Smiles

While flying the friendly skies this morning, I read an article about the difference in the amount of times a child smiles throughout one day in comparison to the smiles of an adult.

According to the article (pictured below), children smile 400 times a day while only one-third of adults smile more than 20 times a day and less than 14% actually grin only five times per day.

Smiling can reduce stress levels and increase mood enhancing hormones so what’s the hold up people?! Everyone reading stop and take a moment to smile. Right now. A big one. Show me those teeth!

Now say out loud at least one thing that has made you smile today.

• Waking up with a 50 lb. puppy nestled as close as humanly (or dogly) possible next to me.
• De-boarding my plane in St. Louis and seeing Brian waiting for me in the airport.
• Arriving in Oklahoma City safe and sound.
• Having the opportunity to live the life that I do.

Now say out loud at least one thing that is yet to come in the day that is going to make you smile.

• Watching Brian’s first game with his new team tonight under the lights of a new-to-me stadium.

I definitely think that I smile way more than 20 times per day, so I know I’m in the other two-thirds of the adult population. What about you?

Fellow adults – let’s raise those percentages! Get out there and smile, smile, smileeeee!! 🙂

Question:

What makes you smile?

20 on the Way!

I happened to see an article this morning that discussed the Duggar family of “19 Kids and Counting”, a TV show documenting their life with 19 children on TLC.

(click photo for source)

Word on the street (just in time for the shows season finale tonight) is that Michelle and Jim Bob are expecting child number 20. Michelle, at the age of 45, is 3 and a half months along in the pregnancy and under the care of a high risk pregnancy doctor. If you aren’t familiar with the story of the birth of baby 19, Josie, she was born premature at just 25 weeks but is now a healthy almost 2-year-old little girl.

(click photo for source)

While I find it absolutely amazing that a couple can raise and nurture 20 kids, I also find it astonishing that Michelle’s body can continue to hold up through the pregnancies (some of which were multiples). Since their first pregnancy, 23 years ago, she has been pregnant for about 15 years of her life! Insane!

(click photo for source)

My other initial thought is, “how can they afford 20 kids?!”. Not that I have a child myself, so I don’t know from first hand experience but I’ve seen the billboards and babies aren’t cheap! What do they say, a baby costs $700 a month?!

That is $159,600 spent for JUST the first year of life of each of their already 19 kids. Wow. By calculating that out, I’m not trying to put a “price tag” on a baby or on starting a family, so please don’t misinterpret that. I have plans to eventually start a family of my own with Brian but I would never want to have more children than we could comfortably provide for.

I’ve seen bits and pieces of the show at times and I’m not really sure about the Duggar’s income or finance situation but I’m assuming they make ends meet, considering they probably make a fair amount of money off of their show airing on TV. Another question to ponder…are they pregnant again to help promote the show more in a way to get more money? Again, I’m not suggesting that as my belief, I’m only throwing out food for thought…

Regardless, I think Brian and I will stick to the puppy for the time being…. 🙂

Lunch

Lunch today was half turkey sandwich complete with pepperjack cheese, baby spinach and guacamole all on whole wheat bread.

On the side I munched on some honey wheat pretzel twists.

I really need to get back on board with salads and more fresh foods in my meals. I’m in a serious funk and my body is craving fresh foods!

Questions:

What are your thoughts on baby #20 for the Duggars? If your financial situation allowed 20 children, would you still be concerned about your health if you were Michelle? Men, would you be concerned about your wife’s health after complications in pregnancies prior?

Do you think that at some point having such a large number of children takes away from individual time you get with each child?