Bath+Book+Wine=Happy Mama

Every once in a while, I'm trying to post interviews with amazing and insightful people who inspire me! This week's focus is Dianne.

Dianne is a friend of mine who I met working in early intervention in Georgia. She is a social worker, and works to help families with disabilities learn ways to support their children's growth and development. She is also an organizational guru, and writes the Clutter Free Journey blog about how to declutter your home and life. She has a gift for helping people grow and make progress in their life. Most recently, she's inspired a big change in my home via her "10-item-per-day Clutter Challenge". Oh, and on top of all that, she's a mom to 3 boys! Here are her answers to my happiness questions:

1. What's something small that you do regularly that makes you happy or cheers you up?

1. A long, hot bath with a good book and a glass of wine!
2. Being creative, ie: sewing, decorating, refinishing furniture, painting, blogging
3. Reading, I have at least 4 books at a time, that I am reading at most times
4. Talking to and spending time with friends
5. Meditating. I really notice a difference when I practice regularly. It helps me see things in a different light and keeps it all in perspective.

2. What would you like for your children to know about happiness?

Their attitude is the most important indicator of their happiness and that other people will bring joy to your life but are not responsible to make you happy. Happiness is in the simplest things, that you need to be aware of while they are happening and not miss them.

3. What do you do to keep yourself and your family happy amidst life's struggles?

Keep the faith and find happiness in the simplest of things, appreciating what we do have.



I agree with Dianne that a good bath is soo nice! And being creative regularly really does boost my happiness, too.



What simple things do you appreciate about today?

My Superpower: Red Ballet Flats

Even I don't wake up looking like Cindy Crawford.
--Cindy Crawford

Today I wore my cute red ballet flats to work. There’s something magical about those shoes. I feel so together when I wear them. Invincible even.


One of my coworkers today wore an amazing necklace with bright stones. When I complimented her on it, she said that she wore it today because she knew it was going to be a stressful day at work, so she wanted to wear a little comfort item that brings her joy. I really liked that way of thinking.

So maybe my adage of “look good, feel good,” is only partly true. Maybe it’s also that certain things you love to wear bring you cheer, or confidence, or comfort. My red shoes give me the feeling of being professional, confident, and still a bit fun.

Isn’t that why people keep mementos? They remind you of a happy time, or of someone you love, or bring back a feeling you once had. Maybe it should be that way with clothes, too.

I’ve been trying to declutter my closet, and I’ve been really strict with myself that I only keep clothes that I absolutely love. Knowing how the way I dress (and look) affects my happiness level has given me the courage to get rid of items that seem sensible but that I don’t really love like crazy. If I think to myself, “If I wear those pants that don’t fit just exactly right, it will make me feel less confident all day,” it helps me let the pants go to my goodwill bin without feeling guilty that I’m getting rid of perfectly good pants. My friend, Dianne, of the Clutter Free Journey, says we should only keep what we love, and “blow the rest away with a breath of kindness.”

I’m definitely keeping the red shoes.


What item in your wardrobe makes you feel more confident?

Clean up, Clean up, Everybody, Everywhere

Does this ever happen to you?

Since I went out of town for a few days, things have gotten a little out of hand. I fell behind on the laundry. I still haven’t unpacked my bag (from about a week ago!). I have stacks of pictures that I printed through snapfish but haven’t mailed to people like I’ve been meaning to. Junk mail stacks were piling up. I haven’t gotten my tax stuff together. And now it’s almost March already!

So, today, I told myself, “Do what needs to be done.” That’s one of my happiness commandments, which I stole from Gretchen Rubin (the brilliant author of the book The Happiness Project). I conquered two areas in my kitchen that had been bugging me for weeks, and made them beautiful.

First, the hooks where we hang Flanna’s lunchbox and backpack. Somehow all of the coolers and lunchboxes and backpacks we own had gotten hung in that spot, which I was trying to designate for stuff we use on a daily basis. And also (I’m a little embarrassed to admit) there were 2 cans of bug spray and sunscreen from SUMMER that were still sitting atop the shelf. Yup. From summer. Anyway, I goodwilled 5 bags that we never use, and stored the rest where our spare bags are supposed to go. And, voila! A space that doesn’t stress me out as I walk past it!

Then I focused on my mail bin. The bottom bin is for bills, which my husband takes care of, so they obviously stay neat. The top bin is for stuff I need to either file or respond to. Guess I hadn’t filed or responded in, oh, about 5 months. I’d been thinking I needed to look through this stuff but kept waiting until I had “time” to do it. Turns out, it only took me about 10 minutes to sort through everything and then file it in the 3 files it all needed to go into. I had really overestimated the amount of time that project was going to take, which I guess is why I had waited so long to do it. Now, I have room to grow again. Hopefully I won’t wait 5 months to sort through it again!

I’m still behind on laundry. But, those two tiny spaces now bring me a little bit of happiness when I walk into my kitchen. It’s a nice start.



What little nagging projects have you been waiting to tackle?