Guest Posts on Raising Happiness

My Guest Series on Raising Happiness about the twins (and the cognitive science that helped Matt and me through the rough spots) has really taken off! I'm posting almost nearly every week on Raising Happiness. It'll be ten or so posts, one for each step of Christine Carter's 10 Steps for Raising Happy Kids. Here's what we've got so far.

Intro Post
"Meet Janine Kovac: A Cognitive Scientist and Happy Mom of Three"
This is a nice intro post about how much I love Christine Carter's Raising Happiness and the Greater Good Science Center (all true). And it has a great picture of the family. It's this one:

What a good looking family! And I love the way holding a kid makes you look that much thinner. Must be why politicians are always picking up babies.

Step One
Put On Your Own Oxygen Mask First

It all started when they saw two heads on the ultrasound...

Step Two
Build a Village
"Build a Village" sounds great. But what do you do when your husband thinks it's just dumping on your friends?

Step Three
Expect Effort, Not Perfection
Carol Dweck calls it a "growth mindset." I call it a garden.

Step Four:
Choose Gratitude (and forgiveness and optimism, but I just talk about gratitude)

This one made Christine Carter cry when she read it. It's all about Matt's Aunt Rita. (accompanied by Michael's photos, then and now.)

Next week's post is basically a recap of this one. But with a lot fewer jokes.