a mother's work is never done

No, it isn't. It seems I never do my work. But I have valid excuses. For instance, some days my focus is stolen away. I ought to be cleaning the house, folding the laundry, running errands, and most importantly, I ought to take care of my children. But there are days when, it seems, none of that happens.

Clearly, this child has been neglected.

This one suffered from neglect as well. Although it's less obvious.
He's broadcasting "Who let the Dogs Out?" all over the house, through the ventilation system.

Yesterday, no laundry got folded (except the few piles that were unfolded again a few minutes later by a very "helpful" toddler). No shirts were ironed. No bills were paid. The mail was not retrieved from the mailbox. The dog's water bowl sat empty for too long. Dinner was picked up by Daddy on his way home from work. Yeah, I had a bad day.

And this is the culprit. I spent way too much time focusing on just one problem. She spent all day fighting against doing one clean-up job. Putting toys into baskets should not take six hours. And it really shouldn't exhaust a person both emotionally and physically. But this little girl managed to completely wear herself out. The problem for her was that the job was still waiting to be done after she woke up from her nap. Oh, yes, she did eventually have to clean up! All her fighting was in vain!
And that means I won this battle. :) But- while no permanent damage was done to either of her siblings, or to the house, I have a long day of work ahead of me today. I'm hoping I don't get sidetracked yet again. Cross your fingers for me.