Cooking

My girl has decided recently that she wants to be in the kitchen every time something is cooked.  I can't cook much at all and when I do, it is chaotic and frantic.  I am not a good teacher.  I am so thankful that my hubby loves to cook and has the patience to teach her.  I have to go get a sausage ball now.....

Anniversary

It is that time of year to reflect on the marriage, the highs, the lows, the committment made oh so long ago.  When I said I do, I don't think I really understood what that meant.  It seemed like more of a promise.  "I will do my best to make this work."  I didn't always do my best, and sometimes I completely ignored that promise. But there came a time just a few years ago that I really made that committment in my heart.  I was able to say, "I love you and I am committed to making this work."  That doesn't mean that we stopped arguing or that we live with rainbows and unicorns.  We probably disagree a little more now and with more passion, but that is because we know at the end of the day we are still together.  We can be completely honest about what is happening and find a way to work through it.  We aren't walking on eggshells, saying "yes dear, I love this casserole" or "we can do whatever you want to do."  We can speak our minds, freely and completely knowing that when the sun rises the next day, we will be together to face it. 

That is real love.  That is a committment.  That is marrage.

Baby, Baby, Baby.....oh

Just one little word can turn a bad day into a happy one.

I get up and leave the house long before the family does.  I always try to be extra quiet so I don't wake them up.  After I get ready in the bathroom, I turn off the lights and go into the kitchen to collect my things.  Sometimes, hubby will stir enough to say "be careful" or "love you."  Usually, I just tiptoe out without a sound. 

This morning, before I exited the bathroom, I looked at my cell phone and saw that it was 5:30 already.  Yikes!  I was supposed to be in the car by now.  My mind immediately went into hyper speed...  What do I need to grab from the kitchen, where did I leave my papers, how late am I going to be for work?  I stepped into the bedroom, hoping to avoid the kitty who usually guards the door.  Hubby stirred and said, "Love you baby."  It made me stop in my tracks.  It wasn't just a sleepy, involuntary response, but a sweet, loving comment.  It instantly made me smile and forget I was running late.

An even bigger gap

This is my first visit back to the blog since September.  Wow, that was so long ago.  Everything fell apart one Saturday and this blog was the last thing I wanted to do, but the one thing I needed that day.  In the midst of a long day of arguing, I thought about the blog.  I had never told hubby about it. He had made some comment during our discussions that he never felt loved.  I thought I did that on a regular basis, but if those words or cues weren't enough, maybe the blog would be.  I sent him a link to his email, which he didn't see until later that night after I was asleep. This little blog changed the tone of our discussions and ended the arguments.  It reminded us of what was really important and why we stay married.  I guess I did pretty good picking out that title, huh?  LOL 

Even though the argument passed, our crazy schedules did not change.  We traveled several times over the fall, and I had 2 trips for work.  We also had the holiday commotion along with all of the parties, school events, and shopping.  This blog was just not that high on my priority list.  That probably says a lot for how I felt about the marriage during that time too.  Just not that high on the list...  Which leads me to the current state of affairs.  Things are just ok, minor annoyances but no major problems.  This seems like the best time to jump right back into this blog before the wheels fall off again.  So, I am renewing my pledge to blog daily about the reasons I stay married. 

Laundry

I just thought of a reason to be thankful for yesterday.  Hubby started laundry all on his own.  I didn't have to ask him or tell me which load to do.  He just got it started all on his own!  This doesn't happen often, so I want to acknowledge the special treat. 

I'm trying not to ruin my feel good moment, but I must be honest.  I felt a little aggravation as I took the loads out of the dryer and moved more in.  Hubby was out for his weekly trivia night with a buddy and I had to finish up the laundry he started. I was dead tired, but you can't leave wet clothes sitting in the washer all night and day.  As much as I appreciated his effort when he started, I was mumbling later that if I have to do laundry, I'd much rather do it on my timetable.

The big gap

There is a huge gap in what was intended to be a daily blog.  We battled a nasty virus at our house that knocked us all out for about 2 weeks.  We are finally well, but as life typically does, things have been crazy.  We are always going and doing. 

I've been thinking about the blog and trying to pay attention to little things that I could share.  However, it just hasn't been happening lately.  The whole point of the blog was to remind myself of what I love about my husband, and why I want to stay with him.  I'm not saying I want to get divorced tomorrow, but I seem to be in one of those ruts where I just can't feel all lovey dovey. I blame part of it on the sickness.  When you feel rotten, you just try to make it from sunup to sundown without passing out. I also blame the new school year.  Hubby has a different course schedule that is taking more of his time.  Most days, he comes in from work and sits down to do lesson plans.  I am also very busy at work.  I'm not only trying to keep from falling behind, but I'm also working more for overtime pay.  Since hubby took a pay cut this year, I'm hoping some overtime pay will offset that income. By the time dinner is done, and daughter is in bed, I have maybe 1-2 hours to work before I fall asleep.  So, hubby and I are just doing our own thing and trying to get through the day. Hopefully, we can turn it around soon.

I'm going to ponder and see if I can come up with anything good abour yesterday. It's all about making the effort, right?

Expand your horizons

I think all women need a partner, a man, to question us and make us really explore the things we do and believe.  They help us to evaluate our lives and see things in a way that only a testosterone-driven individual will see.  Surrounding yourself with like minded people will not help you to grow and expand your views. We need a husband to question our beliefs, our actions, and our thoughts to make us better people.  Whether it is questioning why we hang our bras to dry, or why we need shopping lists for every store, or why we dunk our cookies in milk, those little queries give us reason to pause and reflect.  Why am I doing this?  'Because I always have.'  But what if there is a better way?  What if drying our work pants on high really is faster, or not rinsing the dishes saves water?  Having a hubby around to question us not only irritates us, but it really does make us a better woman.