1. Memes

I laugh at inappropriate things. I have passed this on to my children luckily, so we have been massively enjoying all of the funny memes that are circulating around social media lately. **Especially if they involve cats or The Office.

2. Sunshine

I am extremely susceptible to depression caused by lack of sunshine. In fact, if it is a cloudy for more than one day in a row, I have to remind myself of this issue and not panic thinking I am sinking into the depths of despair. So I have been very thankful for the string of sunny days that we have been having lately and always make sure to open all of the blinds to brighten the house while I can. **So if you too suffer from weather related depression remember, “The sun will come out tomorrow!” (hopefully) and you can bet your bottom dollar that it will (maybe) ***See, I told you I have a weird sense of humor:)

3. Scooters

     Plus  =

On a whim, I got my children scooters so they can ride around the park while I walk. BEST DECISION EVER!!! Almost everyday for the past week and a half, we have been outside walking and scooting along (not sure if that is the correct usage of that word??) If we are feeling bummed or bored, a quick trip outside tends to perk us right up. Oh and if its raining outside, my kids have taken to riding their scooter in the living room. They have even improvised a game with a felted ball and a velcro pad as a target conveniently tied to their handlebars…good times….

4. Great books

I love books and always have. I am beyond grateful that I went to the library the day before it closed for good and stocked up on a ton of books. After those ran out, I turned to the library’s e-book sites to get my literary fix and I have slowly gotten used to reading books in the digital format (not my favorite, but better than nothing!) What better way to get through these troubling times than escaping into a fictional world….just stay away from the dystopian/apocalyptic ones and you will be fine.

5. Yummy food

I love food….I just do and always have. Food and books sum up my happy places perfectly. I also am a creature of habit so I tend to stick to the same foods again and again. Lately I have been loving apples and peanut butter with my afternoon tea (so, so good) I almost always enjoy a cheese omelet with toast for breakfast everyday (occasionally I will get crazy and have oatmeal) Other foods that are making me happy are salads drenched in ranch (I know its bad!) bacon bits, feta cheese, and pumpkin seeds; bean burritos with guacamole (Wholly guacamole is life changing!); and any and all leftovers. **To me, leftovers are magical. I do not have to cook again and they save you money (if you eat them) in the long run.

6. Puzzles

Like my inspired library run, I also lucked out and ran to Walmart to pick up puzzles the day before everything got closed down and the world went crazy. I’m not joking, the next week all of the puzzles mysteriously disappeared from the shelves along with computers, Nintendo switches, hot dogs, bacon, and toilet paper (you know…all the necessities) **On a disturbing note, we have been amazed at how cathartic it is to painstakingly piece puzzles together (over many days), breathe a sigh of relief as we put the final piece into its place, smile while admiring our accomplishment, and then happily rip them apart in the end:)

7. Eye rolls and their cousin the long sigh….

Oh the eye roll, how I love you!!! I believe the relief of eyerolling has kept my sanity more than anything else has over the past few weeks. Crazy posts on Facebook…eye roll and sigh. Children squabbling….eye roll and sigh. Cars packing the lots at the home improvement stores, while everyone is reminded again and again to only go out for essentials…eye roll. Water gushing from our bathroom wall…eye roll and a really long sigh. Water flooding our kitchen…eye roll and a bigger sigh. Broken toilet seat…eye roll and a small sigh. All of these are proof that: Eye roll + sigh = mental relief                              **Yes, we had three plumbing issues over the past week. I think it is a universal truth that both things breaking and deaths come in threes. Surely we are not the only ones who always seem to have three calamities lumped together?

What’s saving you lately???