Hi there! I’m Mich Nicolas, a wife and homeschooling mom.

Welcome to City Girl, Country Home 2.0!

In this online space, I hope to encourage and inspire busy moms like you to take charge of your happiness, so that — while you juggle various roles and responsibilities — you can have less stress, more peace and more fun!

“Take charge of your happiness” — Why? What does that even mean?

Here’s the lowdown, and I’m sure y’all mommas can relate. We, as moms, are always after the happiness of others — our spouses, our children, extended family, even our pets. We’re always looking to serve them, and meet their needs and wants. It comes naturally to us. We’re natural in nurturing. We’re wired that way.

But here’s where it can get pretty tricky. We can easily forget about ourselves to a fault. We’re constantly giving but not recharging. So we end up at the end of our rope — with burnout, exhaustion, overwhelm, frustration, irritability — a whole lot of stress! Not to mention that Miss Pity Party is always ready to barge into the door of our heart…which then gives us a false view of ourselves, leaving us feeling either like a failure, or that everybody owes us big time.

When we’re in this place, we’re obviously not happy. And if we’re not happy, it’s harder to give of ourselves.

See why it’s so important to take charge of our happiness, to take responsibility for our own happiness? It’s in our hands, and no one else’s. We can’t blame someone or our circumstances for not making us happy; it’s up to us to get our happy even in less than ideal situations.

Why this topic is close to my heart

I cried nearly every night. For weeks, maybe even a few months. Then the crying would come in waves. A deep, lingering sadness was over me and in me, and this lasted for about five to six years. Yes, years. Only later did I realize that it was a case of severe homesickness or what’s also called “relocation depression.”

Three weeks after I got married, I relocated to the countryside where my husband was based. And though I was happy with my marriage, I was not happy with the relocation. My whole life now had to be painfully uprooted to a place I had absolutely no affinity with.

Two weeks into my misery, I had to decide. Since this was now my new normal, I had to do something to help myself get through it. Yes, I prayed a whole lot, and God’s grace and guidance were there through it all. But I had to act on His guidance. I couldn’t just sulk all day; I had to take that first step. It wasn’t easy, but since then, I’ve learned so much.

I can say I’m not there anymore, but there still are times when I’m tempted to settle for being a “victim of my circumstances.” When these moments come, I remind myself that I don’t have to be miserable. And that I can even increase my happiness meter — ah, what joy indeed!

These are the things I want to share with you. God has placed this desire in my heart to reach out to you, dear sister, to let you know that you’re not alone on this journey. That amid all that’s on your plate right now, you’ve got someone to cheer you on, pray for you and help you through this season — whether you’re in major transition or you simply need that extra boost to get through your day-to-day.

So if you haven’t yet, I invite you to sign up for a free digital Happiness Kit, where I give you some inspirational reflections, printable encouragement cards and “Me Time” ideas. You’ll then be part of my mailing list where I share other goodies. You can sign up at that box on the right of this page. (Scroll up a bit and you’ll find it!)

What to Expect from this Blog

Aside from the topic of taking responsibility for your happiness (which many times will have a spiritual angle to it, like verses from the Bible), I will also be sharing stuff on homeschooling and creativity…and who knows what else…let’s see as we go…

And it’s “2.0” because…this is the second version of this blog. The first one, well, it all got corrupted in the interwebs, so I’ll be uploading old posts as well. 

Fun Facts

  • I enjoy strong coffee sans the cream.
  • Fun socks are my thing.
  • I like the Muppets and “controlling” my son’s stuffed toys like puppets.

Where I’ve Been Featured

Mich Nicolas is a wife and homeschooling mom. She’s been a writer and editor for over 20 years, and has counseled and mentored women for nearly the same amount of time.