Life is like cooking...

Every have one of those days where you feel like you did so much, but in reflecting on your day, you can't think of a single thing you did?

As a mother, I find myself thinking that often.  But today it dawned on me.  My realization as to why that happens and how I can change it.

I love to cook and I realized that everything on my to do list can be looked at as a recipe.

There is the prep, the cooking, the meal, and the clean up.

In those 4 actions, which ones do you get credit for?  If someone asked you at the end of the day, "what did you do today" what would you answer?  Which ones make you feel like you've accomplished something today?

The answer is only one.  It's the meal.

Do you get credit for prepping for a meal and not making it?  Do you get credit for burning a meal and can't eat it?  After the meal is eaten do you get credit for cleaning the kitchen?  The answer is no.

So in reflecting on my day today, I have chosen to acknowledge that maybe I haven't made a lot of "meals" today, but spending time "prepping" for homemade Christmas gifts or "finishing" the laundry all count in my recap of my day.

If I find I don't have a lot of meals in my day.  I find things on my to do list which have short prep and clean up time.  I have a 10 minute organizing column. The column lists all the areas of the house that I can spend 10 minutes organizing (ie. cubbards, closets, toy chest).  If all else fails, I can throw a 10 minute organizing session in my day, my cubbards and closets get a little TLC and I can feel like I accomplished something.