Does This Count as Success?

"It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that." 


1.  I took a sick day.  With a fever, body aches and a husband away for 48 hours, we patronized the fast food industry, left the dishes on the counter and our crumbs on the floor and enjoyed a day on the couch between A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh and the BBC's Life Series. 

2.  The three days after the infirmary cleared, I realized why moms NEVER take sick days.  But despite being behind in absolutely everything, I managed to not get overwhelmed.

3.  As the week progressed I actually made it out of bed and was completely dressed before the kids got up, which, in a small house with many sleeping babies is quite a success.  Of course, the majority of the credit belongs to the Guardian Angels who covered the little sleeping ears, but for my part, I did get up on time!

Small Successes

It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that.

1. I am still doing push ups! (The success being in the "still" rather than the "doing push ups," which remain a humble attempt to get my nose closer to the ground a pathetically few times ever morning.)

2. One evening, I took a moment to consider that the day had been hard, the night before short, and the frustration, anxiety and general feeling of being overwhelmed just might be affecting my ability to reason, if not certainly my ability to be charitable. So I closed my mouth, and succeeded in not responding to that comment, which didn't seem nearly as irritating the next day.

3. And finally, I am succeeding in stopping myself from working on this post, and returning to the things that are more important right now; children, schooling and getting to our appointments.

Success Again!

It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that.




1. I successfully did four push ups this morning! I know that doesn't seem very impressive, but doing four means that yesterday I did three, and that all week I have also subjected myself to an equally modest amount of lunges. Castles are built with small stones!

2. I, without shedding a single tear, successfully did a little less with dinners this month so I could spend a little more on diapers. Maybe next month Luci will see why purchasing Fillet Mignon is so much more enjoyable than a large box of diapers...

3. I loaded and unloaded the dishwasher twice every day this week, meaning, the stack of dishes in waiting never grew higher the rim of the sink. They don't seem nearly as depressing when not spilling out all over the counters.

Small Successes ~ Time

1. After refusing a fireman, putting off a little chef and narrowly avoiding a fighter jet pilot, I successfully found the time to join a little workman in the tedious but rewarding task of Lego piling, categorizing and distribution, all with the use of a five inch dump truck.


2. I successfully made use of the three hours between my normal bed time and my husband's return home from his eighth evening shift in a row, all to enjoy one hour together, alone. An hour can be worth a lot of time.

3. I watched my little boy discover his love of reading for the first time, and I succeeded in recognizing what a blessing that moment was.

Welcome back Success!

So last week, along with the start of a New (School) Year, I resolved to be successful again, along with all the Ladies at Faith and Family Live.

And this week...

1. I am successfully getting this post up!

2. I successfully maintained an attitude of passive resignation, neither rejoicing when we were ahead last Friday, nor despairing when we were behind by the following Tuesday. We have a long year ahead and swollen legs, high fevers and wet panties will not cause me to waver yet!

3. I took down the cards and evicted the bunnies. But I still don't know what to do with them.

Small Successes

1. Once, when I wanted to check my email, I didn't. That was a big success. Maybe too big for this list...

2. I made lunch. I did not wave the white flag from the couch with the chorus of whimpers, coughs and achy groans. I waved it after the bowl of Ramen.

3. After turning out a massive chicken pot pie, I successfully hoarded a handful of pie trimmings, fighting off five children, one much larger than the others, with varying assaults of pleading, whining and occasional foot stamping, all to assemble an off the cuff apple pie cobbler turnover mess of crust and sugary apples. And what a success it was!

Check out Faith and Family's web site for other Successful Moms.

Small Successes

It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that.

1. Knowing that we should really have already recovered from the disorder the holidays inevitably bring, I successfully rewrote our daily schedule with a little less down time and little more domestic recovery time.

2. After rescheduling my life, I successfully ignored the little voice whispering in my ear about the toilet that could really use some attention, and faced the fact that a mound of ironing could make any other chore seem more important. Ironing was on the schedule, not toilets.

3. I successfully held my ground for one more week in the battle over the breakfast spoon. It means sitting by a hungry, stubborn, insistently self reliant one year old, and starting my day ten minutes later than I would like. But anything is better than chiseling crusty Malt-O-Meal off the floors and walls and cabinets and chairs...

Small Successes

1. I got used to a new phone. I did not want a new phone. I did want a new battery. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of sending my husband to the store for it. So, I got used to a new phone.

(I am sorry to those of you I accidentally hung up on this week.)

2. I bought something just for myself, AND, it wasn't at a resale shop, and it wasn't on sale, and no one else in the family can use it!
(So it was purchased with birthday money that was theoretically intended for personal purchases, and it is replacing a coat that is almost 9 years old, but FULL PRICE... my stomach churns just typing those two words.)

3. I put a little boy back to bed. I put a little boy back to bed without making eye contact, without talking, without hesitation, fifteen times in a day, four days this week. Today he is finally taking a nap again.

Small Successes

1. I did laundry on Monday, not Tuesday. Monday is laundry day. Tuesday is not.

2. I moved my wake up time back thirty minutes, and forced myself out of bed... within thirty minutes of it.

3. And finally, those dishes that taunt me every night, that won't quite fit in the dishwasher, but will only multiply if left for tomorrow's load, well, those dishes went to bed clean every night. It is so nice to wake up to clean dishes! (Next week, the kids!)

Small Successes: Felines

1. I successfully washed our bed sheets, bed skirt, pillow shams, throw pillows, duvet and comforter and returned all bed belongings to their proper places in the same day.*

2. Also that day, I emptied two closets of 85% of their possessions, cleaned, sorted, donated, trashed and organized them, before tucking them neatly out of sight, again, in the same day.*

3. The night preceding this day, I successful preserved the life of my former feline friend who chose the ease of a bathroom break somewhere in our bedroom rather than a trip outdoors; a choice made in obvious ignorance of the results of using such a potent smell to awaken my husband, whose 3:00 am solutions to a cat's misplaced urinal, although undoubtedly effective in prevention, are not always the most reasonable.

* The successes of this day are a result of the joint efforts of a highly motivated mother and father, a frozen casserole dinner, the first sunny day in weeks, a particularly engaging back yard mud puddle and a significant amount of grace.

Small Successes

1. I juggled a six, four, two and one year old in our classroom this week, and successfully managed to harmonize with the choral background music rather than the defiant rebellion of toddler curiosity so disruptively present in the foreground.

2. I ate lunch every day before 2:00; a success even if it did mean eating PB&J with the kids rather than hoping for something better later.

3. I found a minute; a few more than one really, but the first was well disguised. They have been disappearing over the last couple of years, and I finally discovered, after a critical examination of the "darn, I only have a couple minutes before . . ." statement , which so frequently resulted in an attitude of casual idleness, that an abundance of productivity was there in well camouflaged.
Amazingly, a toilet and sink can both be cleaned in the six and a half minutes before mass!




Read other moms' successes at Faith and Family Live!

Small Successes

1. Today. Surviving, that is.
(Three glasses of apple juice spilled in four hours, three full glasses; Two urinary malfunctions by a six month veteran of the toilet; One failed attempt to wait until the last minute, spoiled by a clumsy stool and clingy big boy underwear; One bathroom quarantined after a two year old's attempt to rectify the unexpected movement of his bowels; One set of play dishes washed with delight in the opened, unflushed toilet; And three unplanned baths)

2. Consuming only a glass and a half of wine this evening.

3. Getting this posted.

Small Successes... Revived

After the fourth person in three days called, just to check if any one was sick, or maybe I was a little overwhelmed, or shoot, did we just fall off the side of the planet, I realized we haven't been blogging in a while. In fact, you have all been waiting for the unveiling of our newest one year old's pictures for over a week, and admittedly, I realize a bit of wistfulness and denial could be involved with all this delay. But before I deal with that, I will lay the blame upon all these small successes which have been most successful in keeping me from blogging over the past few weeks.

1. I have implemented a morning exercise routine. This has far less to do with my concern over my appearance or physical well being, and a great deal more to do with the fact that a few weeks ago I was forced to put an unopened jar on the counter, wipe the sweat from my brow and still my exhaustedly shaking arms, defeated. Thankfully, my six year old son was there to open it for me, and sadly, in this there is no exaggeration.

2. I have managed to maintain an unusually high excitement level about the approaching school year, despite the large number of incomplete tasks. The glow in Peter's eye, that flares up any time someone asks when school starts, can not help but out shine all my stresses.

3. When my first little baby began toddling around the house, my husband and I declared that we would never be one of those families whose knees don't function properly from the repeated scramble up and over baby gates, only to arrive at the desired cabinet whose hardware is so entangled with plastic snapping gears, clamps and bands that after a fifteen minute struggle to set the dusting spray free you realize that baby Houdini is in the bathroom playing with the toilet cleaner, on the other side of the gate. No, our house would be free of those contraptions that were equal in their ability to elevate a parents blood pressure and a child's intelligence to master magician. BUT... after pulling Luci out of the kitchen chair four times, and off the table once, all in the course of wiping a single dish dry, we have enjoyed the taste of swallowed pride and the ache from gate hurdling knees.

Small Successes

1. I have accepted the uphill battle that a nine day trip to St. Louis can wage against the attempted, if never realized, level of sanity, order and general good will expected in our home. And therefore, every morning, I have successfully picked up yesterday's To-Do list and exclaimed, "well, at least we're saving paper because there is certainly no reason to write a new one!" without losing my peace.

2. I voluntarily offered my seat as the reigning "Guess Who" champion, having shut out the competition entirely after three fairly intense games, to go clean the toilet.
(It's amazing how difficult it can be at times to not guess the correct person.)

3. We have added an aspect of multicultural experience to the dinner table this week, by replacing our standard three Italian, two Mexican and one Wild Card meals with a Greek, a Swedish and an Asian entree. Best of all, this elevation of our cultural pallet was all prepared with the purchase of only five items from the store.

(Perhaps this is a greater testimony to my overstuffed cabinets than my thrifty culinary expertise.)

Small Successes

This week all of my successes came from one day.

1. I heard my alarm and jumped out of bed, not in search of the snooze button, but rather, the heroic minute.

2. Then, I planned my day, focusing my priorities on needs of the family not my desires to avoid the struggle of raising and lowering the ironing board every time my little one went to bed and woke up, or the tediousness of dusting and mopping while assisted by four little helpers.

3. Finally, I clung to my list, and allowed grace to perfect my day, so much as one's nature can be perfected in a single day's struggle against the flesh, that is.

That was a good day.

Small Successes

In my last set of posted Successes humility ruled, as I accepted the good as my best amidst all my limitations. So this week...

1. I got down on my hands and knees along with my new found laundry buddy, Fels Naptha, and laid out our duvet cover that has suffered so grievously over the past six years, primarily at the hands of naughty nappers and wayward toddlers. With great enthusiasm, Fels and I examined every inch of the king sized sheet, front and back, before sending it through the wash with six years of neglected childhood grime. But in the end, I realized it would have been best to have treated most of these stains years ago, but it was good that I washed the duvet.

2. Having received the "all is clear, unless it hurts of course," signal from the doctor last week, the kids and I ran from the house every morning to enjoy our reunion with the outside world, only to return in time for dinner and bed. My success in all of this was having a well planned week, with activities, snacks, lunch and dinner ready and waiting. A full tummy makes for a much happier toddler, even if he is exhausted from all our excursions.

3. I am not writing any more, so I can spend time with my husband...

Small Successes

This week I have been walking the line between the responsibilities I, as a mother, have to my children and the responsibilities my body, as a possessor of my foot, has to rest and healing. Given a child's need to run, jump and generally expel a large amount of energy restructuring their world, and the obvious contrast this has with taking one's ease and a general sense of order, has forced us all into a state of compromise. Thankfully, our Father is gracious to show his blessings in all things, and so I have been remembering something a friend told me recently, "don't let the best get in the way of the good." And so this week has been about humility in the good.

1. It would have been best to vacuum up the outside that had come in during the day, but it was good that I crawled around with a dust pan and broom to sweep up what I could while Luci slept.

2. It would have been best for me to cook dinner the other night, but it was good that we didn't spend money eating out but found an assortment of left overs in the fridge.

3. It would have been best for me to return my friends phone call, but it was good that I offered some of my work in prayer for her.

Small Successes

It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that.

1. I walked a crying baby at 4:30 am instead of nursing her, AFTER having already been up twice with two wet beds and a missing pacifier.

2. I went to the doctor this week upon her urgent orders, requesting only that I could finish sweeping up my pile of dirt in the kitchen first. And I did not get upset, after being sent back to the "blue room," when I discovered I was in line behind a dog and horse. Although I was relieved to learn the doctor could not find a heart beat in my abdomen, and my ears had neither an ear confession nor bugs in them. I can not say as much for the dog. In the end, the interruption was far more pleasant than driving across town, and my budding physician was delighted to have someone besides a brother and his toys to assist.

3. I waited until 1:00 pm to write this, my designated time.

Small Successes

1. I walked a mile in someone else' shoe. Someone with very poor fashion sense.


My sprain from last Monday turned out to be an avulsion fracture of one of the foot bones. Thankfully, only another couple miles should be required of my new attire, before I can hobble on my own.

2. I called for help. Not vocally. Not even literally, I guess. My husband dialed the numbers. But when it was clear ankle, boots and crutches were more than my husband and I could handle, we called in the Calvary and repressed my desire to keep all my balls in the air on my own.

Thank you for all your help, mom, you have been amazing!

3. We played Slap Jack instead of putting the kids to bed. They did eventually find their beds, but one big boy was much happier knowing his promised game was not postponed yet another day.

Small Successes

1. I persevered through the sweet pleading of my two year old, even ignoring the single tear rolling down his cheek despite my aching mother's heart, to follow through with a punishment I knew my doodle Dan needed. Thankfully, I was able to find a time to award him the denied cookie later that day.

2. I made a decision about our homeschool curriculum for next year. Decisions are not my expertise, considering every detail of each option from all angles, is.

3. I did not make one correction, suggestion or interjection while my husband prepared dinner for us and allowed me to rest my sprained ankle. He did quite well. Thanks my dear.