Happiness is your spouse telling you that you look as good in a bathing suit after having three kids as you did when you were eighteen. Happiness = being a good liar.

Happiness is your child handing you laundry to be hung to dry and asking for help “uninside outing” a pair of pants. Then another child offering, “I’ll be the official uninside outer!” Happiness = using language as you see fit

Happiness is the baby asking, “Mommy can I smell your tea?” then taking a sniff of the cup and saying, “Mmm, smells good Mom.” And your eight year old shouting, “SMELLS GROSS! Can I try it?”

Happiness is a friend telling your child they are Catholic and that they have prayer every morning and your child responding, “Lucky! What do you prayer about?” Happiness = being respectful of everyone’s religious beliefs even though you don’t have a clue what they’re talking about.

Happiness is a child asking you to splash a blanket on them. Happiness = that warm, fuzzy feeling

Happiness is your kids singing, “Payphone” by Maroon 5 and then asking, “What the heck is a pay-phone?” Happiness = laughing when your kids half-swear as they remind you how quickly the world is changing.

Happiness is your two year old responding to, “Would you like to watch a movie?” with, “Tangled Mommy? Can we watch Tangled? Tangled? Mommy Tangled? The hair movie, Tangled?” and then having your six year old ask, “Can I braid your hair while we watch it?” Happiness = enduring the pain of having your hair pulled out by the root by a distracted film enthusiast as you watch a movie you have seen thirty-eight times.

Happiness is ordering Thai food and having the kids ask to use “chalk sticks” as they stab their food in an effort to become more culturally refined.

I have more happiness in my life than I ever thought possible.

Still, that $50 million Lotto Max ticket wouldn’t have made me unhappy.