Let me do my work from day to day,
In fields or forests, at the desk or loom,
In roaring market place or tranquil room.
Let me find it in my heart to say,
When vagrant wishes beckon me astray,
“This is my work – my blessing, not my doom –
Of all who live I am the only one by whom
this work can best be done in my own way.”
Then I shall see it, not too great or small,
To suit my spirit and arouse my powers.
Then shall I cheerfully greet the laboring hours,
And cheerfully turn, when long shadows fall
at eventide, to play and love and rest,
Because I know for me my work was best.

Henry Van Dyke

I got *a lot* done today. Forgive me a list of accomplishments.

• Cleaned girls’ room despite their lack of interest/assistance
  • The lack of interest proved useful by allowing me to actively (not secretively) thin their playthings.
• Tidied (that work looks wrong…) all the back of the house
• Vacuumed the (finally!) cleared floors in back of house
• Directed the girls’ finishing their daily chore (emptying dishwasher)
• Defused numerous spats related to being tired and feeling “deprived” at not being able to play or go outside while they dragged their feet over getting their room finished.
• Read with the girls

This all before noon. At noon, two little cousins arrived and began round two of my day

• Babysat two extra kids for an hour– played outside with two babies and three preschoolers, got some great pix.
• Made and supervised lunch
• Read-to and got all three kids to nap at once
• Cleaned both bathrooms
• Swept kitchen and dining room (this has been daily through Spring season– I am very thankful for our new laminate floors)
• Mopping kitchen and dining room (desperately needed)

All this cleaning was at the direct expense of cooking– I had nothing planned/ready for dinner and we ended up snacking/convenience-fooding our way through the evening.

But I really didn’t mind.

All this on top of yesterday’s accomplishment of getting *all* the laundry washed and folded has left me tired (a little) but very pleased with what I’ve accomplished.