My Sweet Silly Spontaneous Husband Found a Way to Make Concrete Romantic

 We're building a new porch on the back of our house. I say "we" but actually it's he--my husband. On top of working maintenance third shift, 6-7 nights a week, he's my resident handyman too. He tore off the old porch and deck because it was rotted.

This house in over 100 years old and was rental for most of its life. Poor house. She wasn't treated very well. After removing the deck, husband found that the back mudroom that was added sometime in the house's macabre history, was supported by an old frame mattress. As you do. The concrete and grass are one untidy conglomeration. It's like different people came along, threw a heap of dirt or cement at it and called it "yard." Okay so this is a long build-up but my husband found a way to make concrete romantic. As you do. Read on to find out what he did!Look What My Silly Sweet Husband Did


Listen to Your Heart When He's Calling to You...

My second son has a thing for romantic (kitschy) 80s songs. Bless him. Last summer he played "Listen to Your Heart" (forgot the artist--little help?) about 16.5 million times. I didn't really like it the first 500 times. By fall, I despised it. I guess I'm a failure as a woman. I feel skittish and awkward with super romantic stuff. I love opera. But that's deep, passionate and grand-scale romance. The schmaltzy idea of following your man, because he calls, has a very canine feel. Listen to Your Heart When He's Calling to You.
 

Parenting Tips--Hows Dads Help Prevent Mom Burnout

Let's talk mom burnout. It's a dark depression that can incapacitate. We hide it from kids, spouse, friends, family, ourselves. We're terrified lest anyone see and think we're the rotten parents we believe we are. From 25 years parenting four children, let me assure you--mom-burnout is normal and manageable. But dads, we need your help. Here's how.

* Grow up. Said bluntly, dads sometime burn us out: behaving immaturely and selfishly, making impulsive decisions without consulting us, parenting irrationally, taking and not giving, sulking, demanding. That's not husband or father behavior. You might as well be one of our kids.  Parenting Tips--Hows Dads Help Prevent Mom Burnout

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