I am enjoying a positive mood spike lately which I hope sticks around for a while. I feel like everywhere I look, there’s something to feel good about.

It all started on Saturday when we went swimming. Watching my son enjoy the water filled my ex-water polo-playing soul up to the brim. But it was my first time in a swim suit since giving birth, and I was nervous that I was going to feel uncomfortable in front of people with so little clothing covering my new body, and that that would take away from the experience with my son. But I was pleasantly surprised at how fabulous I felt! I was in a one-piece, but I think I would have felt equally awesome in a bikini. And you know what? That’s how I should feel. Even with the stretch marks and a few extra lumps!

I have been working out with my new workout videos pretty consistently, which I’m sure has a lot to do with how I felt in the swim suit, as well as with my overall mood. Those endorphins are so magical! I haven’t really noticed much of a difference on the scale – only about 1.5 lbs – but I feel like I look like I’ve lost 5 lbs already. My shape is changing faster than the scale is, and that is making my clothes fit better and bringing my confidence up.

We’re looking at closing on our refinance this month, and that means that we have no mortgage payment this month. Additionally, we’ve got some extra cash coming in at closing and from a generous gift, so I have been re-working our budget with the extra cash in mind. I think we’re going to be able to kiss my college loans goodbye this month, which is about a year before I had originally planned. It will be so liberating!

Combined with the lower mortgage payment and less daycare expenses, ditching the student loan payment is another positive impact on our monthly budget going forward. We always feel so stressed by money, and I can feel some of that stress melting away. Feeling less squeezed is going to impact the mood in our family every single day! And our budget forecast for the long-term into the beginning of 2018 is now looking so shiny and bright that I almost need sunglasses to look at it!

AND it is the olympics. I love watching the olympics. Watching people achieve their goals and live their dreams is about as inspiring and mood-lifting as anything else I can think of.

To cap all of it off, I got a full night of sleep last night for the first time in quite a while. Lewis isn’t done with the teething game, but at least I got to recharge for one night. Now I feel better prepared to be up with him tonight, if he needs me.

Not a bad report, for a somewhat soggy Monday in August!