A birthday surprise

Most of you will be reading this post on Thursday, February 11. Otherwise known as Josh Klein's 35th birthday. Since he'll be hanging out with A all day and both kids all afternoon, his day will not resemble the picture at the right.

However, I'll be taking him out to eat at Gaetano's to celebrate, and he knows that. His gift, which he also knows about, is a meal at Topolobampo. I couldn't get a reservation until late March, but this way he gets a celebratory meal and a "foodie present," to be redeemed later.

But back to the birthday surprise. You see, I baked and frosted a cake while having our neighbors and their 3 kids for BBQ pulled pork sandwiches on Tuesday evening. And even though I was able to get a head start because Josh was driving through 6-8 inches of snow to pick up Oscar from his neutering surgery at the Anti-Cruelty Society, I still had to cook the icing and frost the layer cake right under his nose. With 7 kids running riot through the house. (I made the Caramel Cake from The Cake Mix Doctor cookbook. And it was delicious.) Josh was speechless. Partly, I think, because he couldn't figure out how on earth I could bake a cake so fast and partly because it wasn't his birthday yet. I think I've stumbled upon some kind of secret birthday surprise strategy here.

Happy 10th Anniversary to Us

10 years.
We started careers.
We started a family.
We lost a father, a grandfather and a grandmother.
We've grown up together.
And I trust we'll grow old together, too.

Now it's Daddy's turn

Today is Testosterone Day on the Chicago Moms Blog, an opportunity for the men in our lives to have a say. Check out Josh's contribution.

Shout out to Mr. Mom

You don't hear a lot about what happens when the woman who brings home the bacon stays home to fry it up. About how her work-at-home husband has to deal with her burning said bacon and setting off the smoke alarm.

Because that's kind of what's been going on at the House of Klein. I've stepped out of my agency life for a few months of breast-feeding, midweek playdates and household chores. I've picked up many of the tasks that I'd handed off to my man over the past couple of years, and while I can still grocery shop, sort the laundry and load the dishwasher with the best of them, I don't do it his way. The man has systems.

So while I'm not going to learn all his tips and tricks before I have to return to the working world, I'm tipping my hat to the guy I married. The man who will take back the diaper bag and take over preschool drop-offs and daycare pick-ups. Who will be warming bottles and scheduling playdates. Making dinner and texting me "WHEN WILL U B HOME?" "STATUS?" "SOMEONE NEEDS MOMMY."