Celebrating my Dear Wife's birthday

The Frugal Rule has moved its way in to birthday celebrations in our household, but the Rule has not hurt the outcome.

Today my girls and I sat down at the kitchen table and created birthday cards for our favorite member of the house (if everyone took a poll ranking favorite mammals, my Dear Wife would easily be ranked number one). I am not an arts and crafts guru (a shame to the stay at home parents out there) we sat down with crayons and white paper and made cards. Daughter #1's card had a face on it with a single statement, "Mom is good." Daughter #2 is emerging out of a scribbling stage and moving toward forms. Though I can't distinguish the forms, she identifies her work: "It's a birthday party!" I drew a beach scape on the Puget Sound, where we have enjoyed a few trips during our 7 weeks here. I slipped in a Nordstrom gift card in anticipation of the Nordy Anniversary Sale next month. I have high hopes that she can find something that does her good looks justice.

I just put a pan of brownies in the oven, and after I clean up a little bit, I'll start dinner. I'm struggling to be creative on the Fiengold Diet, but I'm making some chicken tortillas with an avacado spread, extra sharp cheddar and romaine. Maybe I'll throw on a few stir-fried veggies and a salad. We talked about going to the beach tonight, but we'll see what the birthday girl wants when she returns. I am thankful for her today, and every day. We look forward to her return from work.

Tomorrow we reap one of the benefits of family close by--my Dear Wife and I have a date to a fabuolous seafood restaurant, courtesy of a thoughtful congregation I used to serve who knew how much I loved the Pacific Northwest and the seafood cuisine. The girls get to spend the weekend with their grandparents, and we don't have to rush through a date, worrying about the sitter, paying her, and getting her home at a decent hour. Once in a great while, we go back to remembering what our bodies felt like when we did not have children. We'll still talk about them and check in with each other, but the muscles are different looking after their well being--both the long-term and the immediacy of watching them, wondering what they're getting into, and noticing how much of each of us is in them.