Choose your battles

A good friend is getting married this weekend and I've been considering what I'm going to write in their card.  Most people give or pass on advice, so I was racking my brain trying to think of what I would consider the best advice for newlyweds.

But when I think back on the 2+ years I've been married to my husband - most of our "big" arguments have been over extremely little things, such as:

   * Toothpaste - how to squeeze the tube, Colgate vs. Crest, putting the cap back on & how
   * Ice Cube Tray - which water to use (Brita vs tap), how much water to pour in the tray (I apparently pour too much, he too little), how dare you empty the tray into the bin and not refill the tray?!
   * Fans - ceiling fans, small portable fans, leave them on all night or no, if you put it by an open window as night falls on a hot day should it face in (to blow in the cooler night air) or out (to blow the hot air out)
   * AC/heater - when is it too hot/cold, leaving it on for prolonged periods of time
   * Sock balls - they're all over the place... wtf?

Of course, my spouse & I don;t always see eye to eye on finances, long & short term plans, child rearing, and other typical sources of marital strife - but when we disagree, we discuss.  A compromise or joint decision is made.  The stuff in the list above is stuff we bicker about.

Isn't it funny how stubborn we get about the little things?

Sigh.

Just got choked up watching this trailer:

Big Miracle trailer

My mom said becoming a mother makes you look at EVERYTHING from a mother's perspective.

Apparently that applies to whales too.

A beer and an ice lolly

It's Friday night,
And the moon is bright.
Gonna have some fun
Show you how it's done...
TGIF!

Ah, Friday nights. The gateway to the weekend.

Even as a child, you knew Friday nights were special. You could stay up a little later, watch a little more TV. Then as you got older - maybe as a teenager - you began going out on Friday nights. It's when most movies premiere. It's a great night for a first date or a group date. Some high school dances were on Friday night.

When you went to college and/or began drinking, Friday nights took on a whole new dimension. You didn't have a (serious) job yet, but you definitely understood the merits of taking a break, putting on some dancing shoes, or meeting up with friends at a bar.

As you began to enter the Real World and work a full-time job, maybe start a career, the weekends became all the more valuable. Going out after work on Friday was almost an imperative. A necessary expenditure of pent-up energy and paychecks.

Then people started getting significant others, getting married. And the Friday night outings became fewer and farther between. At the same time, we got older and staying up late after being up at 6 or 7am wasn't as easy (or fun) as it used to be. Saturday nights were better suited for proper partying so our slower metabolisms and achier bones could gear up all day Saturday, get a good night's rest on Friday in anticipation of Saturday's high jinx.

Then you have a baby.

And Friday nights kinda blend in with every other night at first (if you can even discern between night and day). If you're the mom and you're at home - either for good or on maternity leave - you do begin to look forward to Friday nights again because your spouse/partner will be home over the weekend, which will be a welcome relief from flying solo. As much as you fall crazy in love with your little one, it's hard work. Anyone who feigns otherwise is either lying or has a nanny hidden in the closet. Yes, motherhood does come naturally to many - but that doesn't make it easy to run on fragmented, non-restorative sleep. It doesn't make you deaf or indifferent to your baby's cries (my baby's in pain and I'm helpless), screams (my baby hates me), coughs (is he choking?), or countless other noises and idiosyncrancies that keep you on your toes 24/7.

So it's Friday night here in our household and I'm just getting settled on the couch. My husband just texted asking if he can go to happy hour (of course!). My cat just vomited twice (lovely!). And I finally put my overtired baby to bed (his cries are like a chorus of angels!).

I've got my eye on a Bitmeister and a Trader Joe's frozen Fruit Frenzy Bar. If I were French and/or this was 1972, I'd probably add a cigarette to that list. Also, in exchange for my spouse coming home later, his admission through the front door will be In N Out for my dinner.

This is my life. This is my Friday night now. I wouldn't trade it for any other, of course.

TGIF.