Simple Joy

This year I have been in a self reflection mode. Making sure I slow down ..take time for things that make happy...do things that are good for the soul. And I have realized some things...

I am an ordinary girl...an ordinary mom. I am finding happy in the simple..And I am okay with that. Let me explain...

Sometimes I feel in rush..or things get really noisy in my head. So many opinions...so many things to worry about.. futures to think about, decisions to make. I'm a highly sensitive person and sometimes it all becomes too much. And all of that with the chaos that is four young kids, it was causing stress. 

So in my self reflection I realized that the slower more simpler things in life are what bring me the most peace and happiness... 

I don't need to wear fancy clothes.. name brand things.. and in my current stage of life I chose comfort...mom bun and simplicity. There are some moms that love clothes and shopping and taking time for fancy hair and high heeled shoes. And if that makes them feel good and confident then more power to them. Give me some converse or flats and I'm good.

I don't like the fancy clubs or restaurants. On date nights I'd rather be sitting outside at our favorite local bar listening to local music. I am not a foodie.. I like what I like and if that means sitting in the same tex mex restaurant with our favorite chips and salsa every week then so be it. 

I try to look at things from my kids perspective more often. For example, the other night there were so many lightening bugs in the yard. I have never seen so many that active at once. It was awesome, and hearing the squeals from the boys made it even better. Or bubbles.. bubbles just make the kids happy. So instead of sitting there blowing them over and over...we got one of those mini bubble machine and they run around in happy circles chasing them. I can watch them all day do little things like that.

sorry for the super grainy photo but do you see that tiny speck of a lightening bug to the left

Speaking of my kids... there is that simple fact. I have four of them. Some think that is a lot. Too many. But each one of them were planned for...prayed for. I never imagined I'd have that many. But once I became a mother I knew that is what I was made for, so we wanted to keep going. Some people do not feel fulfilled "just being a mom". But I do. Whatever career I have in the future will always take a back seat to my kids. That doesn't make me a better mom than someone who has a career outside of the home. It is simply about what makes each individual woman happy and content. 

Give me all the books... books for myself...books for the kids.. they make me happy and I absolutely love getting lost in one even if it means reading into then night while the kids are sleeping.

Travel is important to me. I want to see all the places. But see I am not all about foreign travel or exotic places. Maybe one day I will want to see those places. But there are so many stateside places I want to see. Monuments.. state parks...different beaches..different places in the mountains...That along with the fact that I am not a huge fan of long plane rides makes local travel much more appealing. I want to see our country inside and out with my hubby and my kids...that idea just brings me so much excitement. 

Some girls do not like sports... Some girls pretend to like sports for the sake of their significant other...I'm not either. I love sports..Watching my sons play excites me. We plan our Sundays around football during football season. If we have the money, we like to attend as many live events as possible. I was like that before my husband but it is something we conveniently have in common. 

Makeup...I'm not about makeup. Some women love it... the contouring..the fancy eye makeup...the bright lipsticks.. and many women pull it off so well and have real talent when it comes to applying it. And of course its not to say that I don't need it. I do wear some but prefer it very simple. I remember feeling so uncomfortable when I had my makeup professionally done for my wedding. 

Pictures! I have a mild obsession with them. I always have. Even before social media, it was an obsession. I scrapbooked and just always had a camera with me (phones didn't have cameras back then). Pictures just bring me such simple joy.

Music! My music tastes have varied over the years. But I can get lost in a song so easily. I can find peace in a song. My bad mood can change with a song. Music calms me and again something simple that brings me joy. Concerts and live music? We are all about that.  The other day all the boys were kind of crabby and I knew we needed a change of scenery. So we hopped in the car for a drive. I put some music on and in just a few minutes everyone was singing along and jamming. It was one of my favorite moments of the day.

So I say all of this..not to defend my stance on any thing mentioned. It is to say that in my self reflection I have taken pleasure finding what makes me happy..comfortable..content. I encourage others to find the same. I hate wasted time. And its wasted time to not be doing or enjoying things that are good for your soul. I'm simple and ordinary and even on hard days..I love my imperfect life.