Birthday booby traps

So Hubs birthday was this week. Since we are preparing for the upcoming increase in daycare care expenses, we’ve been tightening the belt on the budget. In other words, I was looking for some inexpensive FREE ways to show Hubs how much we love and appreciate him on his birthday. I decided that I’d leave little happy birthday love notes in all the places I expected him to be that day. Some were in expected places, in his laptop, in his day planner and on Caroline’s desk. One was not. I read somewhere about hiding notes in the toilet paper role. This seemed like the MOST unexpected and I HAD to do this. So I cut up a green index card into three pieces that read 1)HAPPY 2)BIRTHDAY 3)POOPY PANTS and placed them progressively through the toilet paper role so they would pop out as he was grabbing for some. I really didn’t see how this could go wrong….

I called hubs later in the morning to wish him a happy birthday. The first thing he said to me was “I have pee all over my hands”. I was very confused and didn’t know if my first reaction should be WHY or GO WASH YOUR HANDS. I know him better than to think he didn’t wash his hands immediately. He was just making a point, so I went with, “WHY? You don’t use toilet paper when you pee!” I may have grown up with all girls, but 5 years of marriage have taught me that much.

Then he relays what he has now called “the birthday booby trap”. 

He was taking his morning leak and had to blow his nose. He unrolled some toilet paper and green pieces of paper flew right into the pee-filled toilet. His immediate reaction was to try and salvage the green pieces of paper. What if they were clues to an elaborate birthday scavenger hunt? (Side note, why didn’t I think to do a SCAVENGER HUNT?) He tried to quickly grab the possibly important papers before they became completely submerged in pee, failing in the process. Once thoroughly disgusted he discovered they were just happy birthday notes and not important enough to stick his fingers into the dirty toilet.

As he is relaying the story, I’m laughing hysterically. So he thanked me for the birthday booby trap and is now excited to execute one on me in March.

Ignoring the details

Do you ever have those moments that make you realize you’ve got it pretty good, that is, if you are willing to look past the details?

I tried to explain this to Hubs this weekend. Imagine your younger self dreaming up a perfect relaxing evening. How would a younger me paint that picture?

 My evening would consist of a bubble bath soaking my perfectly pregnant body in a giant claw foot tub, admiring my newly manicured toes breaking the surface of the water, a sweet squeaky-clean daughter sleeping soundly in her perfectly decorated and organized room, and my doting husband bringing me wine and chocolates, quick to depart so I can enjoy quiet solitude. AHHH

Back to reality

Well, it WAS a relaxing evening and I WAS soaking in the tub. I also had an awesome little girl asleep soundly in the other room. Hubs then came in unexpectedly and brought me a glass of wine. He asked if I wanted candles, and even brought me something to rest my back against. It was when I sat back against one of Caroline’s giant bumble bee pools tools, examined the peeling paint and moldy caulk around the ancient tub that held one big whale of a pregnant woman half submerged in murky water that I smiled.

 Yep, I have it good. My heart got it right, even if the details are all comically wrong.