Gold stars

I am a stay at home mom. Taking care of my kiddo, my husband and my home is the sum total of my responsibilities.... And yet today I felt like I deserved a gold star for doing just that. Today I had a sniffly hubby and a snotty kid (of the mucous, not the attitudinal variety). I fed them breakfast, ran some errands, and chatted to my Mom on the phone. Then, during Teg's nap, I did the dishes, 2 loads of laundry, washed and polished the bathrooms and kitchen floors, washed and waxed the car, did some Bible Study prep on Ecclesiastes since I'll be teaching it next month... and still managed to take a 30 minute nap. (Granted, Teg napped longer than usual today, but still...)

If I were this productive EVERY day... who knows how different life would be! Creative meals and gifts would probably be made. My child's art and memorabilia would be sorted in folders with lovingly written notes from me marking different stages of her development instead of being in a crudely-crafted box labelled "Teg". My photos would be better edited, and thus prettier to look at. My house would be cleaner, and I would write more letters.

But the truth is, I'm NOT that productive most days. So on days like today, I feel like I deserve a gold star just for doing what really is my daily responsibility. But I live in a miniature world of incentives and stickers: so I awarded myself a virtual gold star anyway and got Teg to join in the domestic fun this evening chopping vegetables (hers are wooden, by the way), so she could earn one too :-)