In the News: 8 ways to be a happier mom

David told me about an Article on CNN Health entitled 8 ways to be a happier mom so I thought I'd check it out! Now, you get to as well!!

Apparently even though Moms say they are happier that's not always the case. (Now there's a surprise)

Like with anything in life we tend to remember the happy times and kind of block out the bad times. The same goes for child rearing. Luckily, this article has 8 ways you, as a mom or dad, can try and bring a little more happiness into your life.

#1 Admit when you're stressed: Ironically, once you stop expecting motherhood to feel warm and fuzzy all the time, life as a mom gets easier. "It's okay to feel frustrated, angry, or irritable sometimes," says Dr. Ubel. "You're not a bad parent. It's not even a bad parenting experience. It's just normal."

Wait a minute...you mean parenting isn't bliss??

#2 Get enough sleep: Most of us know that money can't buy happiness, but who knew that a good night's sleep just might? That's a key finding of that University of Michigan study. "Making $60,000 more in annual income has less of an effect on your daily happiness than getting one extra hour of sleep a night," says study author Norbert Schwarz, Ph.D., a professor of psychology.

You don't say? And this is also my favorite because you can at least minutely control when you go to bed. Maybe not when you wake up, but when you go to bed for sure.

#3 (Re)consider your priorities: It may sound simplistic, but one key to being in a more positive mood is to structure your day so you do more things you enjoy. "It's how you spend your time, not your money, that counts," says Dr. Ubel.

I would have to agree that having all the money in the world can't necessarily buy you time, QUALITY time, with your family.

#4 Go with the flow: Time seems to slow down when you're doing what you enjoy, whether it's gardening or running laps. People who experience this level of engagement -- which psychologists call "flow" -- are happier than people who rarely do. And you're lucky to have a master of it right before you: your child. "To you and me, every leaf and ant is pretty much the same, but not to a toddler," says Reivich. "So try to actively notice things as your child does -- the ant dragging a piece of bread, for instance."

I actually had a blurb on this blog about that recently.

#5 Savor the moment: One way to nourish positive emotions is to take a moment to appreciate, well, the moment. Just map out two- or three-minute activities that you can do that day to relish that time. In the morning, for instance, instead of trying to do ten things, take your cup of coffee to the window, and sip it while your child plays in an Exersaucer. Notice what's going on. Will it change your life? No, but you'll probably feel calmer.

This is something I actually try to do every year during the Winter months. It is so HOT in Houston for most of the year, being from the East Coast I miss the snow and cold.

#6 Take the long view: Having a sense of perspective will also improve your attitude. "It gives you more patience, and it certainly awakens you to the preciousness of the moment, which is fleeting," says M.J. Ryan, author of The Happiness Makeover. She remembers the times when her daughter wanted to sit on her lap and watch a video. "Yes, I had other things to do. But I said to myself, 'How long will this last?' I'm grateful for that time with her."

It is so easy for me, personally, to get so focused on the one thing I am trying to get done that I forget to remember that Willow will be walking and crawling before I know it and I will be savoring the times I could sit and play with her on the floor and wish I had done that more.

#7 Reconnect with your spouse: A supportive group of friends and family is one of the cornerstones of a happy life, and for many moms, the center of that social circle is their partner. That's why it's so important to keep the lines of communication open, especially during the "diaper years" -- infancy to age 3 -- that experts say are the most stressful on a marriage.

I can't say how true this is, especially since David and I are still at the beginning really of the diaper years with Willow only 8 months old. That's why we try so hard to effectively communicate and talk things out.

#8 Say thanks: Feeling grateful is a mood booster. It can be as simple as saying grace every night or finding new ways to acknowledge others. "When our extended family gets together, we go around the room and say one thing we appreciate about each person," says Elizabeth Howard, mom of Reilly, 2, in Anaheim, California.

Another effective way is to put what you're thankful for down on paper: Write the three best things that happened today. Experts say that if you do that every day for two weeks, your feelings of well-being will increase.

I love to say Thank You and hear it in return. And I always write about the things I am thankful for in my personal blog. That way I can look back on it months or even years from now and feel good about things.

I hope this has been helpful to you! I didn't put down everything in the article so you could read it for yourself (if you want to).