Update on the positive position I am taking

So The Marine returns home before heading out to Recruit 4's baseball game. I hug him and tell him I think he is a great dad and husband.


He just says: "I am, aren't I?"

I wanted to smack him.

I didn't.


My quest to strengthen our relationship by acknowledging how much he does and is appreciated may not work here. Alternative directions may have to be taken.

I might actually have to cook dinner sometime, or worse... do laundry. I'll keep you posted.

Trying new things

So I am trying to be a more positive spouse. My Mom bought me this great book by John Bytheway (his real name) when I was home visiting her last week. It's a quick read and I zipped through it on the plane on the way home.

There are no new grand revelations in the book. Just reminders of how criticism only hurts our relationships etc.

I've always told The Marine positive things about him, but perhaps there is always a "but" on the other end, so I decided I would try and only comment on the positive.

I arrived home and told him how much I appreciated his taking over the house and kids while I was gone and what a great job I thought he had done, which was true, he did a great job. He thanked me and gave me a hug.

I told him later I appreciated his support in my job. He paused, thanked me and gave me a hug.

Yesterday, I called him at work and asked him where the trash stickers were and then told him that I really just wanted to tell him I loved him and appreciated who he was. He got very quiet.

Then he asked me, "What are you fixing to tell me?"

I replied, "Nothing, I just wanted to tell you I loved you."

The Marine: "What did you do?"

Kelli: "NOTHING, I just wanted to say how much I appreciated all that you do"

The Marine with an odd laugh, "Okay, but you should just tell me what happened."

Good grief, I can't win! Although, in writing this, it seems to me I may have found a new kind of torture...

Quick catch up on my ever tilting planet

I have been MIA from my blog as of late. Life just has a way of sneaking up and grabbing you around the waist and whisking you off onto the dance floor and not letting you go until you completely fall down from exhaustion.

So April finds me squeezing in a quick post. I've just returned from a workshop and was able to visit with my Mom. It always makes me a little sad to leave. I wish we could move back and live near her. However the Marine Corps is still in charge of where we live. Maybe in a year or two.

The Marine never blew up, but instead did a marvelous job running the house while I was gone. he always does though. He also started getting the office straightened out. An awful task I've been putting off for a while.

Recruit one is moving ever closer to graduation. She has been worked hard the last couple of weeks helping with the little boys and the house. I think she is about done playing mommy.

Recruit two spent spring break at my Mom's house working. He had a great time digging holes for the posts for a barn, driving the tractor, and he only flipped the go cart over once and dinged himself in the head with a stake driver! It was a somewhat injury free vacation, except for the pinky he almost ripped off when the go cart flipped over.

Recruit three made the cheer squad at her middle school again. She still surprises me with the whole cheer thing.

Recruit 4 is being a pill in school, but things at home seem better. I'll be glad when the school year ends for him.

Recruit 5 and 6 are well and just as funny as always.

It's still Lacrosse season and baseball season has started. That means we are headed in a hundred different directions. Plus my mom and sister and her kids are coming for the graduation in June. I have to start cleaning my house yesterday! I'm not kidding.

The Marine would like to just load up most of the garage contents and take them to the dump. That's not the way I would like to clean, so I'm sure we will have words soon.

Otherwise life has been busy and has been good. The recruits are all in school and The Marine at work! I'm going to contemplate a shower or perhaps just crawl back in bed, just for a minute though... I promise.