Sense of Accomplishment

I think as a mother, it’s hard to measure your success. Sure, when your child is 18 and walking across the stage at high school graduation, you can pat yourself on the back, but that’s a ways off and sometimes I think we could all use some encouragement along the way to keep us motivated. When I did stop to think about what I’ve accomplished lately, the things that sprung to mind were better that I expected.

So here is my top ten accomplishments so far this year…a mid-year review if you will.

-I’ve successfully taught OBB to say Bless You whenever someone sneezes, hold doors for people and be kind to his little sister (for the most part).

-I’ve managed to get baby girl to sleep through the night, stop sucking her thumb, eat food without spitting it all back at me and start working on drinking from a cup.

-I’ve got OBB potty-trained during the day, both ways, and have him asking to go (in time enough to get there) even when we’re not in the house and around town.

-We’ve started living on a strict budget in our house and for the most part, we’re sticking to it. At the end of every month, we review what’s gone on during the past 30 days and each time, we’re getting better at it.

-I’ve learned how to get two children down for naps at the same time every afternoon.

-I’ve taken in a completely neurotic, depressed and somewhat shell-shocked dog and through many hours (read years) of petting, loving, cuddling, and reassuring, she has emerged a loving family pet who sounds like she’s going to tear your head off when you ring our doorbell, but in the next moment will let OBB cover her in blankets without moving from her spot on the floor and will let the baby grab her ears till it hurts.

-I’ve become an expert translator for all the things OBB says – which is a lot these days.

-I have successfully prevailed on the Big Bad Blue Insurance Company to pay all of my son’s speech therapy claims.

-I have seen my children through 4 ear infections, a bought of stomach flu, one surgery, Strep throat, lots and lots of teething and various head injuries.

-I feel like I finally have a handle on mothering two kids. It only took 10 months. From the initial fear of having everyone go back to work or home after the baby was born and being in the house with them by myself, to juggling two little ones’ demands and a whining dog at the same time, I think I’ve come to a place where I’m confident in my skills to manage them (most days).

So there you go. My little accomplishment list. Do I have “areas for improvement”? Oh yes I do. Lots of them. But if you can’t take time to see where you’ve been and how far you’ve come, sometimes striking out on the road ahead can be daunting.

For the moment, I’m just looking forward to my mid-year bonus that I will receive this week….a special date night out with my husband at a real restaurant where children are discouraged and adult conversation flows without interruption…where candles are lit, napkins are cloth and your meal arrives in courses.