March) here in Singapore (and throughout the rest of the world), and thankfully, we think we have plenty to be cheerful about! Yep, we’ve all had our mum moments where the smiles are temporarily turned upside down in the face of underwhelming (otherwise known as naughty) behaviour from our obnoxious wonderful kids, but ultimately the little cherubs have us pulling way more grins than frowns. (And if all else fails, there’s always coffee and/or wine). Here’s why we are feeling happy on International Day of Happiness (and beyond!)…
Find your inner happiness: it IS there
We get it: sometimes it feels like there’s not a huge amount to smile about when the kids are tearing strips off one another, juggling motherhood and your career is proving, erm, difficult, and no one has clean pants to wear to school the next day. It’s these times when even a box of your favourite cupcakes isn’t going to result in so much as a slight smirk. Stop, take a deep breath, indulge in a mum time-out and take stock of all the little moments of pure happiness in life that add up to a great big belly laugh.
Yes, keeping your cool with your awkward teen is a struggle, but take them on an ice cream date followed by a fun session at an escape room and, voila. Smiles. No, you didn’t make glitter playdough so that your toddler could feed it to the dog, but smile: it was edible anyway. Finding a smile in even the stickiest, ickiest situation by deflecting with a wild storytelling session, an impromptu trip to your nearest water playground, or even just a giant mug of mum coffee IS possible.
10 things that make us happy
1. Date night!
Going on a date night with our partner makes us smile. Wearing a nice dress with zero child-related stains and a glass or two of vino helps too.
2. Chatty taxi drivers
Finding a friendly taxi uncle or aunty who not only likes a bit of banter but also helps load and unload 85 shopping bags, three kids, and a stroller the size of a tank from the car is always cause for a happy moment.
3. Hitting up a park!
Heading to one of Singapore’s fabulous parks complete with a delicious picnic is a family-pleaser all round. And if the family is happy, we’re definitely happy.
4. PARTY TIME!
Birthday parties make us happy: especially when we nail the perfect cake, the party entertainer turns up on the right day, the homemade favour bags are spot on, and the celebrations go off with a bang. Oh, and smash cakes for first birthdays are a definite crowd-pleaser!
5. Affordable activities
Getting to the end of the month before payday rolls around and discovering a fun-packed affordable activity for the weekend is definitely a relieved kinda happy situation. Check all these cool affordable reccos for the whole fam-bam on our podcast episode too!
6. Restaurants where kids eat free!
Pitching up to a restaurant that not only gets child-friendly dining, but also serves up kids eat free deals is one of the happiest happies of all.
7. TRAVEL
Going on holiday. Happy Central.
8. Cute critters
Our hounds, kitties and even small pets make us happy. They’re excellent listeners. Plus, they don’t throw things at us or complain that their milk is too milky. Reward their paw-someness with a family outing to a pet-friendly cafe, park or even a cruise!
9. Picking up a new skill
Trying new things perks us right up. There’s nothing like picking up a cool new skill at a workshop for adults to bring a ray of sunshine to our lives.
10. Our kiddos’ smiles!
Our children’s happiness. Their giggles and love are the sources of the smiliest smiles of all.
Happy International Day of Happiness! Now start dancing to a spot of Pharrell to reallllly get the happies flowing.