Quarantine Life Isn’t So Bad!

Quarantine Life Isn’t So Bad!

by | Mar 27, 2020 | Anxiety, Coping with Stress, Depression, Family, Family Health, Lifestyle, Motherhood, Motivation, Parenting, Self Care

While everyone in the world is giving their “Quarantine” updates to the world, I thought I’d just give you an update in ours… our normal life, routine… our chaos. 😊

I am thankful for the other bloggers out there, who are telling their stories of how they are surviving the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic, and the quarantine life that they are now living. It gives hope to the rest of the people out there who are struggling to keep their emotions in check, their head above water, and their sanity… period!

I, however, have been silent mostly because I have had to stay strong for myself, my kids, and my family on the frontlines.

My older three boys were excited at first, when they heard that there would be a break from school. This comes as no surprise to those who know us well, because I have two boys who struggle and would rather not attend the brick and mortar schools for their education.

It was vacation, early!

They went to school on Monday, March 9, 2020, to receive their packets and have a final day with their classmates and teachers. When they got off the bus that afternoon, they were under the impression that they would be out until March 31, 2020. I let them believe that would be their reality… for a time.

I knew otherwise.

It was only the beginning.

The reality was that, I knew it would be longer than the end of March before we saw and end to the crisis our world is enduring, but we are in a tunnel. A dark tunnel, with no end in sight just yet.

Things are so different, and yet they are the same.

We get up, dress for the day, eat breakfast. I clean, do dishes, laundry, and scroll FB or news pages, to see the latest in the world. The kids play games, read something, do a page or two of their school packets, and play more. On warm days they play outside. On the cooler days (like today) they hang out indoors.

It’s like summer vacation, but with some extra academics they would normally leave behind until August.

In my home, with my family, our world isn’t entirely different during this “social distance” time of our lives. Yes, some things are different, but overall, we are doing the same things we have done for years in our little world.

And yet, the difference (for almost everyone) is this:

We aren’t scrolling social media with our normal ideas in mind. We are looking for the latest cases of a virus, new positive tests, where they are, new deaths, new recoveries.

We are looking for our state governors press conferences, giving us updates for our areas, and what new restrictions we may have to endure.

We wait for the Presidential press conference where he gives us a national update, updates from FEMA, FDA, medical and other professional updates for the entire country as a whole.

We find memes that make light of our situation, give us laughs, smiles, and humor in our trying times.

We find people talking about how they are helping their fellow man in need during these trying times.

We see good and bad everywhere, and hope to find an end to this tunnel we are in.

People have opinions about the virus itself, how others are handling it, supplies for the medical world, necessities for the population, and so on.

I have read many opinions, watched many press conferences, and listened to many people speak about the pandemic, the struggle, and its affect on the entire world.

And I sit in my house, with my children, as any normal day…

And I smile.

What have I to smile about? I’m so glad you asked!

The past few weeks my boys and I have had many conversations. I have heard their fears, their adjustments, their perspective on things, and their dreams for their futures.

We have read books, played games, put some puzzles together, cooked some (very) unique meals together, made brownies, muffins, and even FIXED my stove issue I’ve had for months!

We have cleaned up a large portion of our yard that looked rough for quite some time, and planted seeds for a garden we are excited to see grow this year.

We have played with the babies, A LOT, and shared so many giggles, laughs, smiles, and fun that I have found this entire situation to be one of the biggest blessings for myself, my children, and my home.

My soul needed some searching time, and I got it!

My heart needed some cleansing time, and I got it!

My mind needed some new creativity time, and I got it!

My children needed more time with me, and we got it!

I understand that cabin fever is an issue, and we have dealt with it a little already.

But the world is still turning, the sun is still rising and setting, and the one thing we have in our favor right now is time. It’s still moving, which is great, because as it passes answers are being found, steps are being taken, and once time passes and this is a thing of our past, we will have many things to look back on… memories only, of the tragedy, the crisis, the pandemic that changed our lives… if we let it.

And I have let it. I have let change creep into my world, change for the better. And in this life, that is what matters.

Much Love,

Becca

Stop! Take some “Me Time”

Stop! Take some “Me Time”

by | Mar 3, 2020 | Anxiety, Back To School, Coping with Stress, Depression, Family Health, Lifestyle, Motherhood, Motivation, Parenting, Self Care

As a mother, I find that I rarely take time for myself. It’s all about the kids in my life, and I am more than happy to have this role!

As a Single Mother, though, I tend to lose myself more often than not and it takes a toll on me physically, mentally, and emotionally from time to time.

From the rising of the sun we are go, go, go.

Kids up, showered, ready for their buses to school. If they miss said buses, hurry and get a hold of the grandparents next door to make sure they noticed the bus leaving without one or more children… Yes, folks. This is my life.

After everyone is off to school, whether on a bus or in a grandparent vehicle, it is time to tend to the twinsies.

Babies fed and cared for, on to household chores while they entertain themselves with their fun toys and flashy, loud music things.

Dishes, laundry, clean, break for coffee (probably the second or third cup by now… don’t hate!), back to it, break again to feed, change, and put babies down for a nap…

I Try to work in some blogging, posting on social media for my other job ( I am an independent Scentsy consultant – full time ), feed myself (probably for the first time that day), and back to babies when they wake… around the same time the older three get home from school (again, bus or grandparent vehicle).

About the parent vehicle part, I will have to post a blog about my darling maternal grandparents very soon! My relationship with them is definitely an entire blog posting on its own!

Kids get home, snacks, games, homework (if they admit they have any), some boy fights here and there, scrapes, bangs and booms, supper, showers, more scrapping, gaming, and playing with the babies (they actually do that A LOT), and finally bed!

Typically, I lay in my bed after everyone is sound asleep, NIGHTLY, and wonder where in the world the day went and how I missed it so easily!

Sometimes I sit and take selfies, in hopes that I can use them in a blog post someday, too!

I run through my mental checklist:

Did I make the phone calls I told myself LAST NIGHT I was going to make today?

Did I eat more than once?

Did I get everyone’s stuff back in their backpacks, so we don’t go hunting for papers tomorrow?

Did I shower?! *sniffs under arms* Yeah, we’re good.

Can grocery shopping wait till the day after tomorrow?

Did I check my planner? *near panic*

Did I miss any appointments?

*checks planner in the dark*

Ok, whew! We’re good.

Wait… what if I didn’t write something down and I did have an appointment that we missed?? *panic again*

*Takes out notebook, in the dark, and begins tomorrow’s checklist*

*Falls asleep writing…*

630am next morning, Repeat.

OK STOP!!

This is where you HAVE to stop the cycle! It HAS to end! If it doesn’t, you will find yourself exhausted, frustrated, emotionally wrecked, spread too thin, and eventually burnt out completely!

Take a minute. I don’t care if it’s midnight tonight, or in that single, quiet moment after the kids are out the door for school.

Take a DEEP breath! Hold it for a few seconds. Let it out… SLOWLY.

Repeat!

Moms are built to withstand a lot in this life, but sometimes we put more on ourselves than necessary, and sometimes the load needs to lighten.

So, after you take that breath, find your planner, phone app, whatever you need, and if you have to-schedule yourself into your own life! Get your “Me Time” in, and everyone around you will be better for it! You, most of all!

Mama, your health matters! All of it! Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual! Every part of you is important and I support you taking the time you need to see to your health!

If you only have 30 minutes a day to yourself, don’t spend it on social media. Find something that you think about, something maybe you miss doing because you never have time anymore. Make time for it!

Take a walk.

Don’t like walking? Go for a drive.

In the car too much? Sit under a tree, or on the porch, and soak in some sun.

Don’t like being outside? Sit at the kitchen table with a magazine, newspaper, book, puzzle, journal, or something to occupy your hands and mind with.

Listen to a podcast!

Don’t like reading? Honey get you an audio book! There are free apps for them!

Take a long, relaxing bath.

Don’t have a tub? (I don’t!) Take a long hot shower with music playing in the bathroom. Don’t lie… you take your phone in there!

Lay down for a bit and enjoy the silence.

Don’t think you can lay still? Take that audio book or podcast with you and listen to it there!

Bake cookies! Or brownies! I like to use the cheater boxes that only take 3 ingredients and 30 minutes!

Kids all over you every minute of the day, you say! Tell them it’s time to do chores if they are going to hang around inside the house! Booyah! Instant solitude!

Just wait. If you have an excuse, I have a solution!

Your time is important! And it’s just as important to YOU as it is to anyone else out there! There is only ONE you! Use wisely!

There really is serious meaning to “stop and smell the roses” people. It doesn’t have to be that you stop and smell flowers all the time. No! It means take that moment. Take note of the little things around you. One of those things being your ability to stop! Because, you CAN!

Don’t give yourself to everyone around you until there is nothing left.

Remember that you deserve some of you too.

Late Night Ramblings of A Sleepless Mama

Late Night Ramblings of A Sleepless Mama

by | Feb 23, 2020 | Anxiety, Coping with Stress, Depression, Family, Family Health, House Work, Motherhood, Motivation, Parenting, Self Care

Tonight I lay on my bed, listening to the sounds of short videos on electronic devices in various rooms in the house, baby noises coming from the cribs as the twins cheerfully fight the sleep they need so badly, and the scraping and thumping outside my window as the cat settles herself into her nest atop my window A/C unit.
And I laugh.
I laugh because that was a great daydream description of my night!
The noises are actually the videos PLUS the arguing of said older boys as they fight over what to watch or listen to. The baby noises are the cries and fussing of the babies as they fight that sleep they do need very badly. Plus one is slightly constipated and having some pain from that, adding to the misery. The cat is yowling outside my window trying to get inside. Again.
Today has been less than exciting, but not boring in the least! There was constant activity and motion in every room, all day. Mom is tired. Mom is slightly grouchy.
Mom can’t wait to go to church tomorrow to learn about the love of Jesus. 

😂 😂 😂

 It was a typical Saturday in the dragon lair, with a little less joy and a little more chaos than normal.

At first I didn’t mind, but as the day grew on it became slightly frustrating.
But now I’m laying here in my bed, underneath warm, heavy covers, listening to the sounds around me and I find myself simply thankful. The babies have settled and are sleeping. 

 

The arguing has ended and now the sounds are simply a single music sound coming from the other room, accompanied by the soft giggles of three brothers who remember their connection and love for each other at the end of a long day. And the cat has left the window perch to do other things, or even sleep hopefully.

And I remember back on the day.
So what, if I didn’t wash five loads of laundry today. The one from the washer got dried and that’s what matters.
So what, if I didn’t fix three full meals today. The kids had pancakes for breakfast, fixed by the gourmet chef child in the house. We all had some random self made lunches. And I made a roast and everyone enjoyed that for supper. The babies had their bottles and baby foods and were well entertained today. And that’s what matters. 

 So what, if me and the older dragon babies didn’t read ten books today. They had fun, played outside in the sunlight several times, and even helped me clean up some inside the house. They even moved furniture too! And we had fun doing it! And that’s what matters. 

So what, if everyone wasn’t in bed and sleeping soundly to baby Mozart by 845pm. They all showered, brushed their teeth, and were settled in the 10pm hour. And the ones who are awake later were actually up helping their tired mama with the fussy infants struggling against their sleep and belly aches. And THAT is what matters.

It wasn’t the best day. But it was a good day. In all the ways that matter. I’m writing this tonight because I had a bad mom moment today.
I got frustrated more than once because the day wasn’t going how I had hoped it would. And I took it out in conversation with my mother, and in frustration in my kitchen, and speaking more of my mind than my parenting words to the older kiddos. And it was the part of my day that I consider “not good.”
We sat and talked some tonight and made it all better.
One thing my mom said to me this week stuck with me tonight. “When we become parents we are thrown head first into a full time job for which we have zero experience. And by the time we get the experience the children are grown. We only get one shot at being parents, and there is no manual. Every child is different. Every parent is different. And it’s a learning process from start to finish.” 

I’m a single mom. I’ve been in this role for a while now. I don’t have a partner to support my parenting, enforce rules, encourage me and my kids to be the best we can be, or back me in parenting decisions or help me make the right ones. It’s all me. And guys, that’s heavy.
Yes, I have a support system. But that support is only certain forms, and only reaches so far. There’s a lot that lands only on my shoulders, and I have my days where the weight seems more than I can bear.
Is it truly? No. Because I have made it through 100% of my hardest days so far!
But I’m reflecting tonight because I had to sit and remind myself that there is joy in the midst of my chaos. There are many reasons to smile and laugh, every single day. More than we know. And even though I didn’t smile and laugh as much throughout today as I normally do, I sat down and reminded myself of my smile moments tonight. And with those moments on my mind, I will sleep better tonight.
And that is what matters!
Much love!
Becca
Hold On And Have Faith

Hold On And Have Faith

by | Feb 6, 2020 | Anxiety, Coping with Stress, Depression, Family, Motherhood, Motivation, Parenting, Self Care

Hang with me here, while I speak some life. Real, raw, and genuine life. This is my life, my soul, and my journey. But it is one I know others are on as well. And for you, I hope that you will read this and find support, because you are not alone.

I heard a lesson this past week on the “Armor of God” and I just had to share some thoughts that came to me about that glorious “Shield of Faith” that is a part of it.

For those who know me personally, and those who have followed me for a while, you know I have had to pick up this shield of faith for myself and my musketeers, many times and for a while now!

It hasn’t been easy.

But faith never is.

Think about it…

It seems easy, and it’s good to have faith in people, in God, in life and all that. But when do we most often reach out for that faith? Exactly.

When things aren’t going so great.

The past three years of my life have been some that I have had to live almost exclusively on faith. Believing that one day it will get better. One day I’ll be able to believe people when they speak to me. One day I might find love, true love. One day, maybe, my dreams to be a published and successful writer, author, speaker will come true. Maybe one day, I won’t have to live in a broken house, driving a broken car, and no more wondering if the bills will all be paid on time.

Do you know how heavy that is?

Yes, you do. I feel you! You get this! You’ve either been there, or are there with me now.

Faith is far from the glorious depiction given it by the poets and artists. Take for instance the shield of faith described in the Armor of God:

The man giving the lesson last week spoke of his excitement at building an armor for visual aid for kids, when they do lessons on the Armor of God. The shield could be this gorgeous thing, with emblems and decorations all over the front of it, as many shields have. And that got me thinking…

That’s a great thought. A glorious, beautiful shield! But it would only be pretty for a short while… until it’s being used.

When do we use our shield?

In battle.

During the fight of our lives, for our families, our sanity, our very souls! Sure, the shield can start out as a glorious work of art, but when it being used it’s weighing on the arm, heavy. It’s bloodied, sometimes broken, and battered by the time the battle is over.

This is faith.

“Now faith is the evidence of things HOPED for, and the evidence of things NOT seen.”

Faith and Hope are two, very different things. Hope is exciting. When we have hope, we have a positive feeling about the outcome.

Faith is what we lean on when the hope is gone.

That has been the story of my life for the past few years. Empty hopes, lost dreams, failure after failure in one part of my life or another. Feeling useless at anything, including (for a time) my role as a mother. All hope was sucked right out of my spirit, and all that was left was a tiny shred of faith.

Here’s the good news, though! That tiny shred? That’s all you need!

How is it described? Oh, yes. Faith… tiny as a grain of mustard seed.

Faith that even in my darkest of days there would be a light shining on my world, eventually.

Faith that there would be hope again for me and my little family.

Faith that the bills would be paid.

Faith that the car won’t fall apart the next time I drive it.

Faith that the floor won’t fall in when I cross the hallway.

Faith that the kitchen sink won’t fall into the hole it doesn’t fit properly into in the countertop.

Faith that the roof won’t leak when it rains anymore.

Faith that the kids will always have what they need, and eventually have the things they WANT.

Faith that I can pay my darling Grandparents back for ALL they have done for me (and that will be a huge payback!).

And Faith… that one day I will look back on today and remember what it was like, because I WILL be blessed enough to bless others!

And with each statement of faith, I am in battle for these things. My shield gets smacked hard with bills, jumper cables for the car, the slip of the sink into that hole, the drop of water that hits me on the head inside my house on a rainy day, my children asking me if/when I get paid, the propane tank running low again, and the list goes on.

My shield is ugly.

It’s heavy.

Faith isn’t easy.

But it’s amazing! Because with Faith, we can move mountains.

Faith renews a little hope within us. Believing in your dreams, believing in the possibilities, and believing in YOURSELF is just the start!

Take your Faith, honey, and hit those things back that are coming at you! Can’t pay that whole bill? Pay half of it! Make an arrangement before the due date, and they’ll work with you! (most of the time lol) Faith just smacked back!

Can’t buy that toy for your child? Set a dollar aside in a jar! Smack!

Eventually your child will feel that faith too! Maybe not with the first dollar, or even the second. But as they build up, so will their hope that the reward is coming. Again… smack!

Car dead again? Jump that baby one more time! Smack!

And with every small victory, because they ARE victories, take a deep breath, hold it, and then let it out with even half a smile. Because honey, your faith just got a little bigger, and a little stronger.

Feel that? Faith just became Hope.

And you just felt a spark, however tiny it was, it was there!

Lately, Faith is all I’ve had. But recently, I’ve built up a little Hope as well!

In my world, right now, the ONLY way to go is up! And by golly… I’m going!

And you are invited to go with me!

How I Rocked My “Rocky” Day

How I Rocked My “Rocky” Day

by | Jan 27, 2020 | Anxiety, Coping with Stress, Depression, Family, Motherhood, Parenting

I had some interesting days last week!

Most of my days have been a bit less than productive, but a few have been better.

I’m not going to talk about my better days, though. Good days typically speak for themselves, but bad days we try our best to bury.

Bad days aren’t fun.

In fact, bad days just suck!

Bad days make us feel like we didn’t do enough, weren’t good enough, and just didn’t have it all together.

Yes, good days have those components as well, sometimes. There are plenty of days that are “good,” but we still don’t feel so great about them. But those bad days just grab you and you tend to forget that, even those bad days, there were good moments.

So, I’m going to pick one bad day from last week and expound on the day as a whole. The bad, the good, and the Becca of it all!

I overslept. The kids overslept. Only one made the bus for school, so I had to get one to school and another to the doctor by 9:30, with the twins in tow.

Coffee was necessary.

Food was forgotten.

I rushed to get everyone ready, and after the twins were changed, fed, and the diaper bag properly set up for the day, we got out the door, several minutes after I hoped to be.

Child One was dropped off at school, and I stopped at the gas station to put gas in the Denali before heading out of town to the Dr for my other musketeer.

I was tired, stressed, the day before had already been a total bust, and I just wanted to stay in bed. The coffee wasn’t cutting it this morning.

I went into the gas station and grabbed snacks for myself and the musketeer on the ride to the Doc, and some cold caffeine.

Now I have coffee, chips, soda, and more junk food. Breakfast of champions!

We made it to the appointment on time, and weren’t there forever, unlike other times where we were there for hours! Whew! So that was a small win!

I got him back to school just in time for lunch and made my way home. Yay!

On the way, I’m driving out of town and I look in my rearview mirror and see every city cop car in our town lining up on the main street behind me, coming my direction FAST! I pulled over to the side as soon as I could, and they screamed past me running full code! The only places outside the city limits that those cars would be going to were, the high school and the junior high… where my oldest two boys attend.

They turned that direction.

Panic attack occurs.

Slow, kinda rough day just got worse.

I found out later that it wasn’t a major threat issue, just a fight in the school that was getting quite out of hand. But let’s just think about the overactive mind of an anxious mother for a second, here.

As a previous cop, I knew that going to the school myself wasn’t going to happen, so I went home and waited, slightly tormented inside. I spoke with relatives who have radios and simply asked them to let me know what kind of call it was and left it at that. One of them let me know it was a fight and I was much better.

Needless to say, this mama got NOTHING done around the house all afternoon long! I had an anxiety attack to come down from, and anyone who has this knows it can be exhausting! I waited for the boys to get home just to make sure they were okay and get their version of the story. And, to be honest, I hoped it either wouldn’t be that great, or at least kinda humorous…

In his classic way, my son was nonchalant about the whole thing, and brushed it off like nothing. Great… I taught him too well!

I barely made it through the rest of the day and into the evening when we went to church for their first youth group meeting with this church family.

After that service, we went to Dairy Queen and enjoyed some food, because I didn’t put together a decent supper before church and I owed them all food and ice cream before going home.

We went to bed, much later than we should have, and overslept again the next morning!

And that, my friends, was quite a day! In my world, this is pretty “normal.”

But! Here is my takeaway from this “normal”, rough, tiring, stressful day…

I made it through.

I came up short on some things, but I rocked some others.

I got my son to his appointment on time!

He got back to school in time for a full lunch period!

My kids came home to me that afternoon, all well and safe!

We enjoyed some awesome food at a restaurant together and had some fun times!

And even though we overslept again the next morning, and the next day was equally interesting, we ended the day on a good note. Everyone was happy, healthy, and went to bed feeling loved.

At the end of the day, no matter how bad your day can get, if you can close it out with those things… that’s what matters.

All the love!

Becca

Success Is Success No Matter How Small

Success Is Success No Matter How Small

by | Jan 17, 2020 | Anxiety, Depression, Family, House Work, Motherhood, Motivation, Parenting

A little follow up on the thoughts from earlier this week, about days I do and days I don’t…

For most of the rest of the week, I didn’t. I just…didn’t.

Barely making it to get the kids up for their buses for school, I felt rushed and disoriented.

I did the basics.

I fed the babies, made sure they were entertained and clean, and kept their bottles washed and ready for the next round.

I barely kept up with dishes. I did minimal laundry.

But I showered!

When the older boys came home from school, I made sure they were fed and finished their papers or other homework for school, then made sure they showered before bed.

That was it.

Every morning, we all struggled to wake up and repeat the cycle again. And every night, we all had a hard time falling asleep at a decent hour… again.

All week long.

I probably say this nearly every week, but I am so thankful today is Friday!

And to make it even better, this is a long weekend for us! The kids don’t go back to school until Tuesday.

Glorious!

But today was better for me, personally, for a few reasons.

A dear friend came and helped me out today, trying to get a few things handled in my insanely disastrous house.

And get things done, we did!

Let me preface today’s accomplishments with something first, though.

I woke up the same way today as I had all other days this week. I didn’t want to do anything. I wasn’t motivated, and it was a major “Don’t” day, for sure!

My friend and I had already planned on her coming to help me out today, earlier this week, so I was determined to follow through with it. But before she even messaged me this morning, I talked myself out of it and back into it again at least three times.

I sat at my table, sipped my first cup of coffee, and grumbled about the fact that Titus and Levi missed their bus this morning. Levi felt the need, last minute, to shower and Titus was trying his best to get out of going to school at all. That is rare for him, but it was happening today!

They finally left and I continued to sit and sip coffee. I surfed Facebook for a bit, glanced at Twitter, and checked my emails, then went right back to FB to just… scroll.

I did start the laundry and wash a few dishes, but I was nowhere near ready to hit the pavement hard, working to get things cleaned, moved, and organized.

My phone dings.

She’s getting herself ready to head my way.

My grumbling changed to a little hope. I felt hope that maybe I would see more than 30% of my floors by the end of the day. Hope that I would get all the baby stuff moved and my house looking more like a home and less like a walk-through storage unit. And hope that I would finally feel like I got something done for the first time this week!

She arrived a bit later, and we set to the task. Many of them, in fact.

Between the two of us we managed to accomplish the following:

My bedroom was cleared of ALL baby stuff no longer needed.

My bed was cleaned off, again.

My bedroom floors were swept and cleared, again.

The hallway was cleared of baby boxes and storage items.

The dining room was cleaned, swept, and the laundry in said room was all folded.

The kitchen was cleaned, swept, and almost all the dishes done and put away.

The living room was cleaned, organized, swept, and spot cleaned in places on the floors.

Trash was taken out and picked up.

More laundry was completed. Washed, dried, and put away.

And the babies were entertained, fed, changed, cared for, held, cuddled, and snuggled during the entire process.

We worked and worked until after the boys got home from school.

Mom and Dad came by and dropped off my new bookshelves, too!

Yayness!

When it was all done, and after she left, I sat down and started thinking about how much we got done and how excited I was about it.

And then, another thought occurred to me.

Yes, we got a lot completed. We cleaned, scrubbed, moved things, and transformed this place into actual living space again. It was great!

But every day, I have my own small successes. And I tend to forget those all too often.

Even on my “don’t” days, I actually “do.”

Everyone makes it to school. The babies get spoiled. Dishes get done (even if not all of them). Laundry gets done (again, even if not every piece). We all eat every day, sometimes big meals and sometimes hamburger helper or PB&J sandwiches, but we do eat every day. Everyone showers and brushes their teeth before they go to bed inside this tiny house, we call home.

Sometimes I get more done than others and sometimes it’s just the bare minimum.

But tonight, as I sit here reflecting on each day of this past week, I am certain of one thing, and I’ll put it in words that remind me of a Dr. Seuss line in one of his books:

A success is a success, no matter how small.

Remember that with a smile.

All the love,

Becca