happiness

One thing I loved about the Happiness Project was the author's advice to "be Gretchen."  That is, she identified the things that were truly fun for her, and stuck to them.  There are so many things that sound fun but are not really fun, or would be super fun for someone else, and it is easy to talk ourselves into participating in all kinds of potentially fun activities that we really are secretly dreading.

My son's 4th birthday is on Sunday, and he has requested a firefighter birthday party (again - same party theme as last year).  But this year, he wants a green fire truck party - as in, full of green fire trucks,  Smokey Bear, and dalmatians.  This is definitely more fun to plan than another red truck birthday, but I have gone overboard.  We have rented a space.  Invited (and had invitations accepted) for 40 kids and their assorted adults, which means I am suddenly planning a party for 80.  (We had 30 at our wedding, including all of our available family members.)  While I am thrilled to see so  many of our friends, and excited that so many have said yes to spending an afternoon with us, I am truly apprehensive about what I have done.  My poor husband is doing an amazing job of not strangling me, but I am continually startled by it all.  Favors for 12 are pretty different from favors for 40.  Have you seen what hot dogs for 80 people look like?  Now I have! 

Don't get me wrong.  Not only have I made this choice, all by myself - I am really excited for it all.  I think it will be a blast, and I think everyone will probably have a good time.  And if they don't - well, it's a 4 year old party, capped off with a visit to a fire station.  How bad can it really be?  But as I try to figure out the food, decorations, favors, cake, entertainment, etc. - I am feeling kind of overwhelmed.  But also really excited.  So...is this kind of thing something I love?  I have to admit that I am really looking forward to Monday, with no more planning hanging over my head.  And yet, I am also finding myself plotting a really fun (family only) Valentine's Day...  I think one clue to figuring out what we really enjoy is finding what we spend a lot of time on.  I love reading and researching things.  I love putting together something unique and interesting and unusual. It makes me feel happy and proud. Whatever my good intentions, I find it very hard to limit my internet time - and now that I have found pinterest...  And you can see that reflected in my home, which is full of good intentions and not enough follow through.  I am trying hard to change that.

But first - to get through the good intention birthday party.