Small Successes {comeback}

Oh boy... I've been in a rut as of late.  

I feel like I can't catch up with my life and my mantra has become "I can't get anything done"!

I think it all started on December 1st when 2 of the girls came down with our first bout of Influenza.  Yes, I said "first bout" because we were lucky enough to get two different strains of Influenza this year... A & B!  Throw in a few other respiratory viruses, a stomach bug, a nursing strike that never ended, and lots of teething torture and you get a crazy few months of nonstop sickness-induced chaos!  

I never do sick well... it causes me all kinds of anxiety and sleeplessness.  And we don't sleep in this house to start with!  So the sleeplessness and sicknesses has got me feeling like I can't catch up and need to regain control of my chaotic household.

That being said, I also tend to focus on the things that are not getting done and fail to recognize that everyday, at a minimum, my children are fed, clothed, and basically cared for.  It's that whole pessimism thing that I can't seem to shake!  

As I was thinking about my day today, feeling completely fatigued and exhausted again, I realized that I have actually accomplished a few things in the past few days... even though I complain every single day that "I never get anything done"!  The complaining thing is another thing I am trying to work on {stay tuned}!  

So I've decided it is time for a comeback of the Small Successes posts; a means to force myself to realize that I am making progress.  Maybe focusing on small successes will help me to see that I am actually achieving something on these long, winter days of stay-at-home-motherhood... and maybe they will help me to stop complaining that "I can't catch up!"  Because I'm pretty sick of myself right about now :)

So without further ado, my Small Successes from the past week:

{Purged and Wiped Down Pantry}
I majorly purged and reorganized my pantry last January right before Abby's birth.  I could not believe how much clutter accumulated in there again in a matter of a year.  So today, I re-purged and actually cleaned all the shelves and the floor.  Major improvement.  Next on the list... the interior of my oven.  I won't embarrass myself by saying how long that has gone without being cleaned, but I will say that I'm not really sure how to even clean an oven ;)

{Made 2 Snowmen with my Kids}
We finally got a real snowfall in Kansas!  I really just wanted to let the kids go out in it by themselves so I could "get something done" during Abby's brief nap.  But I surrendered and attempted my first ever snowman build.  I've been present during snowman builds as a child, but this was the first time I was the lead builder... with no man in sight!  I was pretty proud and the kids were super happy which made my frostbit fingers and toes worth it.  We even had a bonafide snowball fight!

{Took Valentine Decor down and Put it in Storage}
After Christmas, I couldn't bear to take my candy mantel completely down.  It was just too much work.  So I changed the green candy to pink and added some other Valentine candies to keep it working through Valentines Day.  After 2 1/2 months though... I was ready for it to be gone and for the mantel to be thoroughly cleaned!  And so it finally got done this week.  I put up a few Spring-ish things until I can get motivated to decorate for Easter.  But the fact that the candy is packed up and the mantel has been given a good dusting makes me breath better!  Yes, I'm weird like that.  

{Redid Bookcase}
After taking down the Christmas decor, I re-did this little black bookcase in my kitchen.  New and different always equals better in my opinion!

{Made & Hung These}
Ahhh!  Girls room decor... another area in which I could scream "I never get anything done"!  After a year, the rooms are still not complete.  BUT in the spirit of recognizing small successes, I did put chicken wire on the back of these frames and hung them on the wall.  They are still in need of some more embellishment and I need something else to hang on top of the top one and... Small Success... they are hung!

{Did This}
I didn't take a "before" shot of this drawer, but let's just say that the reason I decided to tackle it was because every time I tried to open it, it got stuck.  It's houses a whole bunch of semi-necessary and semi-often used "stuff".  A "junk drawer", I suppose.  With the help of some Target Dollar Spot containers, it is now it's a "junk drawer" that opens easily with substantially less junk... Small Success! 

{A Few More Pictureless Successes}
1.  Washed the bathroom rugs.
2.  Washed out the inside of the "gadget drawer" in the kitchen.
3.  Dumped out all of my make up brushes and cleaned the container that holds them.
4.  Was on time to dance class.
5.  Went to dinner with a friend.
6.  Took a shower everyday (except today).
7.  Made a menu plan and shopped for it (didn't stick to it, but again... focus on the small...)
8.  Ironed uniform shirts I was behind on
9.  Went to bible study for the first time since before Christmas.  
10. Was the first one to arrive at #9 bible study (that is major major!)

Wow!  I think I like this form of therapy :)