happiness

Spreading Christmas Cheer This Holiday Season – Gangnam Style

November 28, 2012 By Deb Chitwood 10 Comments

I refuse to participate in Christmas activities before Thanksgiving, but I love the start of the holiday season once Thanksgiving has arrived. My house is already decorated for Christmas, and I’m feeling the Christmas spirit now. Here are my favorite ways to get in the Christmas spirit:

While I focused on 21 Days of Contagious Gratitude before Thanksgiving this year, an attitude of gratitude helps me get in the Christmas spirit, too. It also helps if I focus on the true meaning of Christmas. The other thing that helps me is to focus on the fun (especially family fun), rather than all the extra things that need to be done before Christmas. (I’ve worked on keeping all the extra things that need to be done to a minimum.)

Here are some fun posts from the start of holiday seasons past as well as some fun for this season.

Spreading Christmas Cheer from Holiday Seasons Past

“The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer” Word-Art Freebie (without watermark)

Project Smile – Flash Mob Smiles

Feeling Joy This Holiday Season

10 Tips for Avoiding Holiday Burnout

Spreading Christmas Cheer This Holiday Season – Basketball Style

Basketball Christmas Carol

Spreading Christmas Cheer This Holiday Season – Gangnam Style

Since “Gangnam Style” is YouTube’s most-watched video of all time, here’s some Christmas fun “Gangnam Style”:

If you’ve missed the “Gangnam Style” craze, my son, DJ Will, has a new wedding video with a section showing the “Gangnam Style” dance at a wedding. (I just had to share this … proud mom!) Here’s the video:

UPDATE: Here’s a fun Gangnam Style video where Will joins some of his skating students in their Christmas show for “2012 Gangnam Style on Ice”

Have a truly joyful holiday season!

Note: I have lots of word-art inspiration at the Raising Figure Skaters Facebook page and on Pinterest!

Enjoy Your Life!

April 27, 2012 By Deb Chitwood 10 Comments

I wonder how often we’re simply afraid to enjoy life. I love the following video. It made me laugh out loud when I first saw it.

A DRAMATIC SURPRISE ON A QUIET SQUARE

“To launch the high quality TV channel TNT in Belgium we placed a big red push button on an average Flemish square of an average Flemish town. A sign with the text ‘Push to add drama’ invited people to use the button.”

Wasn’t that fun?! It’s interesting that the button wasn’t pushed immediately. Most of us tend to be too afraid to live fully.

I shared a great graphic from Smile BIG, Love Everybody on the Raising Figure Skaters Facebook page. It says:

“When we reach the top, we tend to forget how we got there. It’s on the way down we suddenly remember the journey. Without the lows, there wouldn’t be any highs. Life is exactly like a roller coaster. Always sit in the front row.” Jesse Magoon

Whether we need to spend more time in nature or just be open to life as it happens, I hope we can all start to truly enjoy our lives.

“The Moments That Take Our Breath Away” Word-Art Freebie

I’ll be on spring break from blogging at Raising Figure Skaters next week. I’ll still add my quote of the day and share word-art inspiration at the Raising Figure Skaters Facebook page. But I need to spend a bit more time enjoying the outdoors! So I’ll skip next week’s blog posts. See you here on Wednesday, May 9!

Photo Credit: Image at the top of this post by Sumayah Essa at Flickr Creative Commons.

Filed Under: Happiness, Motivation Tagged With: a dramatic surprise on a quiet square, happiness, motivation, the moments that take our breath away

Smiley Fun

March 30, 2012 By Deb Chitwood 9 Comments

“I’ve Never Seen a Smiling Face That Was Not Beautiful” Word-Art Freebie

By now, you probably know that I LOVE smiles and smiley faces! We have two days left of our Smile-a-Thon for the ShareASmile Project. If you’d like to join us in helping provide surgeries for cleft palate, cleft lip, and facial deformities in children, you can help now – or anytime. Just check out my post for ways you can easily make a difference.

I have a new focus on smileys and am amazed at smileys I see now that I never noticed before. That’s a good thing. Each spontaneous smiley I see brings a smile to my face and $1 more toward Operation Smile when I upload my smiley photo to the Spontaneous Smiley website.

Neighborhood Car Smiley

You can search for spontaneous smileys at any age, whether you’re an empty nester (like me) taking a walk in your neighborhood or a parent with young children. I have a post with lots of smiley-inspired activities for kids: Go on a Smile Hunt with Your Child.

More smiley fun for kids: Smiley Face Crafts by Amanda at Crafts~N~Things for Kids. (There are even handprint and thumbprint crafts for a special project worth saving for future smiles!) And check out the Spontaneous Smiley posts by Elizabeth at Broken Treasures. Elizabeth organized our bloggers’ ShareASmile Project and has giveaways and more kid-related smiley fun!

Here are my favorite smile quotes and all my smile word-art freebies in one place: Best Smile Quotes.

This made me smile! Not a spontaneous smiley … just a bit of smiley fun: “World’s Largest Smiley Face” Mahwah, NJ (over 2,000 people!) June 30, 2011

Happy days!

Linked with “Get Inspired” Monday and Thought-Provoking Thursday.

Filed Under: Happiness, Making a Difference, Share a Smile Tagged With: happiness, Operation Smile, ShareASmile Project, smile, smile hunt, Smile-A-Thon, Spontaneous Smiley

Best Smile Quotes

March 23, 2012 By Deb Chitwood 15 Comments

Garage Control Spontaneous Smiley

I love to focus on smiles … and I’ve been having lots of fun lately with spontaneous smileys and Share a Smile! Here are some of my favorite smile quotes:

“If someone is too tired to give you a smile, leave one of your own, because no one needs a smile as much as those who have none to give.” Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch

“Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.” Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

“A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles.” Washington Irving

“What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but, scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.” Joseph Addison

“Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A word of optimism and hope. And you can do it when things are tough.” Richard M DeVos

“A child regards your cheery smile as evidence that you are on his side, so he relaxes and is happier.” George W. Crane

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” Leo Buscaglia

“Gratitude is something of which none of us can give too much. For on the smiles, the thanks we give, our little gestures of appreciation, our neighbors build their philosophy of life.” A.J. Cronin

“A genuine, affectionate smile is very important in our day to day lives.” The Dalai Lama

“Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other – it doesn’t matter who it is – and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other.” Mother Teresa

“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” Mother Teresa

“Peace begins with a smile.” Mother Teresa

“Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.” Mother Teresa

“Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.” Thich Nhat Hanh

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” Thich Nhat Hanh

“A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.” William Arthur Ward

“A smile is the universal welcome.” Max Eastman

“Everyone smiles in the same language.” Unknown

“Smile and the world smiles with you.” Unknown

“A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.” Phyllis Diller

“The shortest distance between two people is a smile.” Unknown

“A friendly look, a kindly smile, one good act, and life’s worthwhile.” Unknown

“I have never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful.” Unknown

“A smile can brighten the darkest day.” Unknown

“Smiling is my favorite exercise.” Unknown

“A winning smile makes winners of us all.” Unknown

“Everywhere you go, take a smile with you.” Sasha Azevedo

“And smile, smile, smile.” George Asaf

“Life is like a mirror, we get the best results when we smile at it.” Unknown

“You’re never fully dressed without a smile.” from Annie, Lyrics by Martin Charnin

“If you don’t have a smile, I’ll give you one of mine.” Unknown

Word-Art Freebies from Smile Quotes

“Peace Begins with a Smile” Word-Art Freebie

“Every Time You Smile” Word-Art Freebie

“Smile and the World Smiles with You” Word-Art Freebie

“A Smile Can Brighten the Darkest Day” Word-Art Freebie “If You Don’t Have a Smile” Word-Art Freebie

UPDATE: “I’ve Never Seen a Smiling Face That Was Not Beautiful” Word-Art Freebie

“You’re Never Fully Dressed without a Smile” Word-Art Freebie

What is your favorite smile quote?

Linked with “Get Inspired” Monday and Thought-Provoking Thursday.

Filed Under: Best Quotes, Happiness, Share a Smile Tagged With: best smile quotes, happiness, Share a Smile, smile quotes, Spontaneous Smiley

Share a Smile!

March 16, 2012 By Deb Chitwood 9 Comments

I LOVE smiles … and I have a new way to share smiles and truly make a difference at the same time! I missed Project Smile when it was discontinued, so I’m extra excited to tell you about the ShareASmile Project, a collaborative bloggers’ project to raise funds for Operation Smile!

You’ll see the importance of Operation Smile in this video:

Through the ShareASmile Project, we’re having a Smile-A-Thon! We’re photographing smileys we see everywhere around us and uploading them to the Spontaneous Smiley website. Spontaneous Smiley donates $1 to Operation Smile for every photo uploaded!

Each surgery to repair cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities for children around the world only costs $240 through Operation Smile. Our goal is to raise enough money for 5 surgeries. We want to raise $1200 for Operation Smile by the end of the month!

Helping Operation Smile is easier than you’d think – and lots of fun! Here’s what you can do:

1. Look for spontaneous smileys, photograph them, and upload the photos to the Spontaneous Smiley website. Include in the “who are you” section the words “Elizabeth Sent Me.”

Here are some examples of Spontaneous Smileys:

This was my first spontaneous smiley uploaded to the Spontaneous Smiley website:

Really Useful Box Smiley

I found my first spontaneous smiley while trying to organize my closet. I guess my closet is happy, too!

2. Sponsor one of our bloggers. As in a walk-a-thon, we’re collecting pledges of any amount per photo we collect and upload. You may contact me or comment below with a pledge amount if you’re interested in participating in this way.

3. Print off sponsor sheets and collect your own pledges.

You could even try this with a local group (school project, art class, kids’ club, Scouts, etc.). You’ll find all the information you need to collect your own pledges here.

4. Donate directly to Operation Smile here.

If you’re a blogger, it would be awesome if you’d like to join us in the ShareASmile Project! Please feel free to post the button on your blog and join us for the next 14 days of sharing spontaneous smileys!

In addition to the Smile-A-Thon, we’re raising awareness for Operation Smile and Spontaneous Smileys in several other ways, too!

There will be giveaways from now until the 31st! These giveaways are from ShareASmile Contributing Bloggers who are generously donating something related to their ShareASmile project.

Be sure to check out the ShareASmile giveaways. I’ll be sharing each of the giveaways at the Living Montessori Now family-friendly giveaway linky.

March 18th -Broken Treasures giveaway
March 20th – Boo Boo Princess giveaway
March 31st – Spontaneous Smiley Book Giveaway

The March 31 giveaway is The Smiley Book of Colors by Ruth Kaiser, the founder of Spontaneous Smiles. Learn more about Ruth at the Spontaneous Smiley website and Facebook. Check out the Spontaneous Smiley Shop, too!

Join us for a Twitter party on Monday, March 26th at 2:00pm EST with #shareasmile Come prepared to share activities, crafts, food, etc. that are smile or spring related

The Participant List of ShareASmile Contributing Bloggers

Special thanks to Elizabeth from Broken Treasures for organizing the ShareASmile Project

and thanks to all the participants!

Broken Treasures
Crafts~N~Things for Children
Play Dr. Mom
Jaihart
Boo Boo Princesses
Raising Figure Skaters

hands on : as we grow
Courts Craft Corner

Before you leave, here’s something for you. It’s not a spontaneous smile, but it makes me smile anyway!

“A Smile Can Brighten the Darkest Day” Word-Art Freebie

UPDATE: For smiley-inspired activities for kids, check out my post at Living Montessori Now: “Go on a Smile Hunt with Your Child.”

Linked with “Get Inspired” Monday and Thought-Provoking Thursday.

Filed Under: Happiness, Making a Difference, Share a Smile Tagged With: happiness, Operation Smile, Ruth Kaiser, Share a Smile, smile, Smile-A-Thon, Spontaneous Smiley

How to Have a Good Day

March 9, 2012 By Deb Chitwood 4 Comments

Here’s an inspiring TED Talk on gratitude with Louie Schwartzberg, founder of Blacklight Films. The TED Talk includes some amazing time-lapse photography and a beautiful short film about gratitude and happiness.

The short film combines Schwartzberg’s cinematography with music by Gary Malkin and words and narration by Brother David Steindl-Rast from Gratefulness.org. This is definitely worth 10 minutes of your time!

Here’s a transcription of Brother David Steindl-Rast’s words from the video:

You think this is just another day in your life. It’s not just another day. It’s the one day that is given to you today. It’s given to you. It’s a gift. It’s the only gift that you have right now. And the only appropriate response is gratefulness. If you do nothing else but to cultivate that response to the great gift that this unique day is, if you learn to respond as if it were the first day in your life and the very last day, then you will have spent this day very well.

Begin by opening your eyes and be surprised that you have eyes you can open, that incredible array of colors that is constantly offered to us for our pure enjoyment. Look at the sky. We so rarely look at the sky. We so rarely note how different it is from moment to moment with clouds coming and going. We just think of the weather and even of the weather we don’t think of all the many nuances of weather. We just think of good weather and bad weather. This day right now is unique weather, maybe a kind that will never exactly in that form come again. The formation of clouds in the sky will never be the same that is right now. Open your eyes. Look at that.

Look at the faces of people whom you meet. Each one has an incredible story behind their face, a story that you could never fully fathom. Not only their own story, but the story of their ancestors. We all go back so far. And in this present moment on this day all the people you meet, all that life from generations and from so many places all over the world flows together and meets you here like a life-giving water if you only open your heart and drink.

Open your heart to the incredible gifts that civilization gives to us. You flip a switch and there is electric light. You turn a faucet and there is warm water and cold water. And drinkable water! It’s a gift that millions and millions in the world will never experience.

So these are just a few of an enormous number of gifts to which we can open your heart. So I wish you that you would open your heart to all these blessings and let them flow through you, that everyone whom you will meet on this day will be blessed by you, just by your eyes, by your smile, by your touch. Just by your presence. Let the gratefulness overflow into blessing all around you. Then it will really be a good day.

“Let the Gratefulness Overflow into Blessing All Around You” Word-Art Freebie (without watermark)

Linked with “Get Inspired” Monday and Thought-Provoking Thursday.

Filed Under: Gratitude, Happiness, Inspiration Tagged With: Brother David Steindl-Rast, Gary Malkin, Gratefulness.org, gratitude, happiness, Louie Schwartzberg, TED Talk

Feeling Joy This Holiday Season

December 2, 2011 By Deb Chitwood 16 Comments

If you’re like me, you can’t quite believe it’s December already. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or another holiday, December can be a magical month … or it can be a stressful month.

“Christmas … is not a date. It is a state of mind.” Mary Ellen Chase

I’ve found that I can enjoy my family and the holiday season best by slowing down, keeping obligations to a minimum, and focusing on my family and the magic of the season.

Family activities like Advent wreaths and calendars can be special and fun – if you feel ready to enjoy them. I have a post at Living Montessori Now with lots of “50+ December Family Activities.” I also wrote a post called “10 Tips for Avoiding Holiday Burnout.” When Will and Christina were growing up, we were able to have wonderful Christmases by just choosing a few favorite activities that we all found fun and relaxing – ones that created special memories but not a lot of stress.

One of our chosen ways to get into the Christmas spirit was to drive through specially decorated parts of the city. Now, we can find some amazing Christmas inspiration on YouTube.

Here’s one of my favorite synchronized Christmas light displays:

Here’s another video that helps me feel excited about the Christmas season:

“Hallelujah Chorus -Kuinerrarmiut Elitnaurviat 5th Grade – Quinhagak, Alaska”

Here’s a post with two of my favorite early-season Christmas inspirational videos (from last year’s Project Smile): Project Smile – Flash Mob Smiles.

Wishing you true happiness this holiday season!

Happiness Word-Art Freebie

Photo Credit: “All I want for Christmas is … joie de vivre” by Let Go at Flickr Creative Commons.

Linked with Thought-Provoking Thursday.

Filed Under: Happiness, Inspiration Tagged With: Christmas, Christmas inspiration, happiness, Project Smile

Happiness Word-Art Freebie

November 30, 2011 By Deb Chitwood 5 Comments

Here’s a word-art freebie from a Joseph Wood Krutch quote: “Happiness is itself a kind of gratitude.”

To download word art, click here, then right click on the image and choose “Save Picture As . . .”

Background image by Sarah Nicholl.

Linked with Thought-Provoking Thursday.

Filed Under: Freebies, Word-Art Quotation Freebies Tagged With: digital scrapbooking freebie, gratitude, happiness, Happiness is itself a kind of gratitude, Joseph Wood Krutch, Joseph Wood Krutch quote, word art, word-art freebie

Do Some Inner Jogging

August 26, 2011 By Deb Chitwood 14 Comments

Laughter is inner jogging. – Norman Cousins

Today, I want to focus on something that’s always been very important to my family and is being proven important for everyone’s lives – laughter.
“Laughter is an Instant Vacation” Word-Art Freebie

“e.e. cummings on Laughter” Word-Art Freebie

The Importance of Laughter

Here’s a video on Laughter Yoga that I saw recently at The Zen Mama’s Blog.

Some of My Favorite Aids to Laughter

My family has always loved watching movies that were comedies as well as seeing comedians perform live.

My husband and I have fond memories of Jon Lovitz on Saturday Night Live from 1985-1990. “Tommy Flanagan, The Pathological Liar” was always one of our favorite characters. Since then, we were able to see Jon Lovitz at Comedy Works in Denver. He has one of the funniest comedy acts we’ve seen.

Jon Lovitz will be at Comedy Works again this weekend. Here’s a Saturday Night Live video of Jon Lovitz as Tommy Flanagan in “Tommy in Jail”:

Here’s a post I published previously with some more videos that make me laugh: Laughter Vacations.

What makes you laugh?

Linked with Thought-Provoking Thursday and Kirsty & Friends Linky Party.

Filed Under: Happiness Tagged With: happiness, inner jogging, Jon Lovitz, laughter, Laughter Yoga, pathological liar, Saturday Night Live, Tommy Flanagan, Tommy in Jail

How to Help Your Kids Have an Attitude of Gratitude

April 15, 2011 By Deb Chitwood 11 Comments

Having an attitude of gratitude is something that is very important in my life. It’s also something I’ve worked to instill in my kids. I’ve talked before about how gratitude can help families in sports: “Let Gratitude Carry You through the Competition Season.” Of course, gratitude isn’t just for sports families … an attitude of gratitude can help any kids and any families.

Ann Voskamp, the author of One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, wrote a great post this week called “How to {help} Raise Grateful Kids.”

Ann Voskamp’s suggestions to help raise grateful kids:

Pass around flower-shaped sticky notes once daily for everyone to write what they’re grateful for. Stick the flowers on the window.
Sing around the table.
Write out daily more of 1000 gifts or fill out the “7 Gifts” page. (In the updated “15 Happy Ways to Raise Kids to Be Grateful” post, there’s a link to a free printable with spaces for 7 gifts each day.)
Write thank-you notes. Have a basket of thank-you notes left out as an invitation to give thanks.
Have your child put a sticky note on a mirror telling what he or she is grateful for right now.

How kids benefit from an attitude of gratitude (found through research and listed in Ann Voskamp’s post):

Better attitudes
More likely to achieve personal goals
Closer relationships and greater happiness
Better grades
Greater energy, attentiveness, and enthusiasm
Greater sensitivity to situations where they can be helpful and compassionate

Ann also had a link to a helpful YouTube video of an interview with Dr. Christine Carter from the Greater Good Science Center.

Some of my favorite points from the video “Change Your Kids’ Attitude With Gratitude”:

Happiness is in many respects a skill that parents can teach their children, and the relationship between gratitude and happiness is really strong. – Greater Good Science Center’s Dr. Christine Carter

Christine Carter talks about giving kids a lens through gratitude glasses.

She recommends practicing gratitude daily or even once a week through activities such as the following:

Keep a gratitude journal.
Keep a family gratitude list (post it on the refrigerator).
Go around the table and have each person say something they’re grateful for.
When you put your kids to bed, have them tell you three good things that happened to them or that they did during the day.
Write gratitude letters (letters to someone who has done something for your child that has gone unthanked).

Christine Carter says that people who practice gratitude become more helpful and feel happier, stronger, more energized, and more determined.

Here are some links to other ideas that can help your kids have an attitude of gratitude. Just choose whatever gratitude activities work best for your family.

Montessori Gratitude Jar
The Blessing Jar from I Can Teach My Child
Gratitude Board from Make a Vision Board
Garland of Gratitude from Family Fun (garland shape could vary according to the season)
Blessing Bowl from Jennifer Janes at the Homeschool Village
Gratitude Tree (ideas from My Insanity, Gracious Rain, and Show Me Crafts)