Productivity Scale

It's officially summer here. Well not by the calendar (June 21st), but by the activities (school is out and the pool is opened!). 


We went on vacation last week. Hence the silence. We had wi-fi but it was sketchy at best, so there was no posting from Pennsylvania. We had a really good time, which is pretty exciting considering we had 4 adults [dh, me, dd (21), and ds (17)] and all our luggage in the Prius for over 2000 miles! But more on that later.


Today I have a question to pose. How do you know if you've done enough and had a productive day when you are a stay at home mom? For years this was no problem. The kids were little and took lots of time and attention. They created messes that required cleaning and washing. They needed help getting food, so that was 3 meal preps a day. Things change when the kids grow up. They are still here (and I'm glad). They are still happy when I do laundry and cook for them, but it's optional (most of the time). I do the cooking because I love it. They help out when asked or just when the mood strikes. It works for us. 


Nearly 3 years ago I quit my part time job, and since then I've been unemployed. I do some of the housework, but the kids help a lot. I do the laundry for dh and me, but the kids do there own. I write a little. I read a lot. I do some crafting, Bible study, exercise, and cooking. I talk with my kids a lot. So how do I know if I've done enough?


Lets look at yesterday as an example. I woke up around 6 am. Got up and checked on dd as she had an appointment at 8:00 across town. I went back to the bedroom and read for a while. Around 7:00 I got up, got dressed, fed the dogs, had tea and fed myself. I checked my emails and Facebook, then read a couple of blogs. Ds got up and we talked about his plans/chores for the day. I fed him breakfast and sent him off to workout. 


Next I stripped the bed and started the laundry. I did some picking up and putting away from vacation. Dd called with a minor crisis and I talked her through it and said a prayer. LOL! Then I straightened the kitchen and swapped the laundry. Dd came in and we chatted for a few minutes and I helped her with some computer stuff. Ds came in from his workout and promptly tossed his cookies! Following a group effort of cleaning THAT up, I fixed him some Ultima Replenisher, and then a protein shake. 


I had some lunch and did some mending. Swapped the laundry again. Helped ds with some summer studying and ran an errand with dd. Came home and started an early dinner for her since she had to work last night. About 5:00 I sat down to read until dh came home. Chatted with him and then cooked dinner for the rest of us.


After dinner, we talked colleges and majors (ds is a SENIOR). Then I put clean sheets on the bed and called it a day/night. Time to relax with dh and read some more.


So you tell me -- is that a productive day? Did I do enough? Where's the scale for productivity?


Now that I've written it all down, it looks pretty good to me, so why did it seem like I was a slacker all day yesterday?


Inquiring minds want to know!