Behind Every Good Woman . . .

OK, I am just going to admit it: I am a complainer.  Even though (as a good Christian homeschooling mom should) I have had my kids memorize that verse "Do all things without disputing and complaining, . . ." and I even make them copy it out when THEIR complaining reaches fever pitch, I personally indulge in quite a bit of complaining and whining.  I call it venting, of course, and I justify it in the name of releasing some pent-up emotion and thus being able to recapture some self-control, but I'll admit (just for now) that it's questionable theology at best.

The focus of many of my complaints is my husband, and I try to be respectful in public and on-line, but still, the man gets on my nerves.  Not to say that it's not more about me being high maintenance, but whatever.  This post isn't about me.  ;)  No, this post is actually about me waking up on Friday and realizing that, even though I like to think that I'm a pretty amazing struggling to be normal homeschooling mom, what I actually accomplish in a day is due to an amazing man.

First of all, not every mom can stay home all day.  Homeschooling is a grueling job, and the fact that I don't have to struggle to balance that with another job is a tribute to my husband sticking it out and even going the extra mile in a job that doesn't always "fulfill" him.  In fact, I'm not sure we've ever had a conversation about how fulfilling his job is.  Hmmmmm.  And it's a rare day that he comes home and gives me grief about how any of my jobs are being handled - teacher, cook, bill payer, house cleaner, laundress, etc.  Somehow I even have him helping me w/ my jobs - reading to the kids for at least an hour every night, some cleaning, some cooking, and doing all of the gardening.

Friday he found out that he won a project competition at work.  Here's the part that was a wake-up call for me.  I wasn't that surprised.  You see, he's won so many awards at work I can't even keep them all straight.  I was about to be excited about another innovation award and read his email a second time to see that it was an efficiency competition.  The man is amazing.  And smart.  And aside from an occaisional spending spree on power tools, and his weekly grocery shopping trip (yep, he does that too) he gives me his entire paycheck!!!

OK, enough of the love-fest.  Soon enough I will be dreaming of a Mom's Retreat away from this kind, generous and absent-minded man who leaves apple cores everywhere he has been sitting in the house and can walk past a crying, bleeding child without even noticing.  For now, I'll dream of one with him.

~Stephanie