Guest Blogger: Christy Hovland

Article by Christy Hovland.  Christy is a public speaker to help you inspire your inner marketing genius. She owns Hovland Marketing, a marketing and public relations firm in Colorado.  She is a work-at-home mom (WAHM) of two fabulous munchkins. Find her at Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

Motherhood is hard, there’s no doubt about it.  But, it is also crazy fun when we, as moms, constantly strive toward happiness. 

For me, becoming a mother was a journey I always knew I wanted to take.  As a young girl, I dreamed of the five children I would have.  The successful career I would enjoy and the handsome husband who would call me beautiful.

Now, I am nearly 30 years old.  (Eeek!  Don’t tell anyone that number, I think I’ll hang out at 29 for a few more years.)  I have two of the most beautiful children I could ever imagine, and I very well might never be pregnant again.  Ella, my little girl is two and Britton my oldest, a boy, is four.

I look at mothers with more than two children with a kind of awe.  I just wonder, how on earth do they do it? I can hardly keep up with the two of mine.

The one thing that I have found as a mother is happiness.  It’s been a journey for me to find happiness and balance in my career, marriage and motherhood. I’ve developed tools that I use throughout my days to keep myself in my “happy bubble”. 

This was a revelation to me when I realized that I can choose in any moment to be happy, angry, or sad.  I’m teaching myself to catch those angry and sad moments so I can put myself back in check and be happy once more.  Whatever you are doing throughout your day, remind yourself consistently that happiness is not some gift bestowed on you in certain moments of your life.  Instead, see that it is a choice you get to make in every moment of your life.

I have discovered that I love to smile at strangers.  Not in a freakishly weird, stalker kind of way. Nope, I like to smile so they know I see them and more often than not, that smile bounces right back at me.  I sometimes go through my day attempting to “plant” smiles in the community.  Try it; just this one exercise is a huge happiness booster.

When I mentioned to my friend that I was guest writing for this blog, he said to me.  “Christy, can I insert a tip?”

Well, why not? I thought! So, here is that tip:

Remind your children throughout their day that you love them.  This is as simple as looking them in the eye and smiling.  Adding a praise or a hug isn’t a bad idea, either.

As far as I know, Google never did have children.  And, in my experience, Googling a problem has only made it worse. 

Instead, to find contentment and happiness as a mother, have a group of women (and men) that understand your style of parenting.  Find people you can talk to about mothering, who answer your questions freely without having any price to pay for being who you are.

I have found these wonderful groups at MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), women’s networking groups, and even in online communities of like-minded moms.

When you are at your wits end, instead of asking “What can I do?”  Ask yourself, “What CAN I do?”  You’ll be amazed at the possibilities this one change will make in your day.  When the kids are going bonkers and you find your child tearing through your freshly cleaned living room with the Superman cape flying, muddy shoes tromping, and the popsicle in his hand melting – stop and ask yourself “What CAN I do?”  The answers will amaze you.  I CAN go to the park, I CAN put on my cape and join him, I CAN put on my rollerblades and pull him in his wagon. 

I will tell you that one of my favorite activities with my children is to take them in a wagon down the hill at my mother’s house.  I sit right in the wagon with them and our hair flies behind us as we head down the hill.  That’s one thing I CAN do with them. And it’s something I love.  (Not to worry, it really is a safe hill.)  

I recently began carrying a small leather bound book in my purse.  Whenever I hear something I want to remember, or I see something I don’t want to forget – I jot down notes in my journal.  It fits right inside my coat pocket or my purse.  I carry it with me everywhere.  And, if we are ever blessed to meet in person, you’ll probably catch me taking notes about the things that make an impression.  It makes me happy that my “mommy brain” won’t forget these precious memories because they are safely tucked into my “Book of Me”. 

These are six of my tools that I use each and every day to cultivate happiness on my own journey of motherhood.  They have made me a happy mom, a happy wife, a happy mompreneur and a fabulous me.