Happy Birthday to The Man - or - Girls' Night Out

Tuesday was The Man's birthday.  Tuesday is also the craziest day of our week.  Here's the day in a nutshell:
7:30 - ride Buddy Boy to school (yes, we ride bikes to school.  Go green!  Save the planet!  Burn a calorie!)
8:45 - drive Ladybug to school (it's OK, I drive a hybrid.  Go green!  Save the planet! Get to sit down for 10 minutes!)
2:00 - drive Ladybug home from school
3:00 - ride Buddy Boy home from school
4:00 - Ladybug's gymnastics practice
5:30 - Buddy Boy's soccer practice (close to home)
6:00 - Ladybug's soccer practice (on the other side of the moon)
7:30 - feed kids while they're taking a bath so we can make it to bed on time
8:00 - stories (read to your kids, it'll keep 'em off drugs.  Hey that's what the commercials say, isn't it?)
8:30 - goodnight kisses
8:45 - clean up bath mess, do dishes, pack lunches, blah blah blah

Yep.  Tuesday's are hectic.  I try really hard to have Tuesdays all mapped out by Sunday.  Last Sunday I was going over the drill at the dinner table.  I told everyone we'd be having leftovers on Tuesday since we were so tightly booked.  The man gave me a look.  You know the look I'm talking about.  The kind that animals at the shelter give you so you'll take them home with you.  When I ask if there's a problem, The Man sheepishly states, "I'd like to have a fresh cooked meal for my birthday."  OH CRAP!!  But there's no need for me to stress about it.  He's got it all worked out for me.  If I start cooking in the morning, I can have it all lined up and ready to pop in the oven as soon as we get home from practice.  And if the kids stay up a little late on Daddy's birthday, so be it.  OK...ok...have it your way, Birthday Boy.

So, that's what I did.  I spent all morning frantically running around to various grocery stores (because I can never manage to remember to get everything in one trip), cooking, cleaning, doing dishes, etc.  Oh!  And slaving over The Man's birthday bacon.  (Seriously, am I a rockin' wife, or what?!  Birthday bacon!!)

I dashed off to get Ladybug from school - only to remember I'd volunteered to take a little friend home with us that afternoon for a playdate.  Then another little friend was sad because she wasn't coming, so I took her home with me too.  Hey, what's one more little girl, right?  By the time I got all 3 girls home, it was time to go collect BuddyBoy - who got mad at me because I came in the car, not on my bike.  What is it with the men in this family, do they not understand there are only so many minutes in a day?!

By the time I got home with BuddyBoy, it was time to load the 3 girlies back into the car for gymnastics practice.  On the way to the gym, I realized I didn't have any ice cream, so I dropped them off and made another trip the the grocery store.  Then it was back to the gym to supervise BuddyBoy's homework activities while Ladybug trained, then back home to get everyone changed and cleated up for soccer practice.  Then it was home to pop dinner in the oven and get the kiddos bathed.  Then it was out to the table to eat the fresh, slightly over cooked ok, burnt dinner, followed by birthday pie and presents.

This year's presents were OK.  Nothing super great, although I do really like the Seasoned Old Crab t-shirt I picked up for him while we were on vacation in Maryland.  The Man can be a bit crabby, so it suits him well. But the piece de resistance had to be the card he got from his mom:

Well Isn't That Nice :: Karma's Gonna Gitcha, Jerri!

Picture this. The man - frazzled, sweaty and barking orders while operating the electronic check-in kiosk at the airport. Me - trying to maintain my cool while managing two tired yet over-excited kids, and an embarrassingly tall mountain of luggage. Jerri Greene - casually leaning on the ticket counter chatting with a colleague.

What? Who's Jerri Greene? Well she's the supervising ticket agent for American Airlines at DFW. She's the lady who easily ignores the growing crowd of restless travelers desperate for an agent to process their bags so they can get to their gate on time. She's the lady who snipes at The Man (an Executive Platinum traveler on American) when he asks her if she's going to call for bags any time soon.

Jerri (barely glancing up from her conversation): "We don't call for bags, you have to form a line."

The Man: "Since when? That's not how it was when I was here four days ago."

Jerri: "For two years...at least."

The Man: "Well that's not how is was when I was here four days ago." The Man really likes to repeat himself.

Jerri (rolling eyes and speaking to colleague as she starts to walk away): "Thank goodness summer vacation will be over soon."  (Jerri obviously doesn't understand that her job security depends in part on familiesshelling out big bucks to go on summer vacations.)

Well Jerri, this one's for you. I sure hope someone you know googles your name and finds this for you. You deserve the recognition. Really. Oh, and about that stunt you pulled with my luggage. Yeah, I'm on to you sistah. I don't have proof, but I'm pretty sure you flagged my bag so it would get held up with TSA. Karma's gonna gitcha for that one. In the meantime, enjoy your flower.
 
Do you have someone you'd like to send a flower to?  Feel free to grab one and pass it on.  Just remember to leave a comment so I can enjoy your generosity.

<a href="http://teddystartedit.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af251/TeddyStartedIt/WellIsntThatNicebutton.jpg" border="0" alt="When flowers just don't say it all"></a><br />

Thanks, Honey

The Man's been burning the midnight oil lately - hard at work, providing for his family. Good Man.

He knocked off around 2:30 this morning.

He decided to "do me a favor" and put the dishes away before he came to bed.

Unfortunately, The Man's as noisy as a bull in a china shop.

Sleeping is not one of my many talents.

Thanks for the 2:30 AM wake up call, Honey. The kitchen looks great!

The Happiness Project :: Mr. Fix It, Little Bunny & The Lucky Girl

A million years ago...when I had a "real" job - a real horrible job - The Man bought me this little tchotchke to hang off the side of the potted plant in my office.  Geeze Louise how I hated that job, but my office was so dang cute.  Well, now my 'office' is the kitchen, the laundry room, the playroom, etc.  So Little Bunny's been hanging off the lampshade in The Man's home office.  

A week or so ago, the kiddos & I were out at the kitchen table doing whatever it is that we do when we're home trying to stay quiet so Daddy can get his work done doing eduational crafts, when we heard a small crash followed by a loud NOOOO!!  I asked what happened and was promptly told I didn't want to know.  Which really made me want to know.  Turns out, Little Bunny had lost his grip on the lampshade and had shattered into tiny pieces on the floor.  Buddy Boy assured me that Daddy could fix it with glue.  (The Man can work serious miracles with a brush bottle of krazy glue.)  But I told him Little Bunny was beyond repair and was going in the trash.  At which point, he got all choked up and told me he'd go to Target with me to get another one.  When I told him that Little Bunny didn't come from Target and that I was sure we would never find another one...let's just say things got very sad at our house.

Later that evening, I walked out into the kitchen and found my Mr. Fix It working miracles with his glue.  The fact that The Man cares about these silly little sentimental things...well, it makes me more than happy, it makes me feel like a pretty lucky girl.

It's Tuesday, join The Happiness Project over at Leigh vs. Laundry.  Tell us what makes you happy.

The Happiness Project :: Duct Tape

The Man came in my office today. {uh oh} He came in my office to offer me some "constructive criticism". Yeah. So. Basically, he came in to tell me all the wrong things I'm doing with my business. And then, of course, he proceeded to tell me all the right things I should be doing with my business. A lively discussion ensued. He stomped out mad, mumbling that I never consider his ideas; I sat smoldering in my chair wishing I could just slap a piece of duct tape over his mouth when he starts 'helping' me. So today's Happiness post isn't so much about what made me happy today as much as it's about what would have made me happy today. Duct tape would have made me happy. Unfortunately, I only had a thin roll of that not-so-sticky blue painter's tape. I'm happy to report, it did the trick.

{And I'm happy that The Man is such a trouper.}

So what makes you happy?  Jump on the happiness band wagon, and link up at Leigh vs. Laundry.