The Other Half-Better Half

When I refer to Mike as my "other half" I literally mean it. Things in our house are split 50/50....there is no ONE person more important than anyone else at our house. There also aren’t any “man” jobs/roles or “woman” jobs/roles-just stuff that needs attention by whoever is able at that time. It is really something I have come to be very grateful for, seeing that it is not this way in every household. Something I am becoming more aware of all the time-through different families I know, or that I come in contact with or meet out & about. Don't get me wrong-we have our spats & times where we want to ring each other's necks, and there are times when it is more like 75/25 but it is usually reciprocated by the other half at some point. For the most part we are a united front and no matter what, we work as a team when it comes to our kids. 

Lately I've been really stressed out-not sure why entirely-just stressed. The end of the school year (with all that entails) is part of it I'm sure, but I've felt my patience wear thin, and feel as if I am hanging on by a thread. At any moment, my last nerve might be plucked and then WWIII might be around the corner! Last night was one of those moments-my kids seemed to have an excess amount of energy-to which I could not match, and best of all, I ended up being in a power struggle with a 2 and 3 year old!

 I've read all the books, I've taken a billion classes on the subject-but let me tell ya-your kids TOTALLY know when you are at your lowest, and how it is the perfect opportunity to be completely OBNOXIOUS and DISOBEDIENT! They got into anything and everything they weren't supposed to, and once I had one mess cleaned up-I'd turn around to see another disaster staring me in the face! Mike had to work a ballgame at the high school (go figure) and wouldn't be home until 6pm. Booooo. When he called around 6:15 telling me there was one more inning-I literally broke down and started to cry. I could NOT take anymore of this day.

 Where does this get better you ask? Well, on the other end of the phone, Mike calmly says he'll pick up dinner and be home a.s.a.p. Five minutes later-he was walking through the door, gave me a hug as I fell apart, and said "I'll take over-It's ok". And he literally did-I took a couple Advil and closed my eyes-pretended that I had no responsibilities that needed my immediate attention-and for the rest of the night, I laid curled up in my bed with Brinkley. Mike fed himself, the kids and the dogs-he bathed them, put up the jump house for them, cleaned that mess up, then put them both to bed, and finished up the laundry (including putting it all away). All without ONE complaint or any interruption to my peace.

I am so grateful for my Poobee for being such a hand's on dad-I would NEVER make it without him as my partner in crime. We understand each others strengths and weaknesses-which has always been a blessing for our relationship. 

 Mike is the guy whos hobby IS his family. While other dads I know, spend most of their spare time going hunting or fishing or fixing up one of their "man toys" (cars, boats, 4 wheelers, etc.) and complain about having to "hang with the fam", I have the guy who longs to be home spending time with us. He emails me from work everyday asking what we have planned for the evening because he is literally waiting for 3:30 so he can come home. Not a week goes by when he doesn't text me while he's in class at night at CWU-wondering what we are up to without him. What more could I ask for? Of course there is always some kind of sports crap on t.v. when he IS home-lol-especially on Sundays & Mondays-but, there is NEVER a time when he has put those things above the kids or I. He will drop them in a split second if something else comes up. He’ll do the laundry and dishes more often than not, he loves to cook for us if given the chance, and doesn’t complain about going on spontaneous outings-even if there is a ballgame on. There aren't many guys out there who possess these qualities-and I'm fortunate enough to share my life with one of the rare ones that does. It’s funny-even at 15 years old, I knew there was something special about him-you can see it in his eyes. I’ve always told him that-it was his eyes that sucked me in. They exude kindness. How did I get so lucky? He really is my better half :)