Gold-Star Sticker Day!

Yesterday was unremarkable for the most part.  I woke up, I did what I needed to do, I did what I wanted to do, and then I spent some time with my husband before going to bed.
Sounds pretty bland, right? Well anyone that has kids -especially little kids -knows that a day like the one I just described sounds HEAVENLY.
Of course it wasn’t perfect. I had my share of fits (both on their end and mine when they wouldn’t listen), spills, screams… but I found myself at the end of day tugging on the ends of the bow on my apron, blowing the smoke on my finger-gun and saying, “I was BORN for this.”

We get paid at the end of the week, and we’re running out of everything. Literally. For the past three paychecks, I haven’t been using our food budget JUST for food. We’ve had to eek a little out for this and that, and as a result I have an astronomical grocery list sitting on my fridge.
But you know what?
There is so much food in my house! I don’t credit myself for this BY ANY MEANS. I know it’s a blessing because I’ve been handed this blessing innumerable times in the past, but as I cleaned the table and got it ready for dinner
…did the dishes
…changed a diaper
…made a birthday cake
…made phone calls
…ran errands
…went for a walk
…played with the kids who were attacking each other with chocolate frosting
…finally picked my book back up and started WRITING
…whipped up some chicken-fried steak (don’t you HATE digging into your year’s supply? Hee hee.)
…visited with family

I stood a little taller.

THIS is my dream. THIS is what I want to do. THIS is what comes naturally to me.

On Sunday, I was able to listen to my husband’s brother speak. He just got home from his mission in Alabama, and his talk was absolutely amazing. He spoke about a man who once drove a race car and was given the advice, “Don’t look at the rocks. Don’t look at the trees. Focus on the road and your car will go where your focus is.” He then related the same advice to us, “Your life will go where your focus is.”
With that in mind, I picked up my writing again. I took a hiatus from writing for those oh-so-personal reasons that we don’t splatter on the Internets (surprise! my life isn’t 100% open book! Look at me and my mysteriousness. Ooooh), and yesterday -thanks to Dusty’s talk -I picked it up again. I brought my focus back.

And guess what? At the end of the day, after the kids were asleep and I fought to keep my eyes open to blog my cream custard cake filling recipe… my husband came in to where I was blogging, wrapped his arms around me, picked me up off the couch (blogging can wait) and offered me the nicest back massage a girl’s ever been given.
It was his way of putting a gold star on my behavioral chart (joke) (mostly). While he rubbed my back, I thought ‘I’d kill for a foot rub…’ and because he’s a Jedi Mind Reader, I got a foot rub too.

Here’s to another gold star day.
Here’s to overcoming empty pantries, lying toddlers (stinks!), chocolate cravings, and self-doubt.
Here’s looking at us.
Here’s to blowing smoke on our finger guns.
We are BORN for this!

Have a gold star day yourself, won’t you?