It's the little things that make me smile

I was quite surprised to find that I really enjoyed writing yesterday and that the words came much more easily than I expected. I'm tempted to go with the theory that my writing dried up during a period of great unhappiness and even though I am not at my most sparkling just at this moment, I am generally settled and extremely happy with my OH.

It is easy to forget that life is not all tears and tantrums, especially with a two year old in the house who regularly provides plenty of both. There are times when I am desperate for five minutes peace which never seems to come. Even when I am low however, there are little things that never fail to make me smile and remember that I am very lucky indeed.

This morning for instance, I received a picture message on my mobile phone. To explain, I watched 'Civvie to Sailor' yesterday which followed a group of Royal Navy recruits through Part 1 training at HMS Raleigh. I enjoyed seeing the base where OH is living at present and it was good to have an idea of what he is doing in his training. When I spoke to him last night I mentioned that I can't wait to see him in his uniform when I attend his passing out parade - he said that I should see him in his day to day uniform as well as the ceremonial dress. So he sent me a picture. I cannot actually convey in words how proud I am of him but I have had a smile on my face all morning from that one small gesture.

There are other small things that make me smile too: when DD announces that her Slam Attax collection is now "bigger than Jefferson's and that is so cool"; when DS tries to sing along with the theme tune to 'Small Potatoes'; when my baby sister calls me and a photo of us at Party in the Park flashes up - randomly selected by my phone but guaranteed to make me smile and think of McFly.

I try and make sure that little things make other people smile too. Buying a pack of Slam Attax for DD when she has had a long day at school will always provoke a smile (and a hug too, as long as we're not in public). Popping some fresh peas from the pods into a bowl for DS results in lots of jumping up and down, accompanied by shouts of "peas, please!". Sending a photo of the kids or a drawing from DS to my OH also hopefully results in the same effect. Although maybe with less jumping.

I am determined to turn the recent upheaval into a positive thing for my family and that requires me to be positive as well. The little things that make me smile go a long way towards helping with the positivity and remind me that not only is life not all bad, it is very good indeed.