Fun Mom
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Why can’t I be the fun mom? The fun parent? The fun anything? As a kid, I was never really the life of the party. I would sit quietly at a party observing, but never really participating. Or at least, that’s how I remember it. As I got older, I did a lot of “fun” things. I slept on a golf course in Canada after a Grateful Dead show (I’m showing my age, aren’t I?). When I was in high school, I flew across the country, without telling my parents, to go surfing in California. I knew how to have fun, didn’t I? So, what happened?
I got older, got married, had two kids, started my own business and the fun somehow just slipped away.
I think fun has been so elusive for me because I have such a need for control. Everything needs to be planned. Everything needs to be scheduled. There is just so much that NEEDS to be done. I say I want a simple life filled with flexibility and spontaneity, but I have no clue how to get there and, honestly, if that were my life right now I think I would have a full-blown panic attack. I know I’m not the only one who is filled with anxiety if there is nothing on the calendar for the upcoming weekend. Many mom-friends of mine admit to feeling this way and struggle when asked what they do for fun.
If there's not enough time for fun, there's not enough time to read a long blog so I’m going to cut to the chase and give you some of my favorite articles, podcasts and books on happiness and fun (since they go hand in hand). I hope they give you a few nuggets that you can use to lighten up your life.
There is no one else (in my opinion) that is more of an expert on happiness, than Gretchen Rubin. She is the author of “Better Than Before”, “The Happiness Project” and “Happier at Home” and hosts a podcast called Happier With Gretchen Rubin. I can’t tell you how many times I have driven my family crazy by starting a conversation with, “I was listening to the Happier podcast and...insert nugget of wisdom or joy from Gretchen’s books or podcast.”
Happiness Secrets Only The Experts Know
A good friend recently asked me, “Are you playing to win or are you playing to not lose?” I realized that I am a “play-to-not-lose” person. Should I be playing to win? Isn’t that the better choice? I stumbled upon this article and was dumb-struck. According to the book “Focus: Use Different Ways of Seeing the World for Success and Influence”, if you’re not a positive person (and embarrassingly, I’m not) you should not force yourself to be optimistic. There are two kinds of people: promotion-focused and prevention-focused. Prevention-focused people, like me, get inspired to do better and end up having a better time when told they aren’t doing well. Not exactly fun, but the moral of this story is…be yourself.
This is a gem of a website that will appeal to those who like to explore “happiness, motivation, inspiration, love, relationships, meaning, possibilities, mindfulness, yoga, spirituality, simplicity, minimalism, and letting go.” While it’s probably a bit too “touchy/feely” for some, I’ve truly enjoyed many of their articles. Through this website, I’ve been introduced to some really cool people in the field of happiness like Kristi Ling, author of “Operation Happiness”.
8 Ways To Make Your Life More Fun
Read this article! I think I actually screamed “YES!” out loud when I read #6 and #7: “You think conditions have to be perfect” and “You think it has to be big and spectacular.” I used to put on huge events for thousands of people when I worked in radio. I guess I’m still thinking that everything needs to be perfectly planed and well attended in order to be fun. The truth is – that was work. It wasn’t even fun for me at the time. I was creating fun for other people. Life can be planned, but it can also be spontaneous. Fun can be a trip to Universal Studios, but it can also be snuggling up and watching a movie on a cold and snowy night.
20 Ways To Make Paleo Easier & More Fun
I would be remiss if I didn’t include a blog or two that had something to do with food. If and when you decide to go Paleo, Primal or just eat less processed food in general, it can feel like a lot of work. It’s so much easier to open a box or order take-out than it is to cook from scratch. It can easily feel like all this ‘work’ of cooking is just standing in the way of fun. The first 10 tips come from Melissa Joulwan. Tips such a “Keep it simple at first” and “You’re going to need a lot of veggies” address the ‘easy’ part, while tips like “Create your tribe” help me remember that fun doesn’t always have to look like a roller-coaster ride, but can instead simply be connection with others.
The next 10 tips come from Steph Gaudreau of Stupid Easy Paleo. Lots of practical “how to” tips surrounding making this way of life easier on you but #10 grabbed me and made me sit and think.
“When you’re making positive changes, don’t get so wrapped up in being perfect that you miss out on the life you’re trying to craft.”
I’ll second that.
