What I'm Grateful for Today: Allen

So, I've been a tad bit grumpy these past few weeks. A little extra snark in my responses. A little less patient. More sighing, less smiling.

I definitely haven't said thank you to anyone in my family. They do a lot around here. Sometimes, they seem to converge against me, but for the most part, they are all contributors.

So, to help me keep the nasty in check, I'm going to make a daily homage to each member of the family and all the good they do around here on a daily basis.

Let's start with Allen.

- Every morning, before he takes off for work, he fills the kids juice cups. Just to take something off of my list.
- Every evening, he does the dishes. Every. evening.
- He does the night time routine because I'm at rehearsals. All.by.himself. Baths, teeth brushings, pajamas, hair combing, songs, prayers. The whole kit and caboodle.
- He comes home with plans for FHE. He contemplates while he's at work and carries out that plan when he gets home. We're hit and miss with FHE, but he takes the time to notice where we're a little short spiritually and makes that the focus of our FHE. He thinks about us and the acts on those thoughts.
- He reminds the kids to thank me for dinner. Every night. Even if it's take out.
- He never, ever complains about the food I make. Now, I do like to cook, but I drop the ball sometimes. And other times, the recipe is experimental and it doesn't come out great. And sometimes, it's cold cereal for dinner. He NEVER makes a face, offers a deep sigh, or complains about the food I prepare and serve.
- He rough houses with the kids. Yeah, I usually yell at him because someone always ends up upset and crying (Addie), but it's actually developmentally necessary for them and he makes sure they get that time.
- He rubs my feet. No, seriously. Almost every night. I think he counts to 500; he was told to do it by our first labor coach and he's done it ever since. Even when we're fighting.
- He deals with all the financial burdens. All the crappy phone calls. All the organization. All of the check writing and juggling and maximizing of funds.
- He goes to work without fail. I never worry about his job or how he's performing at work. He works hard and never "takes it easy". Wether he feels like going or not, is sick or not, sad or mad, he gets up every day and goes. He's extremely reliable. Because I never worry about his job and our security, I can focus on my role here at home and my own personal growth.
- He teaches the kids the value of work. Our yard isn't more than dirt and goat heads (those really nasty stickers with pokies sticking out on every side), but he made sure to plant some carrots and broccoli with the kids. He had them help from putting the dirt in the boxes, to making rows, and dumping the seeds in. Each day or two, they all head out and check on the plants and then they water them. Sure they aren't perfect and there's a big clump of carrots coming up at one end, but he cares more about the time spent and lessons taught than perfection out there.
- Every single day he does something to improve the house. It may be small. It may be big. But every day, after the kids go to bed, he works on the house. He doesn't computer. He doesn't watch ESPN. He listens to my gripes and tries to fix whatever is bugging me that day. I don't ask. He just does.
- He comes home happy. He's not an overly bubbly kind of guy, but he tries really hard to be genuinely happy when he walks through the door. He eagerly greets the kids. He asks me how my day has been.
- Every day, he tells me I'm beautiful. No matter if I'm sporting "homeless man look" or dressed up nice. At my heaviest, I was not too confident about my appearance.  Sure, he noticed the weight gain. He noticed my confidence plummet. But, he never said anything negative. Rather, he kissed my cheek and told me I looked nice,  or reminded me that I was beautiful, or something like unto it. The shred of dignity I had left was because of Allen.