The Happiness Series with Mess and Merlot

I’m so happy to welcome Charlie from Mess and Merlot to The Happiness Series this week. I always enjoy reading Charlie’s posts & this interview is no exception. Charlie blogs about life as a wife & SAHM of two who she’s given hilarious nicknames. Here is Mess and Merlot on happiness…

1. Name three things in life that make you happy. And, please tell us a little about each one.

OK apart from my family and friends, because OBVIOUSLY, so on a day to day scale:

The Amazon Prime ad with the lonely little pony – in fact almost all ads with funny little creatures are pretty much guaranteed to make me chuckle. (With the exception of insurance comparison sites: down with meerkats, opera singers, and Brian).

When you get to the till and your items scan for even less than the sale price – yessssssssss!

Cake. Ideal cake eating conditions consist of a large slice, homemade, carrot cake, eaten solo with a cup of tea, whilst people-watching at a café window. I’m also partial to a Tunnock’s Teacake.

2. What’s something you do to find your happiness when you’ve lost it?

Plan. There’s something about sitting down with a notebook and a pen and making plans, notes and lists that I find really uplifting. Literally starting with a clean sheet and only looking forward from that point gives me a sense of positivity and picks me right up out of the doldrums.

3. What cheers you up after a long, difficult day?

Well, the VERY obvious answer here would be a nice glass of Merlot after the kids are in bed, however, if I can muster the enthusiasm to get my trainers on and go for a walk listening to some music or a good podcast that’s a guaranteed mood booster.

4. Does your job make you happy? If you are a SAH parent, does that make you happy?

I’m a SAHM and I absolutely love it! I am very, very lucky to be able to do the school runs and then get on with day to day house stuff or bits and bobs that need to be sorted out that day. I left full-time work when Flump was 1yr and although it was a big decision it was one I’ve never regretted. I will admit to HUGELY missing the wodge of cash that used to get deposited into my account monthly but overall it’s definitely worth it.

5. Share a happy memory with us.

Ooooooh this is hard – which one to choose?? OK so again the obvious ones that come to mind are family/marriage/birth related but I’m going to go with the day I left home to go to Uni. Now don’t get me wrong, I had a perfectly happy childhood and a very loving family but even as a child I remember dreaming about what my own house would be like, drawing room plans and decorating them with stuff cut out of the Argos catalog. What would it be like to do my own ‘big shop’ (Answer: still amazing!) and where would I display my Sean Maguire poster gallery?? I was soooo desperate to be independent and the feeling of freedom I felt that day (while my poor Mother, I can imagine, stood traumatized waving her baby off at the door) was a high I can still remember so clearly.

6. Do you think money can bring happiness?

Put it this way, would you rather cry in a mansion or a mud hut? Seriously, though, we know there are plenty of well-known public figures who have suffered depression despite (maybe even because of) what their riches have afforded them so although money can’t guarantee happiness I think it can definitely bring some happiness in indirect ways. E.g. It relieves the stress of financial responsibilities, opens up a world of opportunities with regards to travel/experiences and affords you superior healthcare options should you ever need them.

I’m not saying you can’t be happy with little money, that’s obviously possible otherwise we’d all be pretty miserable, but yes, money gives you more opportunities to be happy.

7. Is your happiness influenced by the things you do or the way you think?

100% the way you think. I’m sure we have all either experienced or know someone who has experienced depression at some point in our lives and no matter what you might do to achieve happiness, if your mindset isn’t right, forget it. Whether it’s a meditation app (I use Headspace) or just taking 5 mins to do nothing, I think it’s really important for us to just acknowledge the state of our mental health on a daily basis like we would brush our teeth, exercise or try not to eat the entire packet of Kit-Kats for the state of our physical health.

8. Which would make you the happiest – a sun holiday, new car or a new job opportunity?

Hmmmm, through a process of elimination I’d have to say a new job opportunity?? With my pale Irish skin, I’ve never been much of a sun worshipper and our car is fine, I’m not really bothered about fancy cars. If I could have a job that I enjoyed and work from home, around the school holidays (so basically the Holy-Grail of jobs!) that would be pretty awesome.

9. Which wine makes you happier – red or white?

Ha, can you guess??? I think my blog name may give that one away although I do enjoy a bottle of bubbles and when I’m ‘out,out’ mine’s a G&T.

10. Share a quote that makes you smile.

For me the undisputed king of quotes is Oscar Wilde and there are so many I’m struggling to choose my favourite but I guess one that makes me smile would be “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars”.

Hi, I’m Charlie, a thirty-something wife, mother and Merlot lover. This is me with my hair brushed, slap on and a million filters. My blog is a little corner of the internet where you’ll find me pondering all my favourite things, but with spellcheck and minus the swears. Find Charlie on Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest.

If you would like to take part in the Happiness Series by contributing a happiness post or by answering the happiness interview questions, I’d love to have you! Find out more details on The Happiness Series Page.

#GuestPosts