Hi, I'm Jennie

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    "I used to fear this life, this suburban mortgage and white fence and a baby on my hip. I want more, I used to think. I wanted Spain and novels and wild loves and adventures.

    I met your dad and instantly wanted you."

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Real Marriages

  • If you have a topic you'd like to see discussed in a future Real Marriages post, please email me at shelikespurple@gmail.com.

    You can read all past Real Marriages posts here.

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Things I want to do in 2010


  • 1. Throw a mimosa brunch for my friends. (Photos here.)
    2. Edited: Spend a night in College Station with Mike.
    3. Take a few steps in the right direction of starting an organization that provides resources, encouragement and support to new moms.
    4. Put together a book of memories I've been meaning to make for a special someone.
    5. Run a 5K (Austin's Zooma Relay), then a 10K, then a half-marathon.
    6. Host a holiday ornament exchange and cookie decorating party.
    7. Make great strides in being the kind of friend who remembers and acknowledges birthdays better.
    8. Edited: Introduce Kyle to family he hasn't gotten to meet yet. (my grandma; Mike's grandparents)
    9. Own a great pair of investment jeans.
    10. Take a vacation, no matter to where or when, with just my husband. We've earned it.
    11. Read at least 20 books. (1. The Help 2. The Brightest Star in the Sky 3. Her Fearful Symmetry 4. This is Where I Leave You 5. Little Bee 6. Living Dead in Dallas 7. One Day 8. The Hunger Games)
    12. Write all my addresses into my file box.
    13. Buy nightstands for our bedroom.
    14. Let only good, genuine things motivate me more often.
    15. Throw Kyle a kick-ass birthday party (making the invitations and a banner by hand) (Also made: a crown and his thank-you cards.)
    16. Make fitness and health a priority.
    17. Buy a pretty dress and wear it out on the town, with my husband on my arm. (I bought this dress from Modcloth and can be seen wearing it here.)
    18. Continue creating awesome, fun and inspiring content on Style Lush. (With the help of the incredible writers.) Also, host a Style Lush edited: happy hour at BlogHer 2010.
    19. Make a dentist appointment.
    20. Make crab cakes, chicken masala and cinnamon buns (from scratch).
    21. Look fabulous at my 10-year high school reunion.
    22. Buy some art for our walls.
    23. Take Kyle to an A&M football game.
    24. Learn to drive a stick.
    25. Watch The Wire.
    Added:
    26. Make (with my own hands) an advent calendar for Christmas 2010.
    27. Start planning a 2011 family reunion.
    28. Buy a wall map and fill it with map pins.
    29. Spend time volunteering at Jonathan's Place.
    30. Finish my blogroll.
    31. Go to the movies alone. ("It's Complicated")
    32. Make Kyle's baby blanket (from his old clothes.)
    33. Stick to a budget better than years past.
    34. Learn to properly pronounce the word Worcestershire
    35. See all the nominees for Best Picture (Oscars): 1. Avatar 2. The Blind Side 3. District 9 4. An Education 5. The Hurt Locker 6. Inglorious Basterds 7. Precious 8. A Serious Man 9. Up 10. Up in the Air
    36. Discover a new artist/band once a month. (January: Eric Hutchinson
    February: Denison Witmer
    March: Tristan Prettyman
    April: Patrick Park
    May: Boyce Avenue
    June: The New Amsterdams
    July: Leona Naess
    August: Mumford & Sons)
    37. Eat at 10 new restaurants this year. (1. Brio, 2. Jack's Porch 3. La Duni 4. Classic Cafe 5. Manuel's 6. South Congress Cafe 7. Wild Sushi 8. MoMo's 9. Gerhard's 10. Taverna 11. Craft 12. Cowtown Sushi 13. Mercer Kitchen 14. Les Halles 15. All Star Sandwich Bar 16. La Peep 17. Farina's Winery 18. Ten 01 19. The Farm Cafe 20. Fenouil 21. The Field 22. C Level 23. Cafe Coyote 24. Casellula 25. Mercury Chophouse 26. Hully & Mo)
    38. Get a bikini wax.
    39. Enroll and finish a boot camp class, through our local rec.
    40. Take Kyle to the Fort Worth zoo.
    41. Read one classic book and watch one classic movie.
    42. Take a cooking class at Central Market (Sushi Class, June 30, 2010)
    43. Go to a concert. (Greenday)
    44. Take Kyle to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens.
    45. Make 10 items from Food Network shows I watch. (1. Caesar spaghetti from 30 Minute Meals 2. Grilled cheese sandwich with red onion jam from What Would Brian Boitano Make? 3. Florentine mac and cheese with chicken meatballs from 30 Minute Meals 4. Corn and Mascarpone Mini Lasagnas from Giada at Home. 5. Braised Paprkia Chicken from Ask Aida 6. Pizzagna from 30 Minute Meals 7. Pork Milanese with Creamy Lemon Caper Sauce from Everyday Italian)
    46. Take a dance class.
    47. Visit one new state. (Massachusetts)
    48. Count to ten more often before speaking when frustrated/upset/angry.
    49. Go a month without: meat, alcohol and shopping (March)
    50. Learn some calligraphy.
    51. Run 25 miles (total) in one month. (June)
    52. Go 5 days without checking my personal email.
    53. Start a recipe collection.
    54. Learn how to poach an egg.
    55. Make one new friend in the neighborhood.
    56. Host a play date at our house.
    57. Make the perfect Bloody Mary.
    58. Participate in DFW's Restaurant Week. (Mercury Chophouse)

    Post-additions
    58. Take Kyle to Sea World
    59. Eat dinner in a restaurant alone.
    60. Attend Comic-Con

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Tuesday, February 02, 2010

House husband

One thing I was not entirely prepared to hear when Mike began staying home during the week was this:

"So, on Ellen today..."

Mike thinks Ellen is fantastic, and he now knows who Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner are not from all those New Moon trailers or red carpet screams but because they were on Ellen. He didn't know who Helen Mirren is -- hey, if they weren't on the Discovery channel, they weren't on Mike's radar before -- but this year when he saw her on the Golden Globes, he was all, "SHE WAS ON ELLEN!" Yep, celebrities are now all famous because "they were on Ellen."

He also thinks Dennis Quaid is the funniest man on the planet because of this.

Then I came home one night to find him making fondant in our kitchen. Also making: a mess like you've never seen. He'd even visited a bakery supply store earlier in the day to stock up on tools and things.

He spent hours and days designing Kyle's birthday invites, which we of course fought over because if you're not a long-time reader you should know that when it comes to correspondence, my husband and I can seriously brawl.

He knows the pharmacy workers by name and the best local parks, too. He's getting good at this staying-home gig, and nothing proves that more than how much Kyle prefers him to me. I'd be pretty bummed about it if I didn't usually prefer Mike to myself, too.

Before you start feeling too jealous of the husband lottery I won, you should know he still saves the dishes for me to do each night.

Although he'd probably start tackling that chore if Ellen told him to.

Posted at 12:24 PM in Adulthood, All About Me, Kyle, Mike, Parenthood, Pop Culture |

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Comments

You have to send a link of this post to Ellen - she's on Twitter. I bet she would write a short note responding for Mike to do the dishes! :) Or if you are shy, I'll totally do it!

http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/

I'm so glad you guys have figured out the balance of things - you are both lucky, although I'd give my front tooth to come home to fondant some night. Or really, just less of a mess.

Posted by: TUWABVB | Tuesday, February 02, 2010 at 12:33 PM

Jason was a house husband during the winter for 2 years...there is definitely something to be said for coming home to a clean house and dinner.

Posted by: rebecca | Tuesday, February 02, 2010 at 12:37 PM

Um, I think you should contact Ellen and ask her to tell him just that. I bet she'd do it!

Posted by: Jess | Tuesday, February 02, 2010 at 12:43 PM

Um, your husband making fondant and watching Ellen is KILLING me.

Posted by: Elizabeth | Tuesday, February 02, 2010 at 02:01 PM

I was moved to tweet to Ellen. Feel free to re-tweet, if you guys want. I think Ellen speaking to Mike in any capacity would be the perfect Valentine's gift. For the next 10 years.

Posted by: She Likes Purple | Tuesday, February 02, 2010 at 02:01 PM

That is so cute. I love Ellen, too!

Posted by: Kristie | Tuesday, February 02, 2010 at 02:05 PM

What a cute cute post! I love it.

Fondant. That slays me. My husband is NOT a house husband, but he is a baking husband for which I feel really really lucky.

And by the way, Ellen is AWESOME. I hope she responds to your tweet!

Posted by: Mrs. D | Tuesday, February 02, 2010 at 02:59 PM

Fondant, huh? Mike's pretty entertaining.

I forgot to tell you in a previous post...congrats on the 8 pounds!

Posted by: Heather | Tuesday, February 02, 2010 at 08:29 PM

I love Ellen too. And I really love that all of Mike's pop culture references are now learned on Ellen.

Posted by: -R- | Tuesday, February 02, 2010 at 10:33 PM

Hooray for fondant! Measure twice, move once.. you only get one shot for non lumpy cake :)

Posted by: Vos | Wednesday, February 03, 2010 at 03:15 AM

Immediately send this to Ellen. So the deal about the dishes can make the show, you know?

Posted by: NGS | Wednesday, February 03, 2010 at 11:27 AM

So is Mike-staying-home a permanent deal? Is he still working part-time at all?

Posted by: Jessica | Wednesday, February 03, 2010 at 12:59 PM

I love Ellen too, though watching her show is a rarity.

I am in love with the idea of her turning to a camera and saying "oh yeah and Mike? Help your wife with the dishes!" That would be awesome!

Posted by: Erin (Snarke) | Thursday, February 04, 2010 at 02:35 AM

i just laughed out loud. and maybe teared up a little bit. i love ellen. and, well, i never get to watch it, but i was just on the phone with my mom and she was all "i've GOT to go. ellen is starting." and she hung up.

my mom's trick to get my dad to do the dishes is his constant complaint that she doesn't load the dishwasher right. so then he'll reload it. so enough times of doing it wrong and he doesn't want her to touch it at all.

i think you're going to have to get him a people magazine subscription next, by the way.

Posted by: Kristinblakely | Thursday, February 04, 2010 at 10:56 AM

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