A Magazine Junkie, Yep- they are made out of PAPER!

So of course, being a paper obsessed mom, you can understand my obsession with magazines? I lead a very busy life. Five kids, a job, a darling World’s Greatest Husband, our life is non stop! I find magazines to be the best source of relaxation. Sometimes I find committing to a book is a bit overwhelming, although I do love to read books (Nicholas Sparks, Anita Shreve, Sarah Strohmeyer). Magazines are snappy and entertaining. I subscribe to “O, Rachel Ray, Food Network, Woman’s Day, Entertainment, Inc., Sandra Lee” and just sent my check for the magazine for those turning 40, “MORE” (ok, just reading that long list makes me feel a little over the top) but it really is my only relaxation! An indulgence? Maybe. I love when the kids are tucked in tight and the World’s Greatest Husband and I are snuggled up both reading for 15 minutes before we can’t keep our eyes open any longer. I love that a magazine is a quick read, I love the stylish photography, I love the quick tips, the recipes and the advice. You can never read enough articles that reference Delicious $2 meals for the entire family, or how to walk off 15 pounds before Easter. This stuff is real life. I recently read a happy little snippet in the March issue of Women’s Day, it talked about …. Happiness. It referenced Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project. A portion of the article encouraged women to take five minutes out of the day and focus on being happy. The article gave a long list of 5 minute fixes for a better day. Strive to be a happiness projector. Here are my suggestions:

1. Blast “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield while driving in the car. Belt it out like the 13 year old you once were.
2. Say a Hail Mary.
3. Write a personal note or letter.
4. Make something.
5. Plan a vacation (preferably to Italy for two weeks with no children)
6. Call your best friend.
7. Take a deep breath, in through your nose, hold it, relax, blow it out through your mouth.
8. Visit your local craft store, write down all the craft books that you would love to own, then go to your local library and find them. Come on, we all know those books have 3 trillion crafty ideas which boil down to three or four that we would really tackle. Save your pennies, check them out at your library.
9. Think of that time that you almost peed your pants you were laughing so hard.
10. Kiss for five minutes.