Let them eat cake....

My middle child turned 9 on April 23rd.  She really only had one request.  She asked that I make her birthday cake for her.  She knew that she wanted a big cake covered with funky colors and fun.  My child thinks of herself as a superstar. So with her picking the colors, I went on a journey to bake her a "star-worthy" cake.  I've baked plenty of cakes in my life, but never have I tried making my own buttercream and fondant. I looked up all the details on allrecipes.com and went for it.  It took a few nights of baking and testing  putting on the fondant.  I actually think I did pretty well smoothing the fondant on the cakes, but I also don't think any bakers are shaking in their boots either- lol. The picture doesn't do the cake justice, but I am proud of what I accomplished for my little superstar. 

It only took 19 years....but I think I finally get it.

The problem: Like an idiot who does the same thing over and over and expects a different result, I have for 19 years tried to get my husband to do things when I want him to do them.  And for 19 years he has resisted, we have fought, I have lied about what time we were supposed to arrive at events and it has never failed: He does what he wants ,when he wants. Period.  I've been frustrated, cried many tears, stomped off in a huff, and have been a ball of nervous energy waiting for him and its never made him move any faster. 

The revelation:  No matter how much I try, I can't get my husband to work by my schedule.  I know it should have been obvious after the first say - five years.  But I guess I just always hoped that "just this once" it would be different.

How I changed:  This weekend my family went on a short vacation.  I woke up early and started getting ready for the day.  In the past,  I would have  woke up my husband and tell him that we needed to get  going so the girls could do XY or Z.  This time I got the older girls up, I told them that "Daddy and Mommy work on two different clock's" and that if they wanted to go out they should get dressed and come with me, or they could stay with daddy.  They chose to come with me.  We went out and had a good time.  Later I came back to check on him and my youngest.  That is when my husband told me that he heard what I said to the girls.  His response - "You finally get it."  I guess I did.  No arguments.  No anxiety.   I'm pretty sure this won't work all the time, but it felt good in the moment.

If March was a color..... it would have to be PURPLE.

So one thing I've learned is that I'm not so good about being consistant with writing my blog!  I can't beleive it is April.  And that means I missed the WHOLE month of March.  Shame on me!!  But I have stuff to share that I think is pretty exciting about March.   

March started out busy and hectic just like any other month.  My second born, an informal track star since she started walking (lol), started Track (for real) this month for the first time.  It has been interesting, because I think it may be the first time she has really taken an interest and inititive in a sport.   In the past when things got hard, tears would flow and she would loose interest.  Not this time, she keeps on trecking.  When it gets hard she figures out a way through it.  Thats my baby! :) 

Prince Concert in Greensboro, NC

Now the purple part of March.  My husband and I went to the Prince concert in Raleigh.  We were soo excited to be able to go and see Prince again in Raleigh.  We got floor seats.  I wore 4" heels so I could have a chance of seeing. I'm only 5' 3" with me stretching my neck up a bit.   But when we got to the RBC center and got our seats, we realized that our seats we actually BEHIND the stage.  Ughhh!!!  It turns out that Prince's stage has a little track in the back so he can show face to us and the others who had paid good money to "get close".  But honestly it didn't much matter.  We had a GREAT time.  Dancing in the isles along witht the other Drunk concert goers.  It was all good.  We all sang our hearts out, as if Prince himself would hear us individually.  And let me tell you that man struts his stuff all around the stage for two hours, heels and all.  So much fun.   After the concert, My husband and I said we wanted to do it again.  I can't remember which of us made the suggestion out loud, but the other was quick to agree that we HAD to go to the Greensboro show just four days later.  Crazy and impulsive are not exactly words used to describe my husband and I.   But I felt like for once in a looooong while we were living like a wild and crazy "single-couple" (That's my way of descibing a married couple with-out kids.)   I know its not really that wild and crazy, but that is about as wild and crazy as we get.