Gotta be proud of something

Today I:

1. Woke up about 6:30,
2. Started a load of laundry
3. Made smoothies for the girls and my breakfast, 
4. Took Little One potty (she peed in the REAL potty!), got her breakfast
5. Took a mile walk with Baby Girl
6. Used the weed eater to do the whole yard and around the house
7. Finished edging the front yard
8. Took the kids to the playground
9. Had second breakfast (convinced Little One to eat more too!)
10. Read a bible story to Baby Girl, helped her draw a picture to go with it
11. Helped lots of kids with lots of other educational 'stuff'
12. Did more laundry, and dishes
13. Cleaned the bathroom during one of 4 trips little one took to the potty (peed in it one more time, twice in a diaper)
14. Made lunch
15. Dealt with around 20 emails (scout/4H stuff) Only 10 to go!
16. Wrote a blog post (soon to be two, once this is done)

Is it really already 1:30pm?

Now on the one hand, that is a long exhausting list, but on the other hand, it is just my job.  Folk don't generally get medals for doing their jobs, especially if they left 5 loads of laundry on the couch to be folded, and a kitchen floor in desperate need of being mopped, and lets not discuss the state of the bedroom, nor the piles of mending, and ....Ok I am going to stop now.

So what inspired this boring list?  Yesterday Dude and I had a conversation about how I manage to get stuff done without drifting off into daydreams.  I really don't have a simple answer or trick.  But I do know I want to get lots of things done, I generally only take on jobs I want to do.  (or at least want the results of, I may not want to clean but I want a clean house).  And I take pride in my work.  Not the shout from the roof tops 'Hey I am cool!' but the simpler pat on the back, or take a break with some chocolate after a job well done.

I am trying to encourage Dude, and all the kids, to look at what they have done with pride, and yet still focus on doing better for the rest.  I don't generally blog, or post on FB what I have done, but I do occasionally list it for myself to see if I am using my 24 hours as wisely as I can.  (or at least not as poorly as I have been known to -ever have one of those, in my pjs surfing the net and scarfing chocolate for no good reason days?)  I also try to find those moments of wasted time and see how I can shrink them, or put them to better use, or at the very least notice them!  (If i am sitting still doing nothing useful, I had better be enjoying it!)

Now I am off to deal with a few more things on my todo list.  Looking forward to the feeling of accomplishment that comes with a job well done.  Hope one day my kids will know it too.