one by one

"A great life is the sum total of all the worthwhile things you've been doing one by one." —RICHARD BACH

I saw this quote via Compendium today. And I thought of all the mothering things I did "one by one" that comprised my day.

8 a.m.: Blast-o-Poop #1 courtesy Max ... followed by bath.

8:45 a.m.: Got Hannah on the bus. We love that girlie!

9 a.m.: Blast-o-Poop #2 courtesy Max ... followed by bath.

11 a.m.: Blast-o-Poop #3 courtesy Max ... followed by bath. Really - baths were necessary for all of these.

11:05 a.m.: Discovered huge puddle of bubble bath soap on carpet in playroom ... courtesy Max. Finally found all the parts to the steam-vac to try and suck up the suds.

11:30 a.m.: Headed to the eye doc to get Abe's glasses adjusted (since he had bent them so they wouldn't stay up anymore! arg!). The gal fixed them so well.

12:00 p.m. Had a last outing with Abe before he starts school tomorrow. We love that fun kiddo!

1:30 p.m. Blast-o-Poop #4 courtesy Max ... followed by bath. Naptime. Please - no more stinky blast-o-poops.

2:30 p.m. - ummmmm, no nap for Max I guess.

6:30 p.m. - Dinner. Not the tastiest, but it was food.

7:00 p.m. Blast-o-Poop #5 courtesy Max ... followed by bath.

"One by one" I'm accomplishing small and simple yet "worthwhile" tasks as a mother. There were lots of snuggles and kissies and smiles amidst the chaos. But I honestly have been a grouch-pot over all the little annoyances.

Overall, I know I can change my attitude and see that it's all part of the job of Motherhood.... I'll take all the goober MOMENTS/days as long as the lovely MOMENTS/days keep comin'.

I loved the following story about a mom who felt overwhelmed and wondered how she could live the gospel fully when she felt she spent most of her life tidying up after kids, cleaning up kitchen messes, giving baths to babies, etc... At the end of a long day she realized that in many ways her life was full of living gospel principles - within her own family.

She said, "I could see my day replay in my mind—full of feeding the hungry, doing laundry to clothe the naked (I changed Caden’s outfit multiple times), gently caring for our sick baby, helping our five-year-old prepare a family home evening lesson on missionary work, and then discussing the power of example with my family—in other words, helping people spiritually and temporally." Carolynn R. Spencer, Ensign, July 2009, 71

Some Encouragement:

"Today is a great day to be alive. The world is filled with positive possibilities, and those possibilities grow more numerous with each passing moment. Sure, there are challenges and disappointments and frustrations. And within those challenges, within those disappointments, are some of the greatest possibilities.

Today is a great day to be alive because today you can make things happen. You can set a goal, chart a course, take stock of your situation and use it to create new value. Pay no attention to those who claim to know how things will be. Your future is yours to determine, and this is the day to make it great.

You don't need anyone's permission to live with joy and fulfillment. You don't need to wait for certain circumstances to line up in a specific way.

For today is a great day to be alive, to be productive, to be effective and to fulfill your best possibilities. And now is the moment to enthusiastically get busy making it all happen." - Author Unknown

Bathtub Photo by Sesame Ellis