Going for hubby of the year

First of all allow me to note that in no way is my husband perfect. No one is as far as I am concerned. I have been meaning to write a post about how he seems to be going for hubby of the year. Since it is Father's Day I thought this would be a nice gift for him.

So you are asking yourself, "What does he do to earn the title of Hubby of the Year?" Well, instead of trying to write paragraphs of explanations. I thought I would just list them here.

- He does 98% of the cooking. He cooks dinner every night we eat at home (which is most nights) and cooks breakfast on the weekends. Today on Father's day he made blueberry pancakes for breakfast, grilled bbq pork pizzas for lunch and grilled sausage with homemade mac n cheese for dinner.

- He does laundry. He isn't the best about folding and putting away. That is often left to me. But he can get all 10-12 loads done over the weekend.

- He cleans. No, he is not the anal type at all. Or the super organized. Or a clean freak. But he mops the hardwood floors when I can't stand them anymore and he knows I hate doing the wood floors - and our house is all wood or tile. No carpet! He also does the bathrooms when I don't have time.

- He lets me work. I have needed to go back to work in the last year. I work from home so he tries to take the kids at night or on the weekends and give me time to work uninterrupted. Today, on Father's Day he took them outside for several hours to swim and spray them with the hose while I worked. Some nights he comes home, cooks dinner, does baths and cleans up the kitchen so I can work.

- He tightens bootstraps. We are a team when it comes to finances. He was not the type to buckle down and tighten the bootstraps very well when we met. But he has learned over time and now says that there is more at stake now (read "Kids!"). We make all our financial decisions together and plan as a team.

- He likes to talk. Many complain that their husbands don't like to communicate or talk about things. We talk all the time and get irritated because often times the kids won't let us talk. We are at our best when the kids are in bed and we can sit outside with a drink and just talk about life, us, family, business, future plans.

- He does things just for his kids. There are a few things my husband just doesn't like to do - like swim in public pools. But, he sacrifices his own hangups to do it for his kids because the kids love it.

- He gets sentimental about the kids and our life. He gets choked up sometimes about the things the kids may do or say. He appreciates our life and what we have - no matter how stressful or tough it may be. He gets touched by family moments such as when we take the kids to the park together or walk along the lakefront.

- He does everything for his family. His drive in life is us. He always says that all his hard work is for us. He wants to provide for us whatever he possibly can. He wants to make our lives easier (financially) and give the kids the opportunity to experience things and go places.

- He respects me. He and I work together on his business often and as much as he doesn't want to, he listens to my opinion. He likes working with me. He appreciates my talents. Many people tell them they could never work with their spouse. He doesn't mind it and actually tells me he enjoys when I am at his office with him. Even when we bicker! I think it is because we are usually there alone with no kids and can actually talk to each other.

- He grocery shops. He often goes grocery shopping without being asked - since he cooks. But, if needed he will go to Wal-mart for me during his lunch. I just email him the list and he does the shopping. He knows it is easier than me dragging the two kids with me. If I have to go and take the kids he will sometimes even leave work and go to Wal-mart with me so we can tackle the task together and quicker. Then, he just goes back to work.

- He understands the importance of family. Our families both live out of state. He always encourages my family to visit, his family to visit and me to go visit them. (He goes when he can but his time is often limited for leisure travel.) He never says no or complains about the cost. He never cares how long my family stays (until they are here for 10 days - just kidding!)

- He gives great back rubs. Almost nightly!

- He has been making an effort not to make me mad or push my buttons. He still does but I notice he is trying harder. In turn, I am too.

He is not perfect. Neither am I.

He is my hubby. And I think I will keep him around. Happy Father's Day Honey!