My dear husband works very hard and just loves his morning cuppa. I am NOT a morning person and the baby usually finishes a marathon nursing session just before the alarm rings. I know dh really loves it when I get up and make him a hot cuppa in the morning but I am so brain dead by then and I greatly need a nap.
Do you like the picture on the right? I plan on stenciling this on the bedroom door after I repaint it later this summer. It is sooo true. Sometimes I just need sleep. I can do anything if you just. let. me. sleep. Dh knows this and he tells me to remain in bed but I feel guilty if he doesn't get some help....so I help him when I am awake by prepping all I can for him and making it special..the day before!.
Little things...just little things done with love! I tell you, some little things I do for my family take a minute or two. Sometimes just taking just a moment more makes a big difference in the life of another.
My solution? I keep the coffee press, sugar, coffee scoop, travel mug and nice coffee in a nice basket on a shelf just for dh. It looks cute and everything is in one place. My 10yo dd is an early bird and loves making her Dad coffee in the morning. She loves using and maintaining this basket. If she is not available, dh is more than willing to make his own knowing that I put just a little extra thought and prep into his morning and he also feels good letting me get my rest...he is such a good man, isn't he?!
The nice thing is, no more searching for travel mug parts or just the right size measuring instrument...etc... all the while running late! This makes things go faster. As simple as it sounds, it is restful finding all you need in one grab.
Hubby also has a pre-made go-breakfast in the fridge all wrapped up and his lunch is in there too...ready to grab and go. He likes to munch his way through the day so this works out well for him. Maybe someday I will share my go-food ideas with you. He doesn't like to sit down and eat a meal all at once during the day as it makes him sleepy and slows him down. So we adapted!
Most of this food is prepped as we go along during the day before with the final prep being done as the dinner dishes are finished at night. Many of the items I pass along to him are the very same things that I prepped for meals and snacks for the kids while dh was at work the day before. If we make cookies, extra are placed on a special plate for Dad. Some is given to him after dinner when he is relaxing, and some make it into his go-bag for work.
This plate is a big deal. It is a special sandwich sized plate I picked up at the thrift store. This teaches the kids that Dad is special. He has special things and a special place to put them. Even without Dad being here, we are including him in on our daily lives.
Any extras for Dad I do in little steps so I never feel overwhelmed, especially if I am called away from the house...I know just where to pick up or how to assign parts to one of my older children.
One more thing we do for him is to make a full pot of coffee for him sometime during the afternoon every few days...or every day when it is ultra hot outside. We divide the finished brew into a few mason quart jars and add sweetener and fresh milk and let it cool in the back of the fridge. A few hours before he gets home (while we are making dinner) we pop one of these jars into the freezer to make it ultra cold. When he arrives home, he has the option of a coffee smoothie or iced cold coffee which is so refreshing and rewarding after a long day in the hot sun! There is usually some left over and he opts to take the last jar on the run in the morning. I guess he alternates between hot and cold as the mood suits him.
One thing that is very fun is this wonderful idea:
I love it...contained in glass and straw ready! If I had a camera I would take a picture for you, but I don't have a camera yet. (But hey, if you have an extra working one laying around, I would be happy to take it off of your hands...LOL)
I usually leave a sharpie message on the lid for dh..."For my beloved..." Sometimes if I am feeling festive I cut a piece of round scrapbooking paper in a circle for the top of the lid... Sometimes having a little something nice to look at makes a person feel special...so simple and it takes like 3 minutes. I can do that!
It is the little thoughtful things that make life sweeter for those hardworking hubbies, God love them!
I just love that picture. I need to embroider that and put it on my door and above my bed and near my children's beds so they'll see it every time they think they need to crawl into bed with me.
ReplyDeleteTell me about it, KC! I so NEEED sleeeep! I need to have the stamina of a teen and the reflexes of one, too. Sleep is my friend. It is hard to help the rest of my family totally understand that. I thought this might be a good reminder....
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