Thursday, November 29, 2012

Who needs sleep after all

We are inthe throws of Hubs vacation time.  He uses most of his vacation time at the end of the year so he can hunt.  Yes we are southern, yes we hunt, yes we eat what we hunt.  He is also taking the Things with him.  Nothing like a little Daddy/Sons time in the woods. 

While Hubs work schedule has his sleep schedule different from everyone in the house, I am the one most often effected.  I am aware of how selfish that sounds, and honestly I am ok with that.    Most days when he works he is scheduled from noon to midnight.  Now anyone married to a cop more than a week knows these are just "suggestions"  There are many nights that he doesn't come in till 1 or later.  Some nights I am awake, others I get woken up.  This is something you just learn to deal with.

However!!  He is not sleeping while on vacation.  He was up all night last night, and felt that I needed to be up till 2 in the morning--in his defense he was looking on the laptop and I was laying down on the bed.  I honestly thought when my kids started sleeping all night, I would get to also.  Boy was I mistaken. 

Sleep is a myth.  Especially when you are married to a cop.

Friday, November 16, 2012

The joys of cooking

You know as well as I do that officer's eat out pretty much every shift, well in my area they do.  A lot of places give discounts for them when they are in uniform.  So being the caring, loving, devoted wife that I am (please hold all laughter until the story has come to a safe and complete stop) I try to fix home cooked meals every now and then for him and whatever officers happen to be working, or I will fix a dessert or fresh baked bread and they will come by and have coffee.  Despite what it seems Susie Homemaker I am not.  Well this weekend I got a little break, Hubs was at work, Thing 1 and Thing 2 were at a birthday party so this mama got to fly solo.  What did I do with my hours of free time you ask...did I stay home and clean my house...nope.  Did I volunteer my time...nope.  Did I take a nap...nope.  I went and had lunch with Hubs and then went to the grocery store ALL BY MYSELF!!!  If you are a mother you understand the awesome feeling it is to wander up and down ever lane and not have to yell or fuss or scowl. But I digress. 

Before I went to the store I asked Hubs if there was anything imparticular he wanted or needed.  He actually made a request which he never does.  He wanted me to get the stuff to make a cream cheese danish.  Once again being the loving devoted wife, I get the fixings to be able to make two of them.  It is super easy, and quick and oh my gosh so good.  I go home and bake this thing and take it to the PD for the officers working.  I then tell Hubs that I will have supper fixed tomorrow night because I was going to Mother's to learn how to make Chicken and Dumplings. 

Now if you are a southerner or have meet a southerner you are aware that this meal is comfort food in a pot.  It is my all time favorite winter meal and I LOVE a plate full of them along with pintos, slaw and cornbread, you really can't have one without the others.  Again I digress. 

I take Thing 1 and 2 and head to my mom's and I will admit I am almost drooling at the idea of what's gonna be the end result.  So we get this pot of goodness made and I take them home and stash in the fridge for supper the next night. 

Fast forward to the next evening, I made a big ole bowl of slaw, had pintos cooking in the crock pot most of the day and made a big ole cake of cornbread (Hungry yet?)  I go to taste the dumplings and let me just say what I had on that fork was not at all what I was expecting.  Oh no.  It was disaster in a pot.  Then I go check the beans that have cooked on high for about 5 hours.  They were no where near done.  I go to take the cornbread out of the pan and it was stuck.  I call my mother because I am just shy of tears.  My mother answers and I just tell her that I think that i have just made the worst meal of my entire life.  What does she do...She laughs. 

Hubs comes home to eat and I tell him, that I will just pay for us to go out to eat.  He stands over the pot and takes a sniff.  He just shakes his head.  Thing 1 said "Daddy, I don't think the dog will eat that, I really don't think a possum would eat that."  Well ya know that stings a little.  I am on the verge of tears.  Hubs and kiddos are laughing and all I can say is, well at least I don't have a PD full of hungry men waiting on them. 

Needless to say the pot got set outside and the dog loved them.  I however will be buying a new pot before the next attempt at making them.

Monday, November 5, 2012

There really is a difference...

I will be the first to admit it takes a special something to be an LEO.  However, no matter how tough the man with a badge, he will be knocked to his knees like a little boy as soon as a cold hits.  One has hit dear old Hubs and let me tell you, there is a difference in man sick and mom sick.

I received a text earlier today that simply said "your man is getting sick"  the sender is a person I often refer to as a saint.  She is the only female at our PD and well they would fall apart with out her. The text made me cringe. 

I realize that it isn't that bad really but I would rather have all the sickness at once than for any of my 3 guys to get sick.  Somehow the mom handles it better.  That is why she is the mom. 

Hubs calls me to ask if we have soup.  We did not.  However after I stopped at the grocery on the way home, we did, and cheese for ooey gooey grilled cheese.   Then he ask if I can fix the vaporizer.  So I did.  I also put 2 cold pills and a bottle of water on his nightstand and the heating pad at the foot of the bed set to high. There is also a supply of tissue.

Hopefully this passes soon.  Hopefully it doesn't get worse.  Hopefully I can breathe in the a.m. because it smells like a menthol factory blew up in this room.    

You know your married to an LEO when...

I am realizing more and more there are certain things that are sure fire signs that you are married to a cop, that only other officer's spouses will understand.  There are a few things that LEO kid's understand more than anyone.

1) There are some stains you just don't question.  Given the line of work they are in, there really is no telling what exactly it will be.  It is better just to have a good multi-purpose stain remover and go on. 
2) When they say I'll be home by ... you know full well to add at least an hour to it.  Giving a time that they will be home is a sure fire way to get a call 5 minutes before shift change. 
3)You don't make plans the days they are working...see number 2 for explanation.
4) Date nights become family date nights, just because the kids go as long without seeing Daddy as you do.
5) Being hung up on while trying to talk on the phone doesn't mean their mad, it means they just got busy really quick.
6) Unanswered telephone calls returned 3 hours later aren't because they are being rude/or are doing something they shouldn't.  They don't like having to answer the phone mid arrest.
7) Birthdays and anniversaries and holidays are often not spent together or have to be celebrated on different days.  Life is planned around the schedule, the schedule isn't planned around life.
8)Telephone calls in the middle of the night may be the only time they get to call back.
9) Hearing I love you as they run out the door means so much more.
10) You learn that quality time is so much more important than quantity time

Some things that kids know

1) Dad is most likely gonna miss baseball games/award programs and school plays but they would much rather be there
2) If you are out and about and get in trouble...Dad will find out there is no hiding it.
3) You will be the kid in class with the cool click it or ticket pencils.
4) People think its cute when they ask you your dad's phone number and you say 911(especially when your little)
5)Time with Dad means a whole lot more because he's not always there.