My Husband

On Monday night, my husband fixed the drain in the bathtub.

On Tuesday night, my husband fixed the fridge.

On Wednesday night, my husband fixed dinner, but really, he does that most nights.

What Are the Chances?

So, last night I showed Mike the above picture - that my sister sent to me via email. Sorry, I have no idea where it came from. But, that, is somebody's Christmas decorations. A fake man holding onto the roof with a fallen ladder.

Anyway... due to circumstances beyond our control we had to ask a friend for a favor and have Quinn go somewhere different today for child care. Mike was to go to work late and drop Quinn off. I had Quinn's school bag and "playing in the snow" bag all set and ready and I think I reminded Mike to leave the booster seat at least 5 times in the morning.

So, he forgot to leave the booster seat. My friend called me to let me know (good thing she wanted to put the seat into her car right away) and I called Mike, who was able to turn around and go back to deliver the booster seat. The street he turned down was closed, so he followed the detour. And saw a house just like the one in the picture! He was going down some street he's never, ever, been down before, and would never, ever, need to go down - and voila. There's that scene.

Wait. He then goes to work and decides to check his uncle's blog (which he will check maybe every few weeks) (oh - and also - that's what he gets to do at work? read blogs?)... anyway, he goes to check on his uncle's blog and sees this.

How crazy is that????

When the kids are sick...

When the kids are sick they get to watch way more tv than normal. Curious George, SuperWhy, Wipe Out, and Sesame Street seem to be constantly running on TiVo lately. And I'm okay with this.

When Liam is sick he rarely naps more than 45 minutes. I've found myself sitting on the couch watching Nemo or WallE as he cuddles up next to me drinking his juicy water. And I'm more than okay with this.

When Quinn is sick he makes me laugh. After every meal and every nap he'll proudly announce, "Well, that worked! I'm better now." Of course, I'm okay with this.

When the kids are sick I make their juicy water with a little bit more juice - in hopes of giving them a few extra vitamins, but mostly because I want them to drink more liquids. It works and so, I'm okay with the extra sugar they might be getting from the juice.

***********

When I'm sick, I treat myself to my favorite ice cream every night. And I don't feel guilty about it at all.

When I'm sick, the house gets just a little messy. Nobody vacuums, laundry piles up, the bathroom counter gets cluttered, and the dishwasher doesn't get emptied first thing in the morning. And I don't feel guilty about it at all.

When I'm sick, my husband takes good care of me. He makes soup, fixes my ice cream, and takes the kids in the basement when he gets home from work. And I don't feel guilty about it at all.

*************

Maybe being sick isn't so bad after all?

Those Crazy Green Liberal Neighbors

Another conversation between Mike and I using our blackberry messenger.

Cathy: My dad got us a water barrel.
Cathy: I want to order a compost bin and maybe a clothes line today.
Cathy: Our neighbors are gonna think we're crazy green liberals.
Cathy: Cuz only liberals compost and save water.
Cathy: Not to mention your lawn mower.
Mike: You're funny. Do you think you could ask your dad if he could get another one?
Mike: I want to build solar panels too.

34 years ago

Almost 34 years ago a pregnant mother was rushed to the hospital 5 weeks before her due date and then rushed to an emergency c-section.

She was warned that her son would probably always need extra help. Special classes. She was told not to get her hopes up.

Since then, her son has received two bachelor degrees. One in physics and one in engineering. The only special classes he ever needed were those for the gifted students.

He's managed to earn 4 US patents for his work on engines. A black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Not only that, but he also managed to find himself a pretty awesome wife. And have two healthy boys.



Thank goodness that there exists a group that provides comfort and information to families with a newborn in intensive care.

Why I Love Blackberry Messenger

Yesterday, while I was at work, the following conversation took place between Mike and I on our respective Blackberries.

Cathy: Can we eat at 415ish. I gotta take tuck to the vet
Cathy: Pork????
Mike: Uh chicken. Or it will go bad. We can make it bbq though
Cathy: Fine chicken.
Mike: (smiley face icon)
Cathy: (tongue sticking out icon)
Cathy: I need some poop from tuck
Mike: So go get some
Mike: (tongue sticking out icon)

So - I got home around 4:10 and realized dinner was no where near being ready. When I asked Mike what was up he said, "You never told me you needed to eat early." Aha! Enter the blackberry, where it saves your conversations until you delete them. Proof! Finally. For the past 8 years we've the following conversation whenever Mike didn't remember something. He'd say, "You never told me." I'd say, "I'm pretty sure I did." BUT, I never had proof like I do now.

*blackberry messenger is a free service between blackberry users - it's sort of like text messenging, faster. And free for us.

Shh...I'm not really doing this.

So my laptop is in a fragile state. It needs a new motherboard and I was advised to, "take it easy," with the laptop - until it gets a new motherboard. I'll be shipping my baby off to Dell tomorrow - and then waiting. Luckily, my hard drive seems to be okay, but I was told NOT to try and back it up with the state my laptop is in. Whatever. Anyway, my husband is getting anxious about me even being on here. So this is quick.

I copied this from Christie, who copied from Heather Armstrong's Dooce, who copied it from somewhere in Facebook land.

What are your middle names?
Mine is Marie and his is James.

How long have you been together?
Married for nearly seven years, together for over ten.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
We knew each other maybe a few months before we went on our first date.

Who asked whom out?
He asked me.

How old are each of you?
I'm 31 and he's 33.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
He only has one sister - we see her probably a bit more than we see my siblings. But not much more.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Working on the house/making decisions/finding time.

Did you go to the same school?
We went to the same college, until he transferred to a different one.

Are you from the same home town?
Nope.

Who is smarter?
Depends on what you're talking about. "school stuff" - Mike wins. "common sense stuff" (like how to do laundry AND watch the kids) - I win. But really, he's a crazy freak about remembering facts and has a degree in physics AND engineering, so yeah, he's probably smarter, but don't tell him that. But I DO have a Master's Degree. So....

Who is the most sensitive?
Me, I guess.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Brio

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Florida.

Who has the craziest exes?
Neither of us.

Who has the worst temper?
He does, but really, I don't see it much.

Who does the cooking?
He does.

Who is the neat-freak?
me. You should have seen this house when I got back from my little vacation.

Who is more stubborn?
Me.

Who hogs the bed?
The dog.

Who wakes up earlier?
Me. Even when it's my turn to sleep in, he gets mad because I get up shortly after he does. Really, I just want him to take car of the kids in the morning, I usually lay in bed checking things out with my blackberry.

Where was your first date?
A coffee shop in Normal, IL

Who is more jealous?
Me.

How long did it take to get serious?
serious = marriage? About 2 years 'til we started talking about it.

Who eats more?
Me. Mike can't eat wheat. I like to eat.

Who does the laundry?
I do. Actually, I got home from my trip and was told, "the kids have to sleep in their clothes tonight because there's no more pajamas." He complained that he couldn't do laundry AND watch the kids (who are in bed by 7:30). I managed to do 6 loads today - while home with the kids. I guess I'm still a bit bitter about this. Hmmm... he did not complain at all about me leaving for a long weekend, so I guess I shouldn't be so upset, right??? Anyway, usually I do a few loads through the week so I don't have to do laundry all day long.

Who's better with the computer?
Depends on what you want. Blogging, social networking, picture stuff - me. Anything else - Mike.

Who drives when you are together?
Me. Always.

Feel free to answer some or all of the same questions about your significant other in the comments, or leave a link to your website if you prefer answering there.

Decisions. Just make one.

So once we decided that we'd be purchasing a new camera and snow-thrower I very quickly made my decision, located the camera, and purchased it. It arrive here Friday afternoon just in time for the second big snow storm of this winter.

Mike has spent all week and continues to change his mind about which snow-thrower he wants, or if he even wants one. He finally stopped at the store on his way home Friday only to find that the one that he finally decided on was out of stock. Now he's thinking about going back to get the one that was in stock. If it's still there.

It should go without saying that my excitement over all this beautiful snow we're getting is wearing a little thin on Mike who keeps looking out the window and muttering under his breath.

What I Love About Him

I love that when Mike gets home from work he'll take both boys outside for awhile before starting dinner. Sometimes - he'll keep them outside with him WHILE he grills. And I get to do Nothing.

Photographic Evidence: What happens when you ask your husband to clean up the kitchen

After dinner tonight I had to put a very crabby and sick (strep) Liam to bed much earlier than normal, so I asked my dear husband to clean up the kitchen before he took Quinn outside to play. Let's take a look at all of his hard work, shall we? We'll start with the kitchen table.

He very carefully put away all things that need to be refrigerated, oh wait, nope, there's some apples there that need to go in the fridge. Well, at least he stacked the plates.

Let's move onto the floor, shall we....

.

.

.

.

not sure I need to say anything about this - except maybe I need to show him where we keep the broom.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

And now the counter...

Now excuse me while I go and clean up the kitchen.

We're Back with Haiku Fun

So much to tell you
About our true vacation
We all survived it

Well, Mike got injured
Going down the kiddy slides
Not once, but two times

First, scrapped his knee up
And then, cut up his finger
He thought he would die!

Quinn went down same slides
No injuries for that guy
Wanted more! more! more!

Quinn also longed for...
Being able to go down
"The really big slides!"

Liam tried a few
Little baby water slides
Also wanted more!

But my favorite
Was watching Liam splish splash
And Quinn try to swim

*****
For more haiku fun
Visit Playgroupie right here
You can do it too!

And we're off, well almost, sort of...

From left to right: suitcase full of inside toys, suitcase full of swim stuff, and suitcase full of regular clothes.

Not pictured: bag full of water toys, two boxes of food, cooler, umbrella stroller, high chair attachment, bag of bathroom stuff

Pictured below: Hubby totally relaxing while I was frantically making lists, finding bags, thinking of things, etc.

Oh and also - I just scheduled four posts for Monday-Thursday. So don't you worry - you can still get some good ol' McCathy's Tub!

I don't know. You decide.

That is quite possibly the worst phrase ever. And my dear husband utters it anytime I ask him if he wants to do this or that. I'm trying to give him a choice. I don't want to decide. If I wanted to decide I would have just told you what we were going to do.

My "Other" Half

1. Mike was born on July 5, 1975.
2. Mike likes his birthday: 7-5-75
3. While growing up Mike thought that all the fireworks and picnics and parties were all for him.
4. He still thinks this.
5. Mike always gets an entire week off of work around the 4th of July.
6. Mike was due Aug. 13th.
7. Mike weighed 5 pounds and 4 ounces
8. Mike's mom's doctors told her and his dad to prepare themselves for life with a special need's child.
9. They told them he may never do well in school.
10. Mike was in honor's classes through grade school and high school.
11. Mike has two bachelor degrees.
12. One in physics - because he likes physics.
13. The other in engineering - because he wanted a job that paid well.
14. Mike went to Illinois State University for his physics degree.
15. Mike and I met at ISU
16. A semester after we met Mike went to the University of Illinois to get his engineering degree.
17. Mike finished two bachelor degrees in 5.5 years.
18. When we first met - Mike always took care of me.
19. Mike would always walk me home if I was by myself.
20. He'd also walk my friends home if they were by themselves.
21. I loved this about him.
22. Mike would give me his coat whenever I felt cold.
23. Mike still gives me his coat (or shirt) whenever I feel cold.
24. Mike still takes care of me.
25. Mike used to say that he'd walk "10,000 miles just to be the one that fell right at your doorstop."
26. In college he used to keep track of how many miles he walked for me.
27. Mike would walk about 5 miles to the bus stop at U of I to come and visit me at ISU.
28. Mike stopped keeping track of how many miles he walked for me shortly before we got married.
29. I think he reached his goal of 10,000 miles one night while walking around the house with Liam.
30. Mike designs diesel engines.
31. Mike loves his job.
32. One of Mike's designs is in the Ford F350.
33. Mike has three US patents.
34. One of Mike's goals growing up was to get a US patent.
35. Mike's job is very flexible.
36. Mike goes into work early and comes home early.
37. About a month before our wedding, a disgruntled ex-employee, went on a shooting spree at Mike's work.
38. Four people died there that day.
39. Mike stopped and talked to one of the victims as they passed each other in the hall.
40. Mike was walking away from where all the action was to take place.
41. That was a very scary day for Mike (and me).
42. That was a long time ago.
43. Mike always knew he wanted a son named Quinn.
44. Mike's first son is named Quinn.
45. Mike likes to grill.
46. Mike likes to cook.
47. Mike is the messiest cook I know.
48. Mike doesn't have to do the dishes (usually) after he cooks.
49. Mike hates emptying the dishwasher.
50. He doesn't mind cleaning the bathroom.
51. Mike likes to brew beer.
52. Mike's wife hates the smell of beer brewing.
53. Mike grew his hair out for his wedding day.
54. He shaved it soon after.
55. Mike has been shaving his head ever since.
56. Mike has gray hairs, but you can barely see them.
57. Mike has blue eyes.
58. Mike's eye lashes are so long they hit the lenses on glasses.
59. He is practically blind without contacts or glasses.
60. He sleeps with his contacts in most nights.
61. He knows this is bad for his eyes, but for some reason, can't remember to take them out.
62. Mike falls asleep in the car faster than a baby.
63. Mike rarely drives when we go out.
64. Mike can sleep in the car with a screaming baby.
65. Mike falls asleep on the couch all the time.
66. If Mike has more than one beer he falls asleep very quickly.
67. One time Mike fell asleep on a train ride home after a bachelor party.
68. Mike missed the train stop in our town.
69. Mike ended up at the End Of The Line.
70. At 2:30am.
71. Mike's good friend, Amy's husband, picked up Mike at the End Of The Line.
72. Mike thought it was close to his house.
73. The next morning when Mike's good friend took Mike back to the train station Mike realized it wasn't that close to his house.
74. That's okay, 'cuz his good friend maybe owed him one?
75. They've been friends since high school.
76. Mike doesn't like to wear shorts.
77. Mike doesn't like to wear gym shoes.
78. Mike wears black socks.
79. Mike has been "practicing" wearing shorts, white socks, and gym shoes.
80. He's done that twice so far this summer.
81. Mike's favorite thing to wear is a button up shirt.
82. It's even better if it's from a thrift store.
83. Mike also likes to wear combat boots.
84. Mike would never be considered a metro-sexual.
85. Mike is a manly man.
86. Who also likes to write or read poetry.
87. Mike has written many poems for me.
88. My favorite includes the phrase, "oh I'll wait, you have to pee..."
89. He wrote it while I was pregnant with Quinn.
90. Mike does the grocery shopping.
91. He almost always forgets to use coupons.
92. Mike's been having strange symptoms: shaky hands, strange sensations in his arms, increase in hair growth on this arms, heart racing, and other various things he cannot describe.
93. Mike has been to the ER 3 times within the last year.
94. Mike has had many blood tests done.
95. They have found nothing wrong - everything within normal range.
96. Mike thinks that his body handles "normal" differently than most.
97. Mike's wife agrees and is worried about what it all could be.
98. Mike is a really good dad.
99. Mike is an amazing husband.
100. Mike's favorite time of day is when he can sit in the living room and play with his boys.

Watch Your Mouth Haiku

A bit of advice

Just for all you married men

Listen up real good

When your wife tries on

Swimsuits and says, "How's this one?"

Don't you ever say

"You need more support."

No, it's not a compliment

That her boobs fall down

.

There once was a time

When she didn't need "support"

At least not that much

But after having

Gone through 2 pregnancies and

Nursing two babes

She already knows

She needs to find more support

It's just not out there

.

And your suggestion?

That it can be found in a

Catalog - yeah, right.

No matter how much

Support they claim to offer

Results will not be:

***Okay, though. In all seriousness - anyone have a secret place where they buy swimsuits that offer reasonable support. I *love* my bras, but need some help in the swimsuit department. This I knew before my husband chimed in with his opinion, which he seriously thought of as a compliment!

For more haiku fun

Visit Jennifer right here

It's a weekly thing!

After the Kids are Tucked into Bed...

Mike can be found reading this:

And I can be found reading this:

And both of us figuring out new ways to spend more money.

What do you do after your kids are tucked into bed???

The Hat

One of my most favorite things about summer and boys are baseball caps. Quinn has officially outgrown his first real baseball cap seen here. Super cute, I know! So, I loaded up the family and headed to the mall in search of a new cap for Quinn's big ol' head.

I love the look of a short hair cut and a cap from the back. So cute!

Now, maybe my brother and possibly Dan might want to stop reading, because see, I married a Cubs fan. And I have forever been a White Sox fan. And I still am a big Sox fan, but I wanted things to be fair. Quinn's first hat was a White Sox hat - one that I picked out lovingly for him - and one that he wore almost everyday in the sun for two summers. So, I told Mike it would be okay for Quinn to get a Cub's hat. Heck, I even like the bright blue color used on most Cub's hats. So Mike was all excited about this, because, as he says, "This is their year. They're gonna do it this year."

I always love the side shot of a boy in his cap.

So we took Quinn into the store and started trying on hats. All sorts of hats in all sorts of sizes and styles. As it turns out his head is so large that he does not fit in a child's size hat or even a youth size, he needs an adult small for his big ol' brain. And, as it turns out, Quinn said, "Wait. I don't like these hats, I like these. I want a Sox hat." And he picked out this one.

Look at that: sun-kissed cheeks, blue eyes, funny smile, and the perfect baseball cap.

That's my boy!

Oh - and don't worry about the whole Cubs vs. Sox thing. Mike was fine with him picking out this Sox hat. You know why? Because as we were walking out of the mall Quinn started singing, "Go Cubs Go. Go Cubs Go. Hey Chicago what do you say, Cubs are going to win today." And he asked me to sing that song for his bedtime song tonight. And I did.

My Mother's Day In Numbers

4 poopy diapers
1 time Liam nursed
2 meals I prepared
3 times I fed Liam his baby food (which has turned into a Big Pain in the Arse - if he'd just eat real veggies I could stop giving him baby food)
2 timeouts given to Quinn
3 meltdowns from Quinn
4 times Liam cried while at my sister-in-laws
4 times I left the room while at my sister-in-laws
0 times I pumped
4 loads of laundry I did
2 loads of laundry actually put away
3 rounds of dishes I did
4 different types of flowers found on the kitchen table this morning
2 Precious moment figurines
0 cards from Mike
1 handmade card from Quinn
1 card from my mom
2 cards made by me for our moms
2 bedtime stories read
2 kids tucked in tight
7 "Mickey Mouse" kisses from Quinn
0 number of hours I napped
5 number of hours Mike napped
421, 502 complaints from Mike as to just how sick he feels.
Add that all up and what you get is not a horrible day, but definitely not what I had in mind for Mother's Day. I have a feeling I'm going to be so sick on Father's Day.

Totally Justified. totally.

All day yesterday I had a headache. The kind of headache that actually had me taking advil or something every four hours - on the dot. This morning Liam woke up at 4am and finally fell back asleep at 4:30. Then Quinn woke up at 5:30am and I grumbled, jesus christ, under my breath as I whipped the covers off and went to instruct him to go back to bed after he went to the bathroom. But I don't waaaaaaaant toooo. It's time to wake up. No, It's not. Back to bed. Good night. Love you. I muttered some more as I made my way back to bed only to turn off the alarm and start the day. I wake Him (mike) up to make sure he doesn't have to use the bathroom before I get in the shower - which of course He does. Why can't he just use the other one in the basement, damn it. Ugh - always making my life so hard. He finally emerges from the bathroom and goes about His morning routine which includes - getting dressed, eating something, and sitting on the couch waiting for me to get out of the shower. As if He couldn't, instead of sitting on His arse on the couch, empty the dishwasher, or prepare the bottles for the day, or put away the dishes that are in the strainer, or wipe the table down, or DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING, but no, He sits on the couch and waits. I finish my shower and He says goodbye just as Quinn comes out of his room (clearly he didn't go back to sleep - just waited for my shower to end). I ask Him to fix Quinn some orange juice before He leaves (so I can start and finish pumping one boob before Liam wakes up) and am answered with, "I guess so" and a nice big sigh. Yeah, don't let me stop you from getting out of the house in under 40 minutes and having done NOTHING to help with the morning routine. And so He gets Quinn some orange juice, says goodbye, and is on His way to work. Where I imagine him sitting at his desk, checking email, browsing the internet, and waiting for meetings to start. All without children begging, whining, or fighting for his attention. And I start to think to myself, in a very tiny voice, "what the hell is up with you today? Snap out of this bad mood?" And I quickly tell that tiny voice To Go Bite It. And the morning continues. I curse His Laziness as I wipe the counters (why the heck do I even ask him to do dishes at night if he's just going to leave this huge mess on the counter, the stove, ugh), empty the dishwasher (how many times do I have to tell Him you cannot put the bottles in like that - they flip over and fill with water - and do not get clean. damn it). The morning continues and I get Liam up, change him, nurse him, try to entertain an over-tired Quinn, play with the both of them (try to prevent Liam from knocking down Quinn's blocks), feed them breakfast, and wait for my mom to come so I can go to work - and the cursing in my head continues. Must be so nice to just get up, get yourself ready, relax on the couch, and then Leave For Work. Oh great - He didn't clean the tray for the high chair last night, thanks. And we're almost out of oatmeal. And He didn't change the bag in the diaper pail. What the He**? Why do I need to be in charge of remembering everything. (Damn - shut up tiny voice, I know I'm lucky to have someone who does the dishes at night, shut up, I know I'm lucky that he even has a job to leave for, shut up, I know I shouldn't complain - but just shut up.) Oh and the library books are overdue. Of course. (Shut up you stupid tiny voice. All of this is totally justified. I'm going to make a list. A list of everything I do in the morning and a list of everything He does half-assed in the evening. Then we'll see. Yeah, we'll see just how this isn't working and it totally isn't fair. It's just not fair.)
And so later at work I went to use the bathroom and guess what - PMS sucks and looking back on my sour mood this morning is soooo typical of PMS it pisses me off. So, yeah. No lists were made, He probably didn't sigh when I asked Him to get Quinn orange juice, and I am lucky to have someone that helps out as much as He does. I just wish He'd do it right - at least once a month, when it really matters. =)

The Results Are In

Were you here last week?
If not - you better catch up.
Hi, Ku! What Ails You?


The results are in
The nurse called me yesterday
I'm not going to die.


Everything looks good
Except my vitamin D
That's lacking big time


Could explain hair loss
Doesn't explain my weight loss
This makes me happy!


Easy solution
Huge dose of vitamin D
Take it once a week


Any side effects?
There's something with the liver.
Check blood in 3 months.


Other side effects?
I'll notice more energy.
Seriously? nice.


Is this the new me?
Eat whatever I want to?
And not get too fat?


Please, please, don't hate me.
This will not last forever.
I'm not that lucky.


Now we wait for Mike
He went and gave blood Wednesday
He's been feeling bad


Shaky, jittery
Dizziness over takes him
What's the cause of this?


Results here next week
Isn't this so exciting?
Medical drama.

*****
For more haiku fun

Visit Jennifer right here

Five, seven, and five