We needed a mini-adventure today, so we packed everyone into the car and drove into Stockholm. Our destination was a new (to us) playground in a part of town we've never visited. We stopped at the grocery store on the way down and picked up enough snacks to last us the day, and then we...
Happiness
Great Parenting Books That Don't Make Me Feel Like a Shitty Mother
I have to admit: I'm a fairly confident parent. Not confident that I do everything perfectly, or that every decision I make is Right, or that I couldn't possibly be raising my children any better, but confident that I'm mostly doing the best that I can do and that my children are emotionally and physically healthy. I generally trust my...
An Alternative to Journaling: Micro-Journaling
In my footloose and fancy-free days, I whiled away a lot of hours in cafes, drinking tea (later lattes) and scribbling in a journal. I've got a stack of classic black Moleskines to prove it. I'd paste in ticket stubs and magazine images, copy down quotes, and, of course, reflect on whatever was going on in my life at the time....
Wrapping Up My Happiness Project
Six months ago I started a small happiness project, and now it's coming to an end. Today I'd like to look back on the project, see where I succeeded and where I didn't, and what lessons I can carry forward.
Making Friends As An Adult in the US and Sweden
I've been thinking a lot about relationships—particularly friendships—as part of my happiness project these last few months. It's also something I think about as an immigrant living in a foreign country. I have been blessed to have some of the very best friends in the world, but, unfortunately, they all live an ocean—or an ocean and a...
Happiness Project: Watercolor Painting with Skillshare
Awhile ago, I decided to stock up on watercolor supplies. I bought a basic watercolor palette, brushes, and paper, and prepared to start painting. I remembered loving watercolor painting as a kid, and always wanting to learn how to actually use the paints as an adult. I even got a book, Water Paper Paint, so I'd have a guide. The best intentions,...
Happiness Project: Learning with Skillshare
This month's happiness project is focused on learning. For once, I can report that it's going well so far! I wanted to work on my Swedish this month, and I've been listening to more talk radio and reading more books with the intention of comprehension (normally I skim the local newspaper with the intention of getting half...
Happiness Project Month 6: Learning
(Sorry for the short disappearance, friends. I started to feel sick late last week, which evolved into a pretty nasty stomach bug that hit over the weekend. After spending all day yesterday alternating between the bed and the couch and trying to rehydrate, I'm feeling a bit better today and trying to get back into the...
Happiness Project Month 5 Wrap-Up
This month in my happiness project I wanted to give myself an attitude adjustment. I wanted to pause to enjoy the moment, and I wanted to work on my bad habit of complaining too much. I was fairly successful in my first goal but less so in my second. It helped that I set myself up...
A Trick to Making Vacation More Pleasurable
Last winter we went to Portugal for a month. We stayed in a lovely town outside of Lisbon and we found a Swedish school, where we sent August a couple days per week. Some days James and I took turns taking care of the boys so that the other could put in a few hours of work (I...