Purpose in the Pain

My Facebook status from Friday:

Susie Mears Sams #1 reason I don't get "anything" done: Most of my time is spent doing must-happen-now's - urine on floor, clothes; tp on floor, in baby's mouth; baby in the bathroom); paint on floor, table, children; food, drink for children; wet diapers; wet clothes from wet diapers; and retrieval of children from areas outside our front lawn (I have a couple of wanderers). See, I didn't get "anything" done.

A few of the ensuing comments:
"I hear ya. It won't always be this way, though. Before you know it, you'll be helping with homework and driving them to prom. Don't blink" - Liz
":) I feel you! That's the way it goes here every day!" - Sallie
"Susie, I know how you feel. Raised 6 kids myself. But mark my word, soon you'll wish they were still at this stage." - Barb
"I call it 'putting out fires.' And I do it all day long. One fire to the next to the next fire ... the tyrrany of the urgent, you know!" - Andrea
"Wow - I am just learning this too...thank for pointing it out! I thought I was just lazy! Hahaha!" - Christina
"It sure SEEMS like you're not getting anything done - but believe me, you're getting HEAPS done - it's all part of a bigger, very beautiful picture! You're chopping away at little 'rocks' that will end up a glorious 'cathedral'! And it's true - though it seems that things will never change, they will! And there will be new season. So - be proud of yourself and this most important job you have every day." - Isabel
This status has been on my mind a lot in the last 2 days. Recently I've been trying to get a better grasp on my household - the cleaning, organising, and daily tasks mostly. But there's some days that I feel like I don't get anything done. Friday I stopped to think about what I had accomplished, and was amazed at how much I did do - despite feeling as though I'd spent the day knocking my head against the wall.
Here's what I've taken from the timely Facebook status update and comments:
I'm not alone.
I'm normal to feel frustrated.
I'm building into something bigger than myself.
And I'll miss it some day.
***Just thought maybe you needed some encouragement today too. Changing diapers, mopping up another urine puddle, sending another child to time-out...again, cleaning under the baby's high chair after the lunch-time fiasco, getting the mail, answering the phone, making the bed, remaking the bed after someone jumps on it - despite the rule that nobody gets to jump on Momma's bed, and washing another sippy cup ... there's a purpose! It's like labor and birth - there's purpose in the pain. ***