Today is Mike's birthday! We spent it, separately, at youth sports, as all parents of school-age children do when their birthday falls on a Fall weekend right in the heart of soccer/field hockey/confirmation/musical audition season.
It's crew season, too, but blessedly she does not practice on Sundays!
Mike, of course, never complains about his birthday. He is very even that way. He does, though, contrary to popular belief, complain more than I do about all sorts of things. But, I am not here to throw shade on the birthday boy! I'll save that for November! Right now, October is his birthday month!
Mike demands very little attention and when he does demand attention, I honestly have no idea what to do with him because I am too busy thinking about myself. But, that's the great thing about Mike, he does not seem to care. In fact, he actually seems to love me through it all. Once, his birthday cake was an Entenmann's Lemon Cake that someone gave us when my brother died. As I was placing the candles in it, I kept thinking, "YOU ARE SERVING YOUR HUSBAND A DEATH CAKE." But he did not even complain; even after a neighbor claimed the death cake as her own offering (after seeing a photo. THANKS A LOT!) He seemed to enjoy it and maybe was impressed (just this once!) with my frugality.
Mike demands very little of me. He always supported me in my non-traditional work endeavors. He washes all the laundry. He unloaded and loaded the dishwasher twice today and put the children to bed, including the feral one who never sleeps. It is above and beyond to go into the battle on your birthday. He's pretty great that way.
So, the man deserves a whole month to celebrate and demand some things!
There are those among the population that think birthday months are stupid. Obviously, I think that assessment is stupid. (Sorry! I am not even like my Libra husband. You are either in or out with me.)
I adore a birthday month! One day is not enough time to thoroughly celebrate the day the world was changed by a loved one's birth and as all parents will tell you, the month of your child's birth is a very memorable (exhausting, terrifying, difficult, joyous, complicated) time. Being such, a birthday month is really the bare minimum we should be doing to commemorate the beginning of a new life!
Mike's lucky because his birthday practically kicks off his birthday month; versus my birthday which practically ends it. (Obviously this is annoying to me! Mike does not care!).
Anyway, for those of you new to birthday months (and those of you who hate birthday months; I mean why bother with the birthday at all, haters!), here are 5 ways to celebrate all month long (note my husband does none of this.):
1. Leverage Your Birthday Month for Good Behavior
Sometimes, as my birthday nears, you might occasionally hear me say, "Kids! Can you help me with this? It is my Birthday month!" This typically means I will only have to repeat myself 7 times versus the other 11 months of the year when I repeat myself 27 times. Try it! It works!! I also leverage Mike's birthday month "It's almost Daddy's birthday! Let's try to stop drinking sodas and hiding the cans in the pond," etc.
2. Turn Average Events into Birthday Celebrations!
Making reservations for dinner, be sure to check the "birthday" box for special seating and a complimentary show/fruit salad boat at Hibachi! Technically, you could just say it was your birthday everyday of the year, but this would be UNETHICAL. So, leverage your month and feel morally superior! Plus, on Monday morning conference calls, you can share how you "celebrated" your "birthday" with your colleagues and get a few extra "happy birthdays!" out of the deal!
3. Treat Yo'Self!
I never really need an excuse to shop for this or that. BUT during Mike's birthday month, I can always toss a little something for myself in the cart! During my birthday month, I can use all the coupons and internal dialogue to justify buying new shoes that I'll never wear and other useless bobbles by spending my imaginary "birthday money," that comes from my grandparents (who are dead). Birthday month is all a state of mind!
4. Eat CAKE and Forget about Weight Loss GOALS!
When you were born on your actual birthday, you were encouraged to eat and not count calories! After all, you lost like 10% of your birth weight in the first week or so! Embrace your original self and eat cake all month long, celebrating your early days of cluster feeding (aka binge eating) and growth spurts! Save weight loss for the next month!
5. Nap!
Maybe you were not a good sleeper as a baby. Maybe you were an excellent one. But either way, use your birthday month to nap extra without guilt! Being born is tiring, getting old is tiring and everything is tiring, so NAP! Your mom will be so proud of your napping skills, she might brag about you to her mom friends at the nursing home!
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