Nine Things I Love About My Husband

1. He makes the coffee every morning, and if I am awake before he leaves for work, he brings me a cup. (This may be for the sake of our children).

2. He lies to me and says my butt does not look big in my jeans, pants, running shorts, etc...

3. When I have let the laundry get away from me and he is out of folded undershirts he quietly sneaks to the garage to get one from the dryer, keeping up the farce that I am an amazing housewife.

4. He LOVES our children. And they adore him.

5. He commutes over two and a half hours a day to and from work so that we can raise our family in the community of our choosing... and NEVER complains about it.

6. My type A personality outwardly amuses him, and if it drives him insane on the inside he has not let on yet.

7. He knows my favorite pieces of Sees candy and has them specially packed on random occasions.

8. He understands that if I don’t watch my DVRed episodes of Toddlers and Tiaras, Kate Plus 8, and Sister Wives while we are in bed together at night, I never will.

9. When I sometimes call him and ask if he will pick up dinner on the way home he does it...without asking questions.

Happy 9th Anniversary Patrick!

Here’s to many, MANY more!

Sorry I'm a day late. I love you!

Five Things Before Forty

We celebrated my birthday last week. We had a nice barbecue in my parent’s backyard.

That’s my mother trying a “new” grilling technique. The smoke frightened us too.

We had cake from my favorite bakery.

In an attempt to make me relevant Patrick and the kids got me an iphone, which I love.

Driving home at the end of the evening I realized I am almost forty. When did this happen? I don’t feel almost forty, I don’t think I act like I’m almost forty, and I certainly hope I don’t look almost forty...although my mother did offer to get me Botox for my birthday. Yes, she certainly did.

But the harsh reality is that in two short years I will be forty. With this in mind I have five things I would like to do before turning 40.

This is not an earth-shattering list. I gave up negotiating world peace before I turned 30. Now I just barter for peace among the children.

Half marathon- This is the first birthday in five years that I am not pregnant or have an itty-bitty infant. I almost don’t know what to do with myself...but I have been running consistently again.

I would like to run another half marathon. Ultimately I would like to do another marathon, but I am a realist. Those long training runs are not going to happen until the kids are older.

Therefore, I will settle for a half marathon that doesn’t require nearly as much commitment training. My favorite half is America’s Finest City.

I think I will shoot for Fall 2011 or Summer 2012.

County Fair- I love county fairs. They remind me of the best things about the South and the Midwest. So since I am a California girl, born and raised, who is well acquainted with the freeway but would be lost on a country road, I am naturally drawn to them. Naturally.

I have always wanted to enter the baking contest at the county fair. I think I have the perfect recipe. It is from my grandmother. The only thing that would make it better is if it were served on a stick...hmmm.

The fair is only once a year, so I better get crackin on this one.

Traffic control- When we bought our current home five years ago one of the things I loved about it was the close proximity to the park, athletic fields and community lake. There is nothing like sitting in the backyard and hearing the first crack of the bat during the start of the little league season, or listening to the concerts at the lake from your own patio during the summer.

Don’t get me started on watching the fireworks from your front lawn- it’s awesome!

But along with this privilege is a major parking issue that rears it’s ugly head every spring and summer. Please don’t think I am an elitist that doesn’t want other people to enjoy what I have. I know people need to park in our neighborhood. The problem is the line of cars on the main street creates an atrocious blind corner when you exit our cul-de-sac. There have been so many near misses because people drive to fast and others can’t see.

Something needs to be done...and I have been bitching about it saying it to Patrick for years- he is a patient, patient man.

Last week I started putting my money where my mouth is and went down to city hall to find out how to address this issue. Much to my delight, the administrative assistant told me I was not the only person to complain bring this to their attention. I got the name of the city traffic engineer. I plan to follow up next week.

Poor man.

Chocolate Chip Cookies- I know this will come as quite a shock, but I love to bake.

It is a major stress reliever for me. Running is also a major stress reliever. Running and baking must be synonyms for stress relief. So it really doesn’t matter if I run or bake, I will achieve the same result. Are you following my warped thinking?

My favorite things to bake lately have been bars- Lemon Bars, Chocolate Malt Brownie Bars, Blondies, even Rice Crispy Treats.

The one thing that I am missing in my baking repertoire is the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. A chocolate chip cookie that is so good the boys will be disappointed by any efforts potential mates make to ensnare them with baked goods. A recipe that Colette will pass on to her children.

This recipe has been elusive. Believe me when I tell you I have been searching.

Child Free Vacation- This is just as much for Patrick as it is for me. We really need a vacation. While we have taken long weekends away, it isn’t enough to really relax. By the time we catch up on sleep it is time to drive home.

We need 5 days, or better yet, a whole week. Crazy!

Maybe this will be put on Mommy and Daddy’s Summer Bucket List next year.

In the mean time, I am not done celebrating my two-years-until 40 Birthday. Patrick and I are going to dinner tomorrow night. Just the two of us. It’s a start!

Five For Friday: 5 things NOT to do in your kid’s school parking lot.

New Mom’s for Xanax feature- Five for Friday. Basically this is my forum to vent about whatever insignificant/major annoyance is causing me angst this week. Your welcome!!!!!

Before I rant, I have to share this photo of the view from Vincent's school. As always, my photography skills do not do it justice!

So without further ado, here are the 5 things you should not do in the parking lot of your child’s school:

Do not leave your car parked unattended and boxing in 3 other cars. There are other spaces in the lot. Use them and walk a bit if you have to. The exercise and fresh air is good for your circulation. In the meantime, I will wait for 25 minutes in my car, with my empty Diet Coke, and three tired children, while you, inconsiderate picker-upper, do your business. I hope for your sake no one needs to go potty, or pukes. That would be really bad for you.

Do not flaunt your new subwoofer. We are mostly SAHM’s. We are not impressed by such technology. We are all calculating how many packs of diapers and pairs of shoes we could have bought with the money you paid for that silly speaker. The boom boom boom hurts our ears and rattles our bones...and not in a good way. We are old, have mercy on us.

Do not back into your parking space and take up two spots. Your shiny, European, two-door convertible is really pretty, and I am sure very expensive, but here are the facts: You have a car seat that is covered with graham cracker crumbs, and your windows are smeared with dirty kid fingerprints, just like the rest of us gals. Get over yourself and park normally like the mini vans. And by the way, that sippy cup is leaking milk all over your Coach leather backseat. Good luck getting the stench out.

Do not wear your hair in side braids when picking up the carpool. Seriously? You are not fooling anyone. You are not going to be mistaken for one of the 8^th graders. We all know you are 40. Embrace your age, woman. And you should stop speaking to the person who told you it looks cute. Friends don't let friends look stupid!

Do not be huffy with the person engaged in the four above activities. Chances are they are your child’s room mother, or even worse, the PTA president. Your frustration will be noted and discussed all weekend in emails, telephone conversations and on the sideline of the Saturday soccer game. Keep your cool. Your kid’s future, and your reputation, depend upon it.