done and done.

Today was a very busy day. (as are most days, these days. Le sigh.) I think this is literally the first time I've sat down!

And yet... and yet....as I type this, my kitchen is a mess. There are towels sitting on my floor needing to be put away. There's laundry waiting in baskets to be folded... and it's been that way since mumble mumble monday mumble. I didn't get to those dishes sitting in the sink that needed to be washed today, and I'm pretty sure that I spotted four cobwebs in a corner of the living room earlier.

Sometimes, as a stay-at-home mom, it's hard to feel accomplished. So much of what we do is constantly being UNdone, and needs to be done again and again. Or, our day is taken up by tasks which can't be "checked off". We chase children round and round, trying to keep them entertained and out of trouble. We clean up one mess only to discover another, even bigger, mess in a different room. We wipe snotty noses, kiss bumped heads, change diapers, read stories, fix meals, fix snacks, discipline and teach lessons, praise artwork and accomplishments, listen to little voices tell us endless tales of important things in their world. Meanwhile, other things get pushed aside, time speeds by, the day ends, and we look around and think "why do I feel like I got nothing done today??"

On one particular day, a day where I felt especially behind, I decided to make an "already-done list". Sort of like a reverse to-do list, where instead of writing down what I had still to accomplish, I wrote down everything that I had already done that day. And you know what? It helped. It made me see that, even though my house was a mess and there were many things on my to-do list that didn't get crossed off, I had in fact accomplished much. The day had not been a waste, and I had done my job to the best of my ability and filled my time wtih good and necessary things, even if it was simply taking care of my children. The fact of the matter is that God only gives us so many hours in a day, and sometimes there's just no way we can do it ALL. And that's ok.

(You should try making a similar list sometime. I highly recommend it.)



And so, even though, as you can see, my house looks like a tornado ripped through it, I'm not going to bemoan today or what I didn't get done. I'm going to look on the bright side, and be happy that I...
.....finally got the vacuuming done (and the dusting too!).
.....got through a full day's worth of schoolwork with Emma, and even made time for some artwork, which she LOVES.
.....showered and got ready, including make-up and cute hair (please realize that this totally counts as an accomplishment, especially when one has a teething toddler).
.....taught four piano lessons.
.....cuddled and comforted the afore-mentioned teething toddler.
.....washed all the towels.
.....washed all of Rosalie's laundry.
.....washed the pillows on our couch, which had been looking sadly dingy for quite some time.
.....hung a few new things on our walls.
.....made my girls laugh when we had kissing wars.
.....tried for the first time ever, and succeeded at, baking shepherd's bread (my husband's favorite kind) from scratch. Hurrah!

and now, I'm going to eat some m&m's, watch a little bit of tv, and maybe fold some of that laundry.
Maybe.
Today's work might be done.
There's always tomorrow to fold those clothes.
And put away those towels.
And clean the kitchen.
And wash the dishes.
And get rid of  those cobwebs. oh, I hope I don't forget about the cobwebs!

:)

What's your "already-done list" for today?