Accomplishments

Anna in and of herself is not so much an accomplishment of mine, but she does look darling in her Swedish hat!

With the thought in mind that I would post about something I accomplished each day I became suddenly overwhelmed with how much I accomplish each day! Who knew!

I nurse the baby.
I make breakfast, often three different things, for me, Anna, the boys, and Josh.
I make Josh's lunch.
I clean up the breakfast dishes and put away the clean dishes from the night before.
I water the garden.
I give everyone their various vitamins and supplements and make sure they have had a drink.
I put Anna down for a nap.
I help the boys make their beds.
I help the boys get dressed.
I comb the boys' hair.
I read to the boys.
I open all of the curtains and blinds, turn on the radio and shower and dress.
I clean something.
I make lunch.
I clean up lunch.
I go: grocery shopping, to the library, to visit a friend, to the playground, to the fruit stand, to Costco, to Walmart, to the grocery store, to Target.

Speaking of Target, I have seen my first major signs of inflation there today. I am usually very accurate at estimating how much a given shopping list is going to cost, but today I was way, way off:
Anna's size 3 shoes estimate $10, Actual price $13
Boys' socks estimate $5, Actual price $7
My sunglasses, broken by a certain adorable baby, estimate $10, Actual $16
Sunblock lotion estimate $5, Actual $8
Sterling silver 1" hoop earrings, lost by the same adorable baby, estimate $10, Actual $15

I didn't get the earrings. After all, Anna will just play with the new pair and soon they'll be lost too. Inflation, I tell you. But I digress. I did the Target run.

Back to the accomplishments.
I make a snack.
I clean up the toys.
I put Anna down for another nap.
I rest for 5 minutes.
I break up fights.
I refocus attention.
I make dinner.
I clean up dinner.
I put Anna to bed for the night.
I close all of the curtains and blinds.
I read a story and sing songs to Sam and Michael.
I catch up on friends online.
I plan out and adjust my budget, my menus, and my calendar/ schedule.
I read the scriptures.
I do 10 minutes of lunges, pushups, ankle exercises, and stretches.
I do or do not watch t.v. and eat ice cream or popcorn.
I talk to Josh and hear all about his hopes and dreams and their current states of realization.
I pray.
I go to sleep.
I may or may not wake up in the night to help Anna who is teething.

I start all over again.

The thing is, I love it. I love what I am able to accomplish. Sometimes I get to have a friend come over or lay on the grass with the kids in the back yard. I soak it up. I love being busy and I love trying to teach my children about the sense of well being that comes from a job well done.


And here are Michael and Sam today, on their first last day of school. An entire year of preschool under their belts they are the proud possessors of such knowledge as the alphabet, writing their names, and that bears eat berries and fish. I am especially proud of Michael who persevered in attending even though he always told me he didn't like it.

Moe has accomplished an incredible feat According to Sam, on this bear's impromptu birthday on a rainy day last week he turned 15 years old. I guess that's 3 in human years!Monkey, however, only turned one year old. That's 4 in people years. Animals do age differently, you know!

What I've Been Doing

(For what I've been thinking about, see the post below).

Here's what I've been doing while not blogging . . .
Jammin' to some rockin' music.


Smiling.
That's mix-matched pajamas, a light sabre-horse he's riding, with rain boots on the wrong feet, and a baseball bat, just in case of, well, who knows.

Getting lost in blue eyes.

Soaking up the joy.

Playing make-believe 24/7.

Reading.
Michael took this. He and Sam love their scriptures and remind me to read them out loud to them every night. Every morning after she nurses (yes she's still nursing twice a day) Anna reaches for my scriptures and I read them out loud to her.

Snuggling.

Field-tripping.

Using lots of hand sanitizer.

Dancing.

Playing outside.

Watching movies at night.

Playing with my doll.

Also, strictly following a budget, monthly meal calendar, and weekly house cleaning schedule. Signing up the boys for swim lessons, making homemade bread once a week, twenty minutes of daily ankle exercises, planning a preschool co-op, and a new obsession with Disney's Tangled.

Coming soon, daily accomplishments. No matter how small, there has to be something every day. It will be a little boost for myself. Don't be surprised if there are multiple days where the picture is of my nicely-made bed. That usually gets done!

What I've Been Thinking

Life is a journey, not a destination. Good thing. I've been thinking about some of the destinations I have dreamed of and I am so grateful they were not the end of my journey. Some would have been great big mistakes. Others worthwhile but unfulfilling. (Why does Blogger say that's not a word?) I am excited about where I am in my journey and looking forward to the future.

Time is a funny thing. It seems like TODAY will last forever. Sometimes an afternoon or a bedtime routine seems never ending, but it always, always passes and another day invariably comes. Tonight Sam observed, "It's always day, then night, then day, then night again!"

I have learned that we never earn the right to stop working, growing, and learning. Happiness, fulfillment, faith, health, security, relationships, they must all be strengthened daily because they are fragile.

I am aware that I will pass through seasons in my life. My book club has a lot of women over age sixty. Widows. Others are empty-nesters. My children think they will be small forever. They tell me they want to live across the street when they have to leave home. Michael said he will come visit me every night and he'll bring his wife with him so she won't be lonely while he's gone. He said if he has to go back to heaven without me, perish the thought, he'll parachute back to me in the backyard.

Time just speeds up and our lives take turns we never anticipated. Who would have guessed my life would be what it is today, where I am today. I am not a fatalist. I understand that we must plan for our futures. In fact, I think I am finally learning to take responsibility for myself in a way I have been afraid to in the past. But with all of our planning, we can't pretend to plan out all of the events that will shape us. We must prepare for the future and embrace the present. Nothing new, but it's made an impression on me lately. Plan for the known, prepare for the unknown.

I'm grateful that I have the life I have now and that I have been, and will continue to be, tutored and shaped in ways I cannot foresee. Vague enough for you?