Small Success Thursday – Share Yours!
By - Posted on May 17, 2012
Small Success Thursday
Only today, I didn’t feel like I made much progress. The bills are sitting in a huge pile, dwarfed only by the laundry that covers two couches and is on top of the dryer that is being replaced on Friday for not working; it is overflowing. The paperwork to be filed has sat neatly in the study untouched for two weeks. The vacuum upstairs quit after 8 seconds and then wouldn’t work for 3 hours. Apparently cleaning my carpet is the equivalent of riding a bull at the Texas Rodeo. My dishwasher needs to be unloaded so I can reload and the car needs its oil change…and has needed it for at least 857 miles. Sigh. Today, I felt the clutter won. I’d made my list and you know what? I still didn’t want to tackle it….at all. I want to say, “Bleah.”
Then my five year old called me to the kitchen. Train’s “Drive By” was on the radio and she insisted we have an impromptu dance party. She, my 16 month old and I rocked out for a song and the piles and chores fell away in that moment. The five minute kitchen abandonment made the rest of it doable. Their laughter and faces broke through the boredom.
So hang in there. Even if all your appliances quit on you, even if there are scads of annoying errands to manage, do those small things, like reading stories, playing crazy 8, going for a walk with your kids or getting a shower (heavens). Little things with great love do make all of life bearable and even bring about the greater joy and success you were hoping for in the long run. The yoke becomes easier, the burden lighter, even if the to do list isn’t yet done. It really does.
So this week:
1) We celebrated our son’s first communion Saturday. It was lovely!
2) Took my daughter to get her finger checked. (She slammed it in a car door). It’s not broken. (Sigh of huge relief).
3) Made it to confession.
4) Worked on Helen (on page 221) and did more research/reading.
5) Threw out the broken vacuum that seems to work great when I’ve lugged it to the store (twice) for repairs but give me two minutes tops of labor when I put them to the test at home. I also tossed two broken fans. (Why did I keep these? I don’t know…but no longer…adieu to the three of them). I feel better with them just sitting waiting to go away in the trash.
Leave your list on your blog and list your blog in the comments or leave your small successes in the comment section itself and thanks for being part of Small Success Thursday!
Editor’s note: Congratulations to commenter “DK” who is our winner of the first Small Success prize package. Be on the lookout for a new SS Thursday contest very soon! LMH
Copyright 2012 Sherry Antonetti
Great successes, Sherry! I love your comment about the dance party making all the work doable!
Here are my successes for this week:
http://threeblessingsacademy.blogspot.com/2012/05/small-successes_17.html
Thank you for sharing your experiences. I feel encouraged!
My greatest small success this week was welcoming home my college age son who is with us for a few weeks before heading off to NYC for a summer internship. Some of my other successes included:
1. Cooking dinner for our family most nights this week (a major coup for me)
2. Shepherding my high school son through finals week — last final today! Hooray!!
3. Making major strides in the re-launch of our website.
4. Enjoying Mother’s Day with my Mother in law.
Here’s to another great week ahead!
YAY! Great job, Lisa; and the site looks wonderful!
My successes this week, small indeed:
1. Watering the garden and flowers every single day.
2. Fixing the screen on the back porch that the cats tore down.
3. Taking on a huge new project without any freaking out (and with lots of smiles and graces and laughter).
If the project is what I think it is, I’d count that as a big success!
Ran (mostly) 7.5 miles this week. Not all same day and not fast enough, but I did it.
Stayed mostly carbless this week.
Drove a zillion miles to be with a friend at her mother’s memorial. (Really it was only 150 miles, but in the pouring rain it felt like a zillion)
Wow. I’m encouraged and impressed. Going to try to run at least one mile this week.
Thanks for the inspiration. Here’s my success story : http://www.sonofbosco.com/2012/05/small-success-thursday.html
Dude, I especially like #2… and the baby.
lol, I thought it seemed appropriate.
Great successes, Sherry. Congratulations to your son!
Here are mine: http://kareninmommyland.blogspot.com/2012/05/small-successes-may-17th.html
Karen — you’ve inspired me to do some cleaning this week and get some of my boys’ old clothes donated…
It’s nice to hear someone else feels somewhat overwhelmed sometimes! My successes for the week.
1. Rode my bike a couple of times this week, as well as early morning excercising a couple of days.
2.Found a small cast iron skillet at the Salvation Army that I used today for the first time and I LOVE it already. (and it was even 1/2 price!)
3.Got my kitchen counter almost completely clutter free this morning.
Love love love cast iron, especially at a great price!
Cast iron is the best way ever to cook any meat. I love mine. Love love love…
makes great sliders.
So glad her finger wasn’t broken after all! As you know, I’ve been doing the housekeeping boot camp, which has pretty much settled to Laura and me skyping while we clean house. Very small victory, that; I’d hoped to have more folks coming by, but Monday was good for the five who came, and my house will be fully deep-cleaned tomorrow except for shampooing carpets, I think.
My other successes:
1. Posted on my blog asking for votes on a blurb for my newest book. (Help me out–vote at http://fabianspace.blogspot.com and enter to win a book, too)
2. Send a query letter to an agent (at the behest of my friend, Jane Lebak)
3. Agreed to blog on catholicmom.com on droid aps. (Not sure why Sarah didn’t count this as a victory, as she roped me into it!)
4. Attended a phone-in marketing seminar.
5. Did a right-handed cartwheel for the first time in 30 or more years. (Small victory because I need to do a left-handed cartwheel for haidong gumbdo.)
Today, I’ll consider it a victory if I can clean the bathroom and polish the outdoor lamps.
You’re my hero. I tried doing the monkey bars after a hiatus of more than 20 years, busted my knee (when I was 32), so after that, I’ve been a bit gunshy of ever trying to show that once upon a time, I knew how to move.
I’m so glad this has been resurrected/relocated! It’s good to really think about what I’ve accomplished in the past week, even if they’re small. Sometimes it seems like keeping everyone fed and clothed is all I’ve done! I’ll try to share a few small successes every week.
http://mfamily08.blogspot.com/2012/05/small-successes-at-catholicmom.html
Yay for First Communions! That will be on my list next year.
I’m in major nesting mode at my place — head over and check it out!
http://thekennedyadventures.com/2012/05/finally-nesting-small-successes/
http://growinggarcias.blogspot.com/2012/05/better-late-than-never.html
My small successes are small indeed, but in my world they count big:
1. eating apples instead of chips between meals, especially as I cook dinner
2. managing to get the new truck for the day, instead of the resident truck hog…..alias, my knight-in-shining armour!
3. Switching out my winter clothes for the warm-seasoned clothes.
4. Praying the rosary for my children daily for the past week.
Blessings all!
God bless your First Communicant Son, Sherry! How exciting!
Love to imagine you and your kids be-bopping around the kitchen! How sweet! You can read about our Small Successes here:
http://thankfulwoman.blogspot.com/2012/05/small-successes_17.html
I just discovered this blog, and I’m totally inspired. Thank you!
Here are my small successes this week:
1) Canned strawberry jam for the first time ever.
2) Planted the first installment of plants for the garden.
3) Played outside wih the kids every day.
4) Didn’t yell at the kids at all today! (This one is embarrassing to admit, but I can have a short temper. Working on it!!!)
1). Completed my ten day cleanse!!! Lost 6 lbs
2). Went to the gym twice and did cardio during boys soccer practice
3). Went to Cleveland to visit my mom and hubby’s mom last Sunday. It was a good day.