August 9, 2019 · 7:00 am

Happiness Happens Month

August is Happiness Happens Month. This cheery holiday has been around for 20 years! Of course, I’m all over this holiday because I am of the firm belief that life is what you make of it. In honor of making happiness happen, this month I’ve made it my goal to smile a little more, enjoy the flowers and butterflies that the rainy season has brought, and take things one day at a time. 

So here are some ways you can celebrate Happiness Happens Month. 

Do A Self-Assessment

Find out how happy you are. Take the Authentic Happiness Inventory sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania to measure your overall happiness. You have to register but it’s free.  While you are there go ahead and take the General Happiness Scale which assesses enduring happiness and the Fordyce Emotions Questionnaire which measures current happiness.  

Take A Course

Take the course The Science of Happiness sponsored by edX and the University of California–Berkeley. It’s free and well worth the effort. If you find you don’t have time for it, you can read my summation of the course here.

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As you probably know, I have my own happiness course designed for expats that are struggling with the adjustment to their new country. Surviving Voluntary Exile: How to overcome common obstacles to making a successful life transition at Coursecraft is deeply discounted when you use this LINK. 

Read A Book

If courses aren’t your thing, you can get a book version of Surviving Voluntary Exile: How to overcome common obstacles to making a successful life transition at Amazon. The ebook version is FREE for the next few days. The printed version has added journal pages for you to get the most out of the activities and information included. 

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Go And Enjoy Every Minute

This month make it a priority to enjoy the moments you have been given, even if you are struggling with physical, mental or emotional overload. Taking time to smell the roses will do you a world of good! 

Do Something For Someone Else

Happiness shared is happiness multiplied. Go out of your way to make someone smile this month and see just how good you feel. If you are looking for volunteer opportunities check these charities and non-profits out. 

So now that you know it’s in your hands, how are you planning on making happiness happen this month? 

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August 7, 2019 · 7:00 am

My First Podcast!

Expat Mama Kimberlee Thorne-Riser has featured me on one of her podcasts!

Here’s a summary of what we talked about:

“Camille Flores met her husband in the US at a Mexican restaurant where they were both working. After a minor pullover with the police without his driver’s license, it looked like he wouldn’t be able to renew his driver’s license or work in the US ever again. Moreover, his deportation would eventually be imminent, so they as a family decided to “self-deport”. She tells what it was like for her to try and adapt to a new country and culture in a remote area of Mexico, with no basic services like electricity or other services for several years. She discusses her experience with Mexico’s schools are vs. schools in the US, how their now 17-year-old is schooled now, and what their lives are like, what they do for work, and much more. A discussion on how varied Mexico can be from region to region. She truly has an amazing story. Her quote or motto is this: “I do the difficult immediately; the impossible takes me a little longer.””

While you are there, be sure to check out the other fascinating podcasters featured on Expat Mama’s page!Expat Mama Podcasts

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August 5, 2019 · 7:00 am

A Horse of Many Colors

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Cookie waited until we had left for the U.S. last month to have her anxiously awaited baby. My husband was over the moon that it was a boy and promptly named him Red, although I’m not sure the name quite fits him. He’s a mahogany color if anything, with yellow socks and a black muzzle with what looks like mascara rings around his eyes. Horsey people say that the color the hairs around the mouth are will determine what the final coat color the horse will be. So I guess we’ll just wait and see with little Red.

He’s friendly and smart and thinks he’s a dog. This angered Puppy so much that he ran away for a few days right after Red arrived. Puppy wasn’t interested in yet another new friend. He got over it and came back though he has made his new hideyhole where the food is kept because Red can’t get in there. 

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Cookie is an excellent mama, if maybe a little too protective of her son. One day the little Chivita (one of the triplets) managed to get into the stall with Cookie and Red, only mama wasn’t having any of that. She bit Chivita’s tail clean off. Needless to say, Chivita isn’t as curious about the new arrival as she was before. Her tail healed up just fine as well.

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About a week after our return, we had our one and only baby goat of the year. I think she was premature because she was just so small and wasn’t up and around as soon as most of our little ones. She’s doing fine now though, so it’s all good. We haven’t come up with a name though. Suggestions?

Some of our goats are in heat now and our hunka hunka burning love macho goat can’t seem to handle all the hormones in the air. He’s become aggressive. He’s butted the door until it has come off its hinges. He’s butted the wall between the goats and Lady until it fell over. If this keeps up too much longer, it might be time to trade for a new macho.

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