Groundhog Day" starring Bill Murray is one of my favorite movies ever.

It tells the story of Phil, a cranky, cantankerous weather man who is sent to Pennsylvania every year to cover Groundhog Day. Phil has no qualms about being extremely verbal in his displeasure.

He believes he is above the assignment and takes every opportunity to belittle his coworkers, the town where he is staying and to shamelessly promote himself and his selfish desires.

After living through Groundhog Day for the first time, Phil is surprised to wake up the next morning and realize that is in fact, Groundhog Day again.

Each day starts exactly the same. He wakes to Sonny and Cher on the alarm clock radio singing "I've Got You Babe."

He sees the same people in the hallway and foyer of the bed and breakfast where he is staying. Phil is trapped in the same day, and only he seems to be reliving every moment while everyone around him is oblivious.

For a stay-at-home-mom, the "Groundhog Day" phenomenon is a reality.

I wake up every morning as one of my daughters jumps on the bed begging for food, juice, or simply my attention. I stumble out of bed to make coffee, breakfast and lunches.

I brush hair and make ponytails while children wail, "You're hurting me!"

I shuttle my children off to school to come home and wash dishes, do the laundry, and go grocery shopping.

We typically have a two week rotation on our meals, so even shopping and cooking become exercises in déj<0x00E0> vu, "Didn't I just make spaghetti? Didn't I buy a gallon of milk yesterday?" I could almost make my grocery list in my sleep and sleepwalk through the store to gather my standard items.

This past Friday night "Groundhog Day" was showing back to back on the Bravo network. My husband and I watched the last 20 minutes and laughed hysterically.

When the credits rolled for it to begin again, we decided to pop a bag of popcorn and settle in to enjoy the irony of the moment and the movie.

While watching one of my favorite movies of all time, I realized that Phil was being given a huge gift. By being able to relive the same day, over and over and over again, he was getting a chance to learn from his mistakes.

In fact, his life didn't return to normal until he had mastered all of his character flaws and began making the most of every single moment and opportunity afforded to him.

He learns to play the piano, and goes out of his way to help others.

Gretchen Rubin, New York Time's best-selling author of "The Happiness Project," writes "The days are long but the years are short." Time really does fly.

One minute it's bottles, blankets and pacifiers and in those moments you think it will never end. The baby will never stop crying, taking a pacifier or having potty accidents.

But in the blink of an eye, that same baby is leaving you to go to school for the first time, or is learning to drive, leaving for college or expecting a child of their own.

As a parent, I suddenly realized the gift God is giving me, disguised as the monotony of motherhood. He is giving me a million chances to get it right.

I am being given every opportunity to master my character flaws and to make the most of each day. And while Bill Murray's character had the luxury of not facing consequences when he awoke everyday to the same day, we don't live in a fantasy world.

While God's mercies may be new every morning, other people, including our family members, may not feel the same way.

Inspired by Gretchen Rubin and my old friend Phil, I have declared "No More Groundhog Days!"

I have determined to do things differently. I want to master my character flaws and not wait to start a project I've been meaning to begin for years.

For Phil it was the piano, for me it's photography.

I've decided to act like today is the only tomorrow I might have, because if every day is going to be the same it should at least be good.

(Robin O'Bryant is a former Mount Pleasant resident and mother of three. Read her blog online at www.robinschicks.com or e-mail her, zebandrobin@hotmail.com.)