We Bought a Farm: What the World Says

With Hannah down for a nap, and the older three playing gleefully outside, I decided to sit down and blog for a moment.

(This was in-between filling up the ducks' water container and needing to switch the hose over to the geese's neighboring container.)

I realized that it was 3pm, and the world may have said I had gotten very little accomplished.

No major awards were won.
No contracts signed.
No events were attended.
Nothing big crossed off any list.

And so I sat here, in front of my keyboard, a place I have always felt so incredibly comfortable, and realized that my day as a mom, as a teacher, as a farmer's wife, is filled with tiny little things.

Very, very little things.

And unless I look at all of those tiny little things very closely, I can forget that anything was done at all.

So today, I decided to make a list. For myself. To make sure I can remember this years from now.

Today, as of 3pm, I:

• Made breakfast for myself.
• Made breakfast for four little kiddos.
• Had a "business meeting" with our Intern, Dan.
• Said good bye to my husband as he began an 11am-11pm shift.
• Read two chapters in my current favorite series. 
• Helped move the chicken tractors and chased down three wayward chicken souls.
• Did the breakfast run for the ducks and geese, guineas, pigs, and sheep.
• Went for a one mile run on the hilly farm.
• Did two loads of laundry.
• Read about a dozen books with Hannah. (Something that is on my "goal" list every day.)
• Successfully completed piano lessons x 3 (Isaac, Sidge, and me) with Ms. Leslie.
• Made lunch for myself.
• Made lunch for four little kiddos.
• Got Hannah down for a nap.
• Broke up at least seven major arguments and forty-seven minor arguments.
• Put on two bandaids.
• Helped the boys get about two-thirds of their school work done.
• Took an hour rest with Abigail.

And as it nears 4pm, there is still so much to do. Abigail has ballet, and with our Intern Dan tied up at the last minute (He told me this by prefacing it with, "I know how much you hate having things change at the last minute ...." :), I need to do the animal run this evening as well. I really canNOT put off baths even one more night, and dinner is thawing out on the counter.

We have purposefully chosen this life, a less busy life, as our busy-ness is here ... together ... doing what we love. But it is still a very full life and one in which, each day, I must take a great deep breath and try to only look at one small sliver of the pie at a time, lest I get overwhelmed before I even begin.

And I have to remind myself that while the world may say my life is a bit empty of accomplishments and awards ...

There is nothing else I would rather be doing.