February Happy List

I want fun. I need fun.
The truth is that I've been feeling a little down for the past week or so. I've been in this - life is hard, there is no light at the end of the tunnel no matter what you do - kind of mood. As always there are good reasons for this feeling, and as always I know this too shall pass, but I find I am sick and tired of everything being so tough all the time. I hate this feeling that life is a battle field. Like I told Hidai this morning in a fit of desperation - it's just not fun.
And so, after staring at my computer for an hour (or two) and still being stuck at level 147 in Candy Crush Saga (very addictive), I discovered the sad sad truth - playing video games gets you nowhere in life. Also true for staring at Facebook. Just saying.
I decided that what I really need is a pick-me-up, so I designed a plan for an "all me - all fun weekend" which is divided into four parts:
Part one (this part) compile February Happy list, because I found a saying I liked that goes something like - not every day can be good, but you can always find good in every day.
Part two, comfort food, which will include actual food (a shocker I know), 2 tubes of Ben & Jerry's, a cake (the moment my new mixer will arrive today - don't get excited, the old one broke down) and all the chocolate I can eat (which is a lot. A lot).
Part three, at least three Romance novels, which is one of my two preferred literary genres - Romance and spy novels.  I know I'm shallow, but what's wrong with a little Happy-ever-After (or some blood-shed for that matter)?
Part four, The Hobbit DVD tonight because I am also a Tolkin fan (okay, a geek at heart. Don't judge me, so is Hidai). Oh, and popcorn.
Since I already dug into the Ben & Jerry's so maybe I should have added sport-doing to my list. Some people claim sport can help with the mood. I do not share this point of view though, and that is why even though we will be exercising this weekend it is not part of the pick-me-up plan
(all dependent of course on me not catching Yon's flu...)

So these are the things that made me smile this month...
On the first week of February
Ron went bird watching with his class in the park and enjoyed nature (a first) and also I caught a glimpse of them going back to school when I was going to pick up Yon, and he was so cute;
we started a weekend exercise regiem (Pilates and running), well that part did not make me smile (unless you consider my facial spasms as smiles) but the results and the being able to eat with no guilt, that made me smile;
we went to see Ron's math lesson in school, where both Hidai & I became devoted followers of his teacher;
we spent some time down memory-lane and looked at all the kids' baby pictures;
the kids enjoyed playing "babies" and demanded we (Hidai) hold them and cuddle them like babies;
Arsenal won, which made my boys smile, and kept the dinner table conversation on the weekend civil and happy;
Hidai got an email from LinkedIn saying he has one of the top 1% most viewed profiles for 2012 and was busy working hard on his new (and only) hobby - his  Facebook  football group;
Yon learnt to play Uno (Taki) and is actively playing the WII (without cheating, or bossing Ron around);
I got a blog-related question from a reader and wrote the new Kids and Moving page;
we ate pizza :)

Looking at Ron's baby photos

On the second week of February
I went to Goldern Green to fill the house with Israeli food and with Purim accessorises which Yon was very happy to test-drive;
Ron's best friend came to visit, and also Uri & Ev;
we still exercised;
Arsenal won again;
Ron had a France show-and-tell in school in which he was less nervous;
we had Shrove Tuesday - also known as an excuse to eat pancake for dinner day, and how can you not smile about that?
Ron handed in his Israel presentation and got top marks for it, which made us all very happy because he worked really hard on it, and was very excited and nervous about presenting it to the class;
we had some light snow;
we had Valentine's day with pizza, ice-cream, wine and a card;
and we found a baby snail on the way home.

Baby snail

On the third week of February,
Ron had an Ice-Cream Party at school because they had 100% attendance;
we had lovely sunshine which Yon & I enjoyed very much;
we continued with our weekend exercise regiem;
we survived the kids half-term with a time-table that worked like magic;
I played checkers with Ron and won! which was really very surprising, and so I managed to save face and keep my all-knowing facade;
we went to the dentist and got good news for Ron who was so happy to have "a grown-up tooth in a child's mouth" but a bit worried about our dentist's instruction to eat chocolate only once a week (we explained when we got home that the instruction s quite rigid and not what is going to happen in our house - we formally have once a day);
the last of my 2012 albums is ready to print, a point that makes me smile just because it was starting to be a little hell coping with all the photos mess;
Ron drew me an I love you card,
Yon got in the habit of playing "going to sleep", a game in which he and I, well, go to sleep. Usually on the floor, but he does bring his blanket and pillows and his animals of course; apart from the 5 minute power naps I get out of it, I also get a very cuddly child who just begs for hugs and kisses;

The dreaded checkers board - next up is poker and black jack :)

On the last week of February,
we celebrated Purim with all the trimmings - costumes, music, games, food, photos. It was the kids idea and they loved it, and made me so happy;
I found the perfect recipe for the Purim cookies. I loved it, the kids loved it, Hidai loved it and Hidai's team at work loved it;
Ron and Hidai went to the Arsenal match, and had some snow, hot chocolate and a win (thank god);
Hidai had 2 school governors meetings and is now very informed school-wise and has great connections with the head-teacher;
we were very good and finished the month with a budgetary plus (according to plan);
we had a full month of exercise and are now shrinking our way nicely (and also we eat so much junk apparently);
we ate Purim food, Burekas, semolina pudding, and Hidai brought me Reese's Cups and plenty of M&M's because I was feeling down and he knows me so well :)

Hidai & Ron on their way to the match

This is it, I love making these Happy lists because they make me focus on all the little things that happened this month, all the good things, and reminds me that actually even though it did not look like it this morning, I did have plenty of opportunities to smile on February.
Yes there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and now that my new mixer has arrived I can bake a cake that does not require a mixer :)

I will leave you with two things, first is my Instagram, if you like my photo obsession and want to see more - orli_hidai
and second, because I found it while making sure I am writing the phrase pick-me-up correctly, and Hidai said I should keep it somewhere for later use (and because you know the truth, I am a sucker for motivational quotes) - “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed” (Michael Jordan)