Small Successes

Celebrating the little things in life that add up.

Clearly time likes to slow down when life becomes slightly more challenging. This past week certainly felt like it lasted a week.

1. I survived Bryan's latest business trip. Let me just say that I never enjoy his business trips. All of the little things he does with the kids when he's home really make a big difference in my workload. There's nothing like a few days without him to really highlight just how much he does. Of course, on the flip side, the house is always much neater while he's gone, but I'll admit I'd take the mess over his absence any day.

2. I managed to get caught up with the laundry. I really need to keep on top of it. On Saturday we had quite the mountain of laundry at the bottom of the basement steps. (Yes, I have heard of baskets, but when you live in a house where everyone just drops their dirty clothes wherever, it's easier to just toss everything down the steps where it can be sorted into baskets. Plus, it's harder for my husband and the kids to "miss" when they're throwing something down the steps as opposed to in a basket.)

3. I got more Christmas preparations completed. The Christmas cards arrived on Monday and I have them sealed in their envelopes. I ordered the stamps on Tuesday and I'm going to buy ink for the printer (for the mailing labels) today or tomorrow. The vast majority of my holiday shopping is now complete. I need to buy something little for Bryan, a few things for my brother, stocking stuffers and a gift card and then I'm done. I have wrapped just about everything that has been delivered so far. I can't believe I'm so close to meeting my goal of being done by Thanksgiving.

Bonus 1: I remembered to buy canned goods and non-perishables for my girls to bring to school and their CCD classes for the collections they're doing. Usually I forget and have to rummage through our cabinets [which don't often have canned goods] at the last minute. As long as I remember to send them in with the canned goods we're good to go.

Bonus 2: About two hours before my husband's plane landed last night, our dishwasher started making funny sounds. I was bracing myself for the business trip disaster that hadn't befallen us this time. I shut it off and waited for Bryan to get home (after starting and stopping it and checking inside several times). As soon as he got home I started it back up and amazingly, it ran just fine. I don't know what it is about him, but electronic things tend to go nuts when he's on a business trip. He returns and the universe comes back into alignment. Not sure what it is about him.