Father's Day!

Tomorrow is Father's Day! You have to feel a bit sorry for Dads as their Sunday in June never seems to be quite as celebrated as Mother's Day. Yes, Mothers may bear the brunt of being pregnant for nine months and raising the children but fathers must carry around so much stress in the realization that they are the support of people other than himself!

I'm blessed that I stayed home with my children while my husband went to work each day to insure that we had enough to eat and a house over our heads. I sometimes look around and try to remember the moment my husband and I went from newly-wed couple to parents of four college students. I always tell young mothers to cherish the moments, even the tantrum-throwing, sticky, goofy moments with their children because they become a memory all too soon.

Over the years, I have discovered that a lot of the children's milestones are seen by me and then shared with my husband when he comes home from work. I'm so glad he takes a stay-at-home mother seriously because if we were both working, who would care to tell either of us these events in our children's lives that only we care about?

I offered to splurge and made a rib roast for my husband's Father's Day dinner. He said he would rather have one of my 'created' meals. We finally settled on a German dinner of Rouladen (thin beef rolled around a mustard/onion/bacon filling), red cabbage, and garlic mashed potatoes. Since he has lost weight, he says he deserves a cheesecake and not one my low-fat ones!

Getting my husband a gift is always a challenge. He loves to read but he is a librarian so has access to any and all books he might be interested in reading. He has more tools than he needs although he is attracted to shiny, new ones! We finally hit on what we hope will be a perfect gift - a new rice steamer!

Okay, giving a dad a rice steamer might sound odd. My husband has a few dietary concerns and the perfect breakfast for him is steamed rice and fruit. Our old rice cooker was a cheap model that worked okay but it is aging and shows the wear.  It works but isn't terrific. After a Google search, as always, I found the perfect one on-line at Costco and for the best price around plus free delivery! My husband has, in the past, looked at other steamers and although this one isn't the top of the line model (with a price to match!), reviews told me that many people preferred the one I finally purchase and it was a great deal less expensive. Besides his new rice steamer, we got him three Mass cards to take care of the spiritual while he fed the physical . . . with his new rice steamer!

Here is hoping that all the deserving fathers feel the love of their families tomorrow on their day!