Arguments Within Our Home

Often times this blog is so consumed by our children, that I forget to talk about our marriage and things that I don't ever want to forget. Especially when I'm old and frail.

Such as, arguments within our home. Why would anyone want to write about that? I do. Because it's us. Because we laugh about it. Because 20 years from now? I'm going to say..."Honey remember when..."

And, it's real.

Putting the water away. So, I do the grocery shopping around here. We also only drink water in our house {aside from the once a month pop that we buy as a cheat}. Therefore, we go through a lot of it. So. When I buy it? It usually either makes it into the house, or it sits in my car. Regardless, it is Andrew's "job" to put it away. Due to the heaviness of it. I know, I'm weak. But anyways, I get so flustered when it sits there for a week at a time. I'm like..."Andrew, water, please!" And then he says, "Oh oops I forgot." And then I reply, "Really... it's sitting on top of the countertop stabbing you in the eyes every time in the kitchen." And then he giggles like a school girl.

The thermometer. He's hott. I'm cold. All the time. We can never agree on temperatures and he is always cranking that thing down. This also includes the car. It's a must that we keep blankets in the car. Not just for the kids. But for me as well. And the more stressed Andrew gets? The colder it becomes.

Me sleeping on the couch. Andrew is not  a fan of this. I don't blame him I guess, but really... the couch is super cozy. Once I fall asleep on it? There is about a 15% chance that you will get me off of it and up the stairs. Which means, there is about a 75% chance that we will have an argument {me not remembering any of it} where Andrew tries to convince me "Babe...babe....come on..." and me... " Shoo fly shoo, go away!" All while swinging my arms. Again, I don't remember any of it.

The way I park the car into the garage. I laugh. I personally think it is just fine. I can get out of the garage just fine. But I guess when Andrew gets into the car after me, he swears that I park it crooked and that he would hit his car in the driveway if he didn't align it correctly. Okkkay.

What side of the sink dirty dishes go into. Does anyone else have a "side?" I mean... I assume everyone probably does, but does your significant other get flustered if the "clean" side has like one dish in it? Raise of hand? Mine does. It is so funny, and I no longer do this {but sometimes I do to be funny}, but he hates it when I have any dirty dishes on the left side. He calls that the empty side. I? I call it the sink. So who cares right? But, everyone has their little quirks... so I'll follow the rules on that one.

Who is more tired. This isn't an argument that we don't even realize is an argument. "Well, I've worked last night and been up with the kids all day." And the other... "Well I've been at the office all day, then come home and bathe the kids and get them to bed, then go to sleep and do it all over again." And then me..."Well at least you know what sleep is." And him back..."Yeah, if you call waking up every few hours sleep." But then we both agree that we both do a lot and we both give each other credit for that. I couldn't do what he does, and he couldn't do what I do. The balance is great.

All of these made me giggle.

Although all of these aren't exactly arguments, as they are just us being us, they are still fun to look back on. They are fun because you get to really see what it's like to be a married couple. To live together. To pick on the little things that when all is said and done, are the least bit important in life. Like water being put away in the fridge. Or parking the car correctly. Or what side of the sink the dishes go on.

But.
It's real life.
Marriage at its finest.

Things I have Learned about Marriage

Men need to feel like men. 

They have this need to feel macho, important, and needed {in all aspects}. So what does this mean? It means let them try to figure out how to put something together and do not chime in trying to take over it when they cannot quite get it. Don't  say, "I can just call my dad to come over and do it,"... Guilty. Have said that one too many times... and Don't tell them that they aren't good at those kind of things. Trust me, all men want to feel like they can fix anything, put the house back together, and even build it from scratch. Well, not really, but you get my point. Men, just want to feel like men. It doesn't help that our generation dads seem to be able to fix and do anything.

Compliment them.

So when they do something good? When they take the time to put together the baby's dresser? Compliment them. When they prepared dinner on Sunday night? Make sure to rave how tasty it was. And when they take care of the kids... even though you do it on a daily basis... they still want to hear how proud you are of them. Andrew has told me time and time again, how what he does with the kids is not typical of a guy. Although I have disagreed with him often... I do have to step back at times and agree. Acknolwedge. Compliment.

You are their wife.

Sometimes, we are so guilty of making men feeling like we are their moms. "I need you to do this. I need you to do that. If you don't do this, we won't do that. Why aren't you eating that. You should eat more of this. Can you please pick up after yourself. Have you done the things on my list" And so forth.  I think we get so caught up in our expectations, that we forget to just stop and think before we blurt things out of our mouths. We also need to remember that we were wives before we became moms. What this means? Meet their needs. Because lets face it... men have needs just like women do. Even though their needs may differ from ours, we still have to be aware that they are there. . I know running after kids all day, keeping the house in order, and getting food set on the table can be quite the challenge. But remember how you were "before" kids, and how much he may desire "that woman" again. Not just the mom, but the wife that he married.  What I have learned is that date nights are just as important to Andrew as family days are to me, non-kid conversations are stimulating and refreshing, and making sure that we give each other that spark to keep the romance alive.

Men are built to be dads.

They are dads. They are husbands. They are men. My husband has to remind me of this very often because like I mentioned above, my expecations sometimes are pretty high of him. I think men just do not have the capability of dealing with certain situations as women are. They need their space. They need their time. And they need help. When they are sick? They are SICK. When they need a guy's night? They NEED a guy's night. When they say they are stressed. Believe them, don't compare yourself to them. This is another one I am SO guilty of. And although I know us women like to say.. "I'd like a day off too" or "But I do this every day," ... it's just not the same. I hate to admit that, but it's not. So I'm learning to just relax sometimes when Andrew complains... and just... you know, let him be DAD. Not expect him to be a "mom." So yes, he may forget to feed the kids lunch while I'm napping after work on the weekend, and he may let them watch an extra TV show, and he may forget to tell them to clean up after each toy. You know what? It's okay. That's just what dads do. They're dads.

They like the sweet stuff too

And although they do need their physical needs met... don't forget that they like the sweet stuff too. Even if they don't say it. For my husband, it is as simple as me sending him a little text. Cheesy, mushy texts like "you are my everything," Better yet, telling him how good he looked when leaving for work in the morning. Sending him jokes throughout the day. Flirting. It's fun to feel like that "couple" again.. instead of just "mom and dad."

Say you are sorry

I am stubborn. Not just in my marriage, but as a person in general. In all aspects. So this one is a hard one for me and I struggle with it a lot. Even when I know I am in the wrong, I really need to step it up and admit my faults, say my "I'm sorry's" and actually try to change in order to prevent history from repeating itself. A sorry is so important.

Don't go to bed mad

I know, I know, so cliche and something you hear all the time. But really it is true. Holding on to things, being mad about something, and trying to take it out on your spouse by playing the mad card is not going to accomplish a single thing. Trust me, I know. Just hash it out. Get over it. And well.. kiss and make up.

Respect

Men cannot be perfect, even though for whatever reason... we expect them to be at times. We want them to act fast, do things right, and know exactly what we were thinking or what we wanted out of them. That's another flaw of women. We are so stinking subborn, set in our ways, and like mentioned before, have ridiculously high expectations. So when those expecations aren't met? We tend to disrespect. Whether we mean to or not. I know I do and it is something I need to work on. When you respect one another, meet one another's needs, and learn how to positively cope, then you tend to get better results from whatever situation arises.

COMMUNICATE

The yelling, the screaming, the bickering, and arguing never gets anything accomplished. This is one of  the biggest no-no's in our household and something we both just stop mid-bicker and realize... this is exactly what we don't want. I never get the point I want across if I do it with anger in my tone. In fact, it usually has the opposite effect. And if I am holding something in? Then nothing good will come out of that either. Just communicate. Period. And do so in a way that works for you. Whether that be sitting down after the kids go to bed on the couch with all technolog put away, face to face, and just talking, or maybe writing it out helps you get your thoughts across best. Whatever works, do it.

At the end of the day, almost 4 years into marriage, and a lot of arguments later, I have learned one very important lesson: showing your husband LOVE applies in all areas of your marriage. Through respect, acknolwedgement, and communication.
I'm still learning. Still growing. Still changing.

I think that's just a part of being married. Learning as you go, growing together, and building a stronger foundation and a great example for your children to view marriage as a positive and loving relationship.

My Remarks to the One That Knows Me So Well

In continuation of the last two posts.. here is the final chapter to this novel that I have been carrying around on the blog. Of course, I couldn't leave off without making my own comments {as many of you did on yours as well} and explanations. Pink {or red, however your eyes see it} is my husband, and black is clearly me. And.... you probably could have figured that on out on your own.

So.

1.) Becky loves to sing in the car. But when she tries to hit the high notes, I have to ask her to stop. Her singing is horrendous and harmful to the health of our children. Yes, I do. I love to sing period. But what I love even more is to annoy Andrew with my singing. He gets so mad when I sing obnoxious, and so the more mad he gets, the more obnoxious I get. Especially if it is a song that he likes. Especially.

2.) You probably can't tell from the gourmet meals that she creates today, but Becky's cooking was once on par with her singing. Things have obviously changed. Believe it or not, Andrew used to not let me step foot in the kitchen. The only thing I used to know how to make was spaghetti. In other words, throw pasta in hot water and heat up pasta sauce. Yes, he is right.That is about as gourmet as it used to be around here. Prior to children.

3.) Before there was Bud Light Lime, there were cheap bottles of flavored vodka. Now. Please make note here. I have never actually liked vodka. Instead, it was the drink of choice in college due to its predictable results.... 

4.) Becky once vomited in the back of a taxi cab in college. I started talking really loud to the cabbie thinking that would mask the smell. He also made the cab driver stop at the wrong apartment building... in which I loudly said "Wait this isn't..." Andrew cut me off and made me run out of there after throwing the driver a 2o dollar bill. 

5.) On nights she works, she lays out pj's and clothes for in the morning for the kids. Makes my life much easier. Thank you babe. And the snuza, the halo sack, socks, underwear, blanket, washcloths. Oh and lunch for the husband. Only because I am so grateful and know how hard it is to do night time routine while I am gone. That, and, he's pretty darn cute. Freebie points for being cute.

6.) She unknowingly yells in her sleep if you try and wake her. It's best just to leave her be. It's frightening. Every time. I've heard it wasn't pretty. Frightening sounds pretty accurate. Just about everyone in my family can attest to this. Curse words and all. Sometimes? Even flinging of the arms. What? A mama likes her sleep {when she can get it}, so disruptions? No no.

7.) She's never been hungover. I'm hungover the entire day. N-E-V-E-R. Please, don't assume this means I never "partied hard enough." Because, I assure you, I had mastered that. But me? I wake up the morning after a "hard night" and I'm on a mission to clean clean clean, organize, project, and so forth. They are some of my most productive days. Unfortunately... it has been a... hot minute. Oh and Andrew? The complete opposite {as he stated}. He is ON THE COUCH ALL DAY type of guy. And I mean, allll day... with the moaning and groaning and all. And the.. "baaaabe.... can you get me a 10 piece nugget from McDonalds." Gross. But I do.

8.) When setting the table for dinner, 9 times out of 10, she will give everyone utensils but me. I don't know what it is. I laugh. A daily argument between Andrew and myself. "Becky.... common... again?" I don't know what it is either.

9} She once went to a pet store to buy Carson a companion. I talked her out of the dog and she bought a 52 in tv instead. Makes sense. Sophomore year of college. And yes, the pet store and best buy were next door to one another. It was an even trade.

10} She loves any excuse to get a McDonald's double cheeseburger. Not true. Only when pregnant, guys.

11) Becky has over 4,000 pictures on her cell phone, all of the kids. She's had that phone for about a year. That's about 11 pictures a day. Not bad. Yes, and you know what... I'm tired of my phone alerting me that "you are out of storage" and not allowing me to take anymore pictures. This means I have to sit and delete old ones. I just need to actually sit down and download them to the computer.... will do that after I finish this post.

12) I love sports. When we first started dating, Becky said she was a huge sports fan too. She lied. But she does tolerate my fantasy football habit. Hey. Whatever it takes to get a guy, right.......

13) Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream are her favorite chips. I've seen her eat an entire bag in one sitting on more than one occasion. Who is to blame me? Have you tasted the magic in them? Exactly.

14) Her favorite evening attire consists of a pair of my gym shorts an XL t-shirt. It's very sexy. He failed to mention my 2nd favorite attire at bedtime..... the birthday suit. *sorry neighbors... I need to cover up my windows more.

15} This probably isn't a random or unknown fact but Becky loves her children more than anything in the world. She sacrifices sleep and her body so that she can keep working full time and keep the kids out of daycare. She wants nothing more than to be with them all day everyday, and she is. The kiddos and I are extremely lucky to have someone that is so hardworking and loving. We could never repay her for what she has done and what she continues to do. We love you babe. I love this man.

Cheers to this link-up and giving me 2 extra things to talk about...

Not that I need ideas for me to talk...Since I do that quite often.

And cheers to my husband who willingly blogged. I'm sure he will be back again for more.

What I learned about My Husband

There isn't much that I don't know about my husband. In fact, like the post that he wrote for me yesterday, "about me," I could easily write one similar to that about him. Plenty of things that people may not know about him.

But, what I didn't know is just how witty he could be when he wrote. Don't get me wrong, I get his wit on a daily basis at home. For the past 7+ years. Often times though, I have to tell him how not funny he is. Although he has plenty of cheerleaders to tell him otherwise {Hi MIL & SIL!}. Of course it is all in good fun, and I try my hardest not to crack a laugh when he really tries to get one out of me. Sometimes, I just can't help it.

So when I asked him to write this "about me" for my blog, I truly thought that he was going to just spew out random facts like: her favorite color is blue, she's short, and I love her teeth.

No, but really.

The last thing I expected was to literally L-O-L when I opened up my computer screen to see what he had written. And I'm talking belly-laugh-hard cracking up. On multiple occasions. It may have not even been very funny to the outsider, but because these were so dead on and something I, myself, would have never thought to write about, it just put the biggest smile on my face.

A few things to mention about this "husband assignment."

I know, I know, people are thinking... how is there an entire post devoted to this. Believe me, I feel your pain, but since I like to write down as many things as possible, this, in my opinion, was definitely noteworthy.

So. Things I didn't want to forget to mention.

1. There is a reason why I sent my husband an email 2 weeks before the scheduled link-up. For one, I knew he would wait until the last minute. As he did. Multiple times I would bring up to him... "have you worked on your assignment?" In which his response would be... "Um... yes... working on it." In other words, he hadn't even thought about it. And two, my husband needs plenty of warning ahead of things because he needs to mentally prepare himself. Point made with the wit. His first blog appearance, it must have been very important to him.

2. When I said please write 10-20 things "about me"... I should have said 15-20. Because to my husband? When he sees a "range"... then his eyes only see the first number. So when he first sent me 10... I said to him, "but honey, I thought you were going to write more." Of course, he gave me the side eye and proceeded to point out in the email... "but you said 10-20." Why, yes, point made, I did. But he was on a role with this "wit" and left me wanting more. And more, he gave.

3. I received the "assignment" the day before the link-up. On Monday. In fact, I had only received the first 8. The last 7? At 10:30 at night. I was half-asleep when my alarm went off. I spent about 30 minutes then rubbing my eyes and trying to figure out how to log him out of his email and log myself in. In between dosing in and out of sleep. Finally, I figured it out... and somehow only pasted numbers 8-15. Patted myself on the back and headed upstairs where Andrew was fast asleep. Punched him in the shoulder, woke him up, and said.. "Don't ever be this late again...... and thank you." He laughed.

4. Lastly, my remarks on his "about me." Well. I was going to include those in this post, but seeing as how I don't know when to stop talking... then it will just have to wait for tomorrow.

That, and, hey, free post for me! ... fluff as some may call it.

What My Loved One Thinks About Me

photo c/o the siners photography

I am so excited for this link-up today. Actually, I am even more excited to share with you guys what my husband sent to me for his assignment in describing my "about me."

Before I share, if you would like to link-up, all you have to do is have your loved one {spouse, sibling, parent, best friend, etc} write a little 10-20 post of "facts about you." Grab a button, and then link up and hop around to meet other ladies joining in. I'll keep this link-up open for 2 weeks.

And to preface this link up... I never thought that I would have so much fun reading what my husband said. In fact, I will most definitely have to do this again and maybe ask someone new!

Also, I had sent Andrew his assignment almost 2 weeks ago... saying his due date was over a week ago. Guess when I got it? The night before. Men, I tell you... that is exactly why I had to prepare him so much ahead of time.

I figured you ladies probably had to do the same if it was your spouse that did this for you. If it was your best girlfriend, I'm sure you had it by day two.

Okay, any who... without further ado--- in the exact words of Andrew, my husband, here is his "about my wife."
-----

1.) Becky loves to sing in the car. But when she tries to hit the high notes, I have to ask her to stop. Her singing is horrendous and harmful to the health of our children.

2.) You probably can't tell from the gourmet meals that she creates today, but Becky's cooking was once on par with her singing. Things have obviously changed.

3.) Before there was Bud Light Lime, there were cheap bottles of flavored vodka.

4.) Becky once vomited in the back of a taxi cab in college. I started talking really loud to the cabbie thinking that would mask the smell.

5.) On nights she works, she lays out pj's and clothes for in the morning for the kids. Makes my life much easier. Thank you babe.

6.) She unknowingly yells in her sleep if you try and wake her. It's best just to leave her be. It's frightening.

7.) She's never been hungover. I'm hungover the entire day.

8.) When setting the table for dinner, 9 times out of 10, she will give everyone utensils but me. I don't know what it is.

9} She once went to a pet store to buy Carson a companion. I talked her out of the dog and she bought a 52 in tv instead. Makes sense.

10} She loves any excuse to get a McDonald's double cheeseburger.

11) Becky has over 4,000 pictures on her cell phone, all of the kids. She's had that phone for about a year. That's about 11 pictures a day. Not bad.

12) I love sports. When we first started dating, Becky said she was a huge sports fan too. She lied. But she does tolerate my fantasy football habit.

13) Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream are her favorite chips. I've seen her eat an entire bag in one sitting on more than one occasion.

14) Her favorite evening attire consists of a pair of my gym shorts an XL t-shirt. It's very sexy.

15} This probably isn't a random or unknown fact but Becky loves her children more than anything in the world. She sacrifices sleep and her body so that she can keep working full time and keep the kids out of daycare. She wants nothing more than to be with them all day everyday, and she is. The kiddos and I are extremely lucky to have someone that is so hardworking and loving. We could never repay her for what she has done and what she continues to do. We love you babe.

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The Day I Wrote My Husband An Email & Asked Him to Blog

I do not usually write my husband emails while he is at work. Only when my phone has died, and I have not yet reached the charger. And even then, when I do write an email, it is usually from my regular email. But this? This one had to be from my blog email. Official business talk.

And it went something like this:

Hey baby, I have a favor to ask you. I'm working on something on my blog where I would like for you to write a little "about me." Yes, I'm asking YOU to blog. This would be in the form of "Random Facts about Becky." So anywhere from 10-20 little things that you can think of that I do, that I like, that bugs me, etc. Something that those close to me would know about me... things that probably you would only know or know well about me. Of course I wouldn't mind if you threw in there how beautiful and amazing I am {wink wink }. And no embarrassing things... like how I pick my nose. No one needs to know that ;)

Thanks a bunch! Your assignment is due by Friday

mucho love,

Your "From Mrs to Mama" Wife.

And when I said "something like," I clearly meant... like this. As evident by me posting the actual email. Which included a random... "fact." I say that in parenthesis because I will not reveal if that is actually true. That is for you to think deeply about. Anyways, moving along.

After writing the email, I thought... How fun would it be if others joined in?! So.

AN ANNOUNCEMENT:

Looking for something fun to blog about while connecting with others? Yes? Even better.... want someone else to do it for you? Yes?

Okay then, I have something fun for all of us.

Next Tuesday {APRIL 16th} we will have a link up of random facts about me.... from the voice of our loved one. So, I encourage you to email your loved one something similar to me {minus the nose picking}. It does not have to be your spouse. It can be your best friend, your mom, your dad, your grandma... or your dog. If you have a dog that talks.

I think this will be super fun for everyone.

So your assignment {or should I say... your loved one's assignment... is due in a little over a week}. Get to emailing and scheduling your posts!!

See you next Tuesday! Button with code below:
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How Andrew and I are different.

Very important topic here ladies. And gentlemen. If in fact there are men out there that read, and if they do, please don't take this personally...see this as a learning opportunity.

1. Andrew would send Elliana to grandma's house as quick as I could say go. Me? I have only spent one weekend away from her {for out of town wedding}, and just can't fathom sending her to grandma's just because. Often times I will ask him, okay what do you want to do? And he'll say, "I don't know, just hang out." My response? Why can't we hang with the kids? Although, I know it's completely the normal thing to do, but it's just so funny to me how men and women are wired so differently.

2. Andrew could walk by the screaming baby and have to pick up every toy or pillow on the ground, put it back in place, and make sure things are tidy before turning to me who happens to have the stare glare on, completely oblivious and say

"What"... 

in which I reply.. "Andrew. Crying baby. Takes precedence over non-moving, non-crying, completely un-important objects on the ground."

He stares at me blankly. His response... "Oh." Oh. Do men have hearing problems?

3. Andrew requires, I kid you not, 5-10 wipes to do a diaper change. Every diaper change. It's like he uses one for every crevice. Hello crevices. I mean, it's great. I appreciate a fresh clean baby and all. But really... ten? Let's be a little bit more conservative here honey.

4. Andrew doesn't grasp the concept of now. Like making sure he is following Elliana up the stairs because who knows what kind of trouble she could be getting into. But he has to finish washing the dishes from dinner {which I do appreciate by the way}. He doesn't understand that we are doing bath time and I don't have 4 hands to handle all the kids. But he is almost done listening to the sports channel. I think I operate on the lets go, hurry up, now time schedule. Whereas Andrew operates on the in-a-minute-honey schedule.

I like my schedule more :)

5. Andrew complains of being "tired" and requires naps on the weekends. This humors me. Then again, my husband has always been a big napper. Prior to having kids, he probably didn't roll out of bed before noon. I wish I was kidding. But the tired part? To me? I mean... if anyone, I should be the one that is tired. Sadly though, I just knock him across the head with a pillow and tell him he's lucky I'm not tired or else he would be in the doghouse. And off to sleep he goes.

I must say, I re-read these and giggled out loud. This may be a man thing, but most likely this is an "Andrew" thing. This short list describes my husband and the way he is regardless if kids were factored in. He's a big clean freak, and he tunes out quickly and easily. He gets distracted easily and forgets often. He loves his sleep and really doesn't function well without it. He's a slow moving but very picky and particular individual.

But boy does that man love hard. And those kids he loves so much. He pleads and begs for pictures throughout the day. He talks about his baby girl like she discovered the cure for cancer. He looks at his son with so much love in his eyes. He loves. And he loves hard.

So I guess I'll keep him. I guess he's not too bad after all ;)

Happy 3 Beautiful Years

Today marks a very special day for Andrew and myself. For our little family of four. Three years ago today Andrew and I made the vow while standing on the beach in Maui to love each other eternally, to be by each others side through all the hurdles in life, to honor and respect, and to promise to grow old together through sickness and in health. I know that we were destined to be together. I know that he will be that little old man that I will be sitting on the front porch in our rocking chairs 60 years from now. I know that he is the best man and the most honorable father I know. I know that he has given me the most precious gift of all... our children... and every day that I look into my daughter's eyes, I am reminded of this amazing love that started it all.

I love you Andrew with all my heart. More than words can express. More than I can show you. I love you more and more with each passing day, memory, milestones in our relationship. You are my everything.

*Check out the amazing camera strap cover giveaway going on my blog I posted today here!

What you need to know about your father, children.

Just a random post about Andrew. Things I want to remember for myself and for my children {Elliana and future kiddos}. Maybe even things that will make us giggle a little, and things that they can use to poke fun.

So... About this fella.

-Would sleep in until 2 if you let him. And loves to take naps. In fact, Andrew would sleep 14+ hours a day and take a nap. Once... him and Carson slept in until 4 in college. Neither one getting up once for a potty break.

-Must have 10 piece chicken McNuggets after a rough night.

-Has played almost every sport out there. Football. Baseball. Basketball. Tennis. Swimming. ....He even joined soccer his senior year of high school and was a star goalie.

-Will take multiple showers a day. Sometimes up to 3 {if he's been outside}. And if he runs to the store, and then goes out later that night? Must shower again.

-Got his masters at the age of 24.

-Loves to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for... breakfast.


-He is a neat freak to the extreme. And believe me... neat freak is putting it lightly. Probably because he grew up in a house full of neat freaks {in the kindest way possible}. Honestly? I'm envious of his passion to clean. I do it because well.. I have to. He does it? Because he likes to.

-Competing for the greenest of green grasses is Andrew's thing too. Sometimes he will mow the grass 3 times a week. And the landscaping? OH NO. Don't even get me started with this obsession.

-Some of his favorite shows: swamp people, the history channel, pawn stars, ESPN, all singing shows.


-He will however watch shows like teen mom, the real housewives, and the bachelorette with his wifey. That would be me.


-Speaking of ESPN... I'm pretty sure Andrew was never exposed to any other channel growing up. Why am I certain of this? Because after dating Andrew for 6+ years... I have never gone to his parents house and that channel not be on. Ever.


-Had hair down to his shoulders in high school.... and then? He met me. And I took him to the get it chopped a couple weeks later. His mama wasn't too happy about it.

-Loves to spoon. LOVES.

-Would play golf every day of his life if given the opportunity. And I mean every day.

-But as much as he loves golf? He equally loves to ruin a golfers stroke when driving by honking his horn obnoxiously loud right when they are about to swing. And? Snickers like a child.

-Thinks I'm a terrible singer

-Skyline Chili, Goldstar, Frisches, La Rosas {overrated in my opinion}, Montgomery Inn, and Graeters. Andrew's all time favorite childhood restaurants that he has to stop at anytime we are in the area.

-He has had the same facebook profile picture for over two years.... this one below.

yes. that would be me. next to a very obnoxious tall lamp.

-Speaking of facebook... he hates social media and other people knowing our lives. Except? He has totally come around to the whole blog thing... and actually...  likes it. *Maybe stretching it too far with the like*

-Checks the "news" on his phone first thing in the morning.

-Is famous for his "5 more minutes" line when trying to get him up in the mornings. Especially on vacation or at his parents house. It's more like.... 1 more hour.

-Is from a small town in Indiana but tells everyone he is from Cincinnati. Sneaky little thing.


-Bengals fan. Even though we live in Indiana. It's that Cincinnati thing again.

-Knew he was going to marry {me, your mama} just hours after meeting me. His famous words.. "she's going to be mine" to his best friend.

-His nails are better groomed than mine. Head down in shame {mine}.

Has the biggest heart out there.

and loves his family more than anything in this world.

Anything

Kids,
You guys are very lucky to have him as your papa.

Very.

Becky,
you too.

Money Isn't Everything

The other day, Andrew and I were talking when the topic of money came up. The reason for that being because someone close to us recently got a new job and now makes a very nice salary. When we heard the amount, our first response? "Wow." Then? "Must be nice." And after that? "Can you imagine what we could do with that money."


And although, yes, it does sound nice. And yes, I could think of a million things I could do with that money. I automatically said to him, that money isn't everything Andrew.

Sure, yes, it is very important. I hate to say very, but that is matter-of-fact. Money pays for our bills. Money pays for our home. Our cars. Our food. Our clothes. Our entertainment. And so forth.

However, that being said, when will we ever be satisfied with the amount of money that we have? Truly. And by we, I mean all of us as a society.

We are always working harder. Longer hours. More than one job. For what? To attain more. To have more. To feel more comfortable.

We are one of the most hard working countries out there. A country that doesn't believe in taking all of their vacation days offered to them a year. Which is so little to begin with, it makes me nauseous. We work up to the age of 70, if not longer. We work on Saturdays. Sometimes Sundays.

We have it all wrong.

Life should be about living. Not making money. It should be about enjoying the days off and spending time with our families the majority of our life... not working the most of it.

How many men out there do you know that work their butts off to provide for their SAHW {wives}. Honest question. Sometimes they are gone for weeks at a time. Sometimes they get up before anyone wakes up, and get home after everyone is in bed. Sometimes they don't even see their children until the weekend {if even that}.

All to provide.

But that is what they have to do to make ends meet. And they are amazing for doing so.

So I have to remind myself and my husband that money truly isn't everything. If you can pay the bills and spend time with your family and have the necessary things that you actually need then that is more than plenty. And we are fortunate to have all those things and more.

A roof over our head. Gas that provides us the ability to drive the vehicles we own. Clothes on our backs. Food on the table. And the ability to save for our future. And above all else?

A happy, healthy family. 

Money can't buy much more than that.

except all the beautiful little material things... but who cares about that

right?.........

I need to be a better Wife.

I wanted to jot this down while it was still fresh in my head. Just so I can look back on it. Just so I can remember. That sometimes, a lot of times, I am not perfect. I have room to grow. A lot of room to grow. And I need to be a better wife.

Period.

Andrew and I got into an argument the other day. A disagreement more so. Won't go into the details, they are neither important nor relevant to this post. Nothing big. Nothing that we will even ever recall in the future. In fact, I have already forgotten most of what it was about. But what I have not forgotten is the way I acted.

One thing that needs to be said about me {if it is already not known}, is that I am very impatient. I have been for the majority of my life. It doesn't take much to set me off. And when I do go off? I'm not nice.

I go straight for the blow. The stomach. The ouch, that hurt kind of stuff.

And it sucks. Plain and simple. After the fact I really get down on myself. Of course I immediately {most of the time} apologize, and he knows I don't mean what I say and quickly forgives me... but then I really kick myself over and over again wondering why did I say that. Was it necessary? No. Did I mean it? Of course not. Would I ever want that said to me? No.

Then why would you say that to the person that is your world, your best friend, the love of your life, your everything?

I don't know. Because I really struggle with this. I need to learn. I need to grow.

Say it over and over again. Learn from this. Grow from this. Acknowledge it... and change it. Don't hurt the people that love you the most. Don't take out your anger on those that don't hurt you. Love them. Be patient. Be kind. And believe in forgiveness.


I can repeat this cycle. I can keep telling myself these things time and time again. And trust me... I've come a long way. But I still have a ways to go. I need to learn how to breath through my anger. I need to learn how to let things go. Move past the things that do not matter. Learn how to deal with things differently. And if I am upset about something? Show it in a different way. Express it differently. If anything... just walk away and take a moment to myself.

But that's all easier said than done. I know I am a rational person and I understand all these things. But when that moment happens? When it is something I am upset about? Then I think differently. My mind goes elsewhere. Not always... but enough to make me step back and reevaluate the choices I make and how I decide to deal with a situation.

Marriage isn't easy. But unfortunately, this has nothing to do with marriage. This is just a personal battle that I have with myself. One that I constantly struggle with in all aspects of my life {besides being a mother}. One that causes me to keep telling myself....


Do better. Act better. Love more. And hurt less. And most importantly, be a better wife.

Happy 6 years baby.

To the best 6 years of my life.

6 years ago today Andrew asked me to be his girlfriend.

3 years ago today, he asked me to be his wife.

It's a very special day.

---------

I'll be revealing to my husband his gift from me tonight.

My love craft.

Don't forget to link-up yours TOMORROW!! 

-----

Also, just checked, and there are still sizes left on the jackets on sale!

Houston we have a problem.

I had one of those mornings last week. You know the one where you're like... did this really happen to me just now?

Why yes, Becky, it did.

Let's do a little recap, shall we.

Last week, one of my best friends texts me the night before to tell me that she was leaving the next day to move to Switzerland {yes, I just said Switzerland...Don't ask}. Mind you, I know that this is happening {just didn't realize it was this soon}, and I am at work when I receive this text.

So what does a desperate friend do when they absolutely need to see their friend before she leaves this country {I still have not come to terms with this}... why, she makes a breakfast date. What else.

Okay. Lets fast forward to 730 am. I get off work. I had texted the husband the night before "things to bring," and I put my trust in him that he would come through.

"wallet with my license and credit card {because I don't carry this on me at work}

Elliana's breakfast {because I don't allow her to eat junk..99% of the time}

Elliana's coat, hat, and gloves {because husband would just have a blanket on her otherwise}

Makeup {need I explain? 12 hours is a long time}

Dress her cute! {remember this one}"

Okay. It's 745 now. I get a phone call from the husband... and it goes something like this:

"F#$% da#$ sh@#... this outfit is going crazy."

and then he hangs up.

Um. Reminder. Husband leaves the house at 730 to come meet me, otherwise he would be late for work. Reminder number two. It is now 745. Reminder number 3... he is still dealing with "outfit."

And did he really just say.... the outfit is going crazy?

My poor child. That was my first thought. My second thought was... seriously Andrew, seriously?

So eventually he arrives. All the stuff is there. The baby looks happy. She's dressed warm. Her pants look cute, and so do her shoes. Although they wouldn't be the two I would put together, but he gets an A for effort {why do people even say that}. 

I quickly spruce myself up {to the best of my ability for being awake for 24 hours}, and head on my way.

Now. When I arrive to the restaurant and go in the backseat to take Elliana out... I notice something peculiar.

Her shirt. Identical to her pants. 

Now listen closely. I don't want you to get confused. I may have to draw a picture, but just hold up and take note.

Elliana has these two outfits by nicole miller {love her baby girl clothes}. One outfit is a blue top with white pants with gold polka-dots all over them. Another one {again, made by the same person} with a white shirt with gold polka-dots all over them and blue pants to match.

Perfect combo. Perfect outfits. Absolutely my favorite.

Well what does my husband do? He puts the white pants with the white shirts WITH GOLD POLKA-DOTS ALL OVER together on her.  And a gold bow.

So here I am walking in with a child that looks like she got hit with the gold paintball gun 100 too many times. A walking gold-polka dot baby doll. A huge eye sore is what it was.

And to think.... that these people in this public restaurant actually thought that I dressed her. I wanted to put a big sign around her neck. So people would know. {It wasn't ME}

And let's not even talk about what happened toward the end of breakfast. You don't even want to know. I won't even go there.

Fine. I'll go there. My child went crazy. I mean, crazy crazy. Flinging head back, arching her back, screaming. That kind of crazy. I was utterly mortified. Never have I seen her act like this. Ever. And here she is doing this in public?

For the love of khfksjfjienk@#@%@$.

I grabbed her jacket so quickly... sorry friend... I have to run. And ran out the door. My friend following behind me.

I get that it was her nap time, but seriously, was it necessary to act that way? I am scarred. Very much so.

Let's just say... my head was spinning by 10am and I vow to never do that again....

That is until my next best friend decides to move to Africa.

When Husbands become kids. I mean kids become Husbands.

Here's the thing about boys. Men. Husbands. Whatever you want to call them. They're all alike. In the sense that... they never truly do grow up.

You can have a 12 year old, immature, hairless, high-pitched pre-teen, and then you can have my 25 year old (as of like 5 days ago) husband, and I guarantee you wouldn't notice the difference.

Okay, maybe some difference. But those don't really matter. What's important is that they are the same species.


For instance, let's rewind here to a couple of days ago.

T'was the night before his birthday....I receive a text...

A: "Becky... for my birthday.. I request to play video games."
B: "Okay... your birthday is not until tomorrow."
A: "Yes. But it's my birthday week. So I request to play video games tonight."
B: "I request a Louis Vuitton bag. Since we are requesting things around here"
A: "Goodbye."

That was how our conversation went.

And then he came home from work. We did our usual routine. We ate. We played with Elliana. We giggled. Did bath time. Read books. And put her to bed.

I snuck into the office to check my email, when what do you know, the "pre-birthday" boy himself walks in to.... what do you know, "play video games."

Okay. Fine. Whatever. His birthday was in fact just hours away.

So he played. While I answered some emails and enjoyed my bud light lime. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that bud light lime came into the picture an hour prior. How else would I survive a night of video gaming.


That and twitter. Although, 99% of the time I feel like I am talking to myself... it does still serve the purpose of its entertainment. And then you get those select few friends who turn around and egg me on. I fall to peer pressure.


Oh yes, back to the husband. So. I'm sitting there next to him while he games like a dweeb {hott dweeb, might I add}. Talking to his little "friends" on his headset.  In all fairness, they are really his "real" friends. But still.


And then, 2 {or 6} bud light lime's in, a few tweets later, and I decide that I wanted to make some "animal" noises really loud into the "microphone" of the headset.

Well. My friends. I highly do not recommend this.

I  got kicked out. Andrew was embarrassed. I was giggling like a school girl. And here I am dragging my butt downstairs thinking... "what to do now."


Cookies? Why yes, that sounds like a marvelous idea.

I set the temperature to 350 and wait. And wait. And stare. It's 350. It probably "ding-donged" a long time ago. But I'm still staring. 10 minutes later, and then, I finally realize that oh it's ready for me.


Cookies go in. 10 more minutes pass, and I realize that it's supposed to be at 325. Fail.


Then, I pull the delicious chocolate-chip cookies out. No worries. They survived my little mistake. I put them on a pretty little white plate, salivating at the sight of their sweetness, when I quickly realize... Houston, we have a problem.


Cookies and milk? Or cookies and beer. Oh the decisions to be made.I was between a rock and hard place.

Unfortunately, the decision was made for me when I realized that the only milk that was left in the fridge was my daughter's organice whole mils... which so happens that there was only enough for her in the morning.

Being the good mom that I am, I made the responsible decision to forgo the milk and stick with the beer.

During this dilemma of mine, I receive this text from my husband {who is upstairs}...

Question of the hour. Did I go... or did I stay.

Well. It was his birthday after all.

And the good wife in me?

Grabbed my bud light lime. My plate of cookies... and...

"Honey. I'm home." - {with the animal noises left at the door}

Happy Birthday again, My love. Only for you would I endure this sort of torture in life.
Man, I love you.

Happy Birthday Love of My Life

For Andrew's birthday, would you mind taking a minute to check out this blog. This mama is selling her baby boy's clothes (and other mama goodies), many of which weren't worn or gently used, and the proceeds are going to ST. JUDE'S HOSPITAL! What a great thing she is doing! So if you will go and check it out, and maybe even buy something, that would be SO awesome. Happy Holidays!!