Today, 20th March 2017, is the International Day of Happiness, a day to remind ourselves of the reasons we have to be happy. This is my favourite happiness quote of all time.

Here are my 10 reasons I have to be happy:

1) I am alive! This may seem like an obvious one, but I am alive and I am around to see my girls grow up!  After getting sepsis when Neve was born, it is amazing how many people take something as simple as breathing for granted! It could have been very different had it not been for a quick acting doctor at the walk in centre and for that I will be eternally happy!

2) Spring is on it’s way. Last Wednesday was a little insight into the warmer weather, and it was so lovely to get outside in the sunshine. I LOVE spring – bring on the swing sessions with the girls in the garden, the walks around National Trust gardens, the Bank Holiday Bluebell woods walk and eating dinner as a family out on the patio. Spring is great for family time.

2) I am, as far as I know, healthy!! Despite not being able to walk just 6 months ago, I am dusting off my trainers and getting myself back out on the tarmac to start running again. I am hoping to get fit enough to do a local 5k for the Sepsis Trust in May. It will be a slow start, but I am so happy that after a fairly horrific experience, I am able to get back out there and do something which I love. I find running a massive stress release, and am hoping it’ll also help me lose some of the pregnancy weight that is hanging around a little longer than I would like! 🙂

3) My girls are growing up beautifully! I am so so lucky to have two beautiful girls and they are growing up so fast! The last few weeks they have been really engaging well with each other, and now that Neve can sit up on her own, I am looking forward to them playing more closely together. These early years with our children are such special times.

4) We are having great fun redecorating the girls bedrooms. Now Neve is 6 months she is soon moving into her own bedroom. Whilst I will miss having her next to me in our room at night, I am super excited about her having her own personal space and I love making the nursery special for her. Her new carpet is down and we have chosen our paint for the walls – now is where the work begins! 🙂 Of course, for fairness, Erin wants new paint and carpet too – so she is having a lovely rose pink! She is such a little princess!

5) I have successfully exclusively breast fed Neve for 6 whole months and am super proud. She is putting on weight well and despite having me up regularly throughout the night (thank god for #nightfeednatter!) she is blossoming and it is lovely to see. Whilst at times the sleep deprivation can be hard, I am so thankful for the lovely cuddles I get after a feed. I know these wont last forever, so I am making the most  of them whilst I can! 🙂

6) Unexpected time with my partner. My partner recently got made redundant, and therefore is around at home more than he normally would be. Whilst this has been challenging for our family, it has had a secret silver lining in that he is around at home more often during the week. The timing whilst I am on maternity leave gives us chance to spend more time together as a family whilst the girls are young, and this has to be a positive! 🙂

7) My blog is growing up! 🙂 I started the blog for fun just before Erin was born, and recently entered the top 400 blogs in the Tots100 charts, as well as hitting over 10,000 followers across my social channels. I am super proud of this, and have really enjoyed every part of my blogging journey! 🙂

8) I’ve stopped trying to be someone I’m not – At the beginning of the year, I was trying to please everybody, being someone I wasn’t and trying to keep other people happy which  then put my own happiness in jeopardy. I have now stopped trying so hard. This is me and this is how I will stay. I have focused on the people who make my world a happy place and not those who bring me down and I feel SOO much better as a result! 🙂

9) Family and Friends – I am incredibly lucky to have a lovely supportive bunch of family and friends, including friendships that span the globe. I miss my best friend in Australia every single day, but I am so happy that our friendship has lasted the test of time and location! 🙂 My Dad, who we almost lost to a heart attack back in 2009, is here to enjoy his grandkids, and we see him every single Sunday without fail.

10) I am excited about the future. There are lots of exciting times to come, Erin learning to read, ride a bike, starting school. Neve starting to wean, walking, talking and hopefully sleeping (lol!). I love watching the girls Little Leaps in life, and am excited to see how our family unit evolves over time! 🙂

I have tagged 10 of my fellow bloggers who are also going to share their 10 reasons to be happy! Spread the love! 🙂

Amy @ MummyFox

Sarah @ Champagne & Petals

Natasha @ Mummy and Moose  

Emily @ Babies & Beauty

Helen@ 2 Adults 3 Children

Hayley @ DevonMama

Charlotte @ Cups of Charlotte

Jen @ JustAverageJen

Vicki @ TippyTupps

Kayleigh @ Little B and Me

Lyndsay-Rose @ My Family of Roses

(one for goodluck) 😉