My Sweet Husband

I created this blog so that my and my husband's families (who all live on the other side of the country) could keep up with our growing little girl. I have found it to be a good journal outlet as well, and in doing so, have exposed most people to my thoughts and my thoughts on my little girl. I have not, however, blogged much about Michael. That is not due to a lack of love for him or interest in his life - I just didn't want to turn into one of those blog authors that gush over their husbands and make life seem like it's perfect and rosy all the time. But sometimes there are things that have to be said...



Michael is a great husband and father. I was just reading an article in Parenting Magazine about how it upsets moms when their husbands are just as good (if not better) than they are at the "parenting thing" because they feel it undermines their own parenting abilities. There have been many times that I have read articles in this magazine and wonder why I ever subscribed to it in the first place, but this one was tops. Are these women crazy?!? To me, there is nothing sexier than watching Michael with Shaelyn. And yes, in a lot of ways, Michael is a better parent than me. He is more patient, more fun-loving, and can definitely get Shaelyn to laugh more than I can. He is an active participant in all parenting duties - he has no problem changing diapers, giving baths, wiping a snotty nose, fixing dinner, whatever the task requires. And when he is in town, he is the one who puts her to bed. Every night. And while I watch him excel at these tasks, it in no way takes away from what I contribute to the parenting equation. Maybe that's because taking care of Shaelyn is my full time job, so our duties and contributions are different. Either way, if both parents are contributing their best, whatever that may be, doesn't that equal a better parenting team and a happier home life?



But the reason for the post is to highlight one if the small, sweet things that Michael does for me. Since quitting my job and staying home with our child(ren), our budget has become pretty tight - manageable, but tight. Add pending doctors' bills for #2 and every penny is accounted for. One luxury item cut from the budget - eating out. Michael and I, even when we were students, used to eat out all the time. Sometimes 4 or 5 times a week. When we were at BYU, it was Cafe Rio, Red Robin, and Applebee's. When we were both working it was sometimes more upscale. I never cooked dinner. We would just pick something up on the way home or meet at a restaurant somewhere. Our friends who already had kids teased us about being the "power couple". I just grew accustomed to "restaurant food". So it sounds silly to some, but giving that up has been one of my biggest (if not the biggest) sacrifices as a SAHM.



When Michael travels, he gets to eat out. It's one of the perks of traveling. And we're not talking Applebee's eating out. We're talking 5-star restaurants, ones celebrities eat at, with individual meal prices starting at $30. And with the amount he travels, he gets to eat out quite a bit. It makes up for some of the sacrifice of us not being able to eat out anymore. But he always feels bad when he calls and I'm making macaroni and cheese with hot dogs for me and Shaelyn and he's having filet mignon with lobster bisque and bacon-wrapped scallops. (No joke.) He wishes he could bring some of this food home with him.



Every now and then, he has these catered conferences at work. They always have left-over food, and the company usually just throws the food away. Not anymore. Now Michael stays after to collect the food that went uneaten and packs it up to bring home to me. Sometimes it's nothing more than leftover cookies or appetizers. But sometimes it sandwiches from Panera Bread, or tacos from Moe's, or something just as good. Today he brought home Panera bagels, pastries, and big chocolate cake slice from this delicious downtown bakery. Small and sweet. But it shows that he's thinking of me, and he always presents the food to me with the statement that he appreciates my sacrifice to stay home and raise our kids.



That will get me through another week of mac and cheese for sure.