~Poop On Jelly~

Our Family's Bitter/Sweet Life



Tuesday, August 11, 2009

True Story Tuesday--Gift Giving 101

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Today we are participating in True Story Tuesday again. Go check out it out! (After you read ours, of course!)

During the first year of our marriage, I taught third grade in the inner city. It was the most challenging, most rewarding, most stressful, and most humbling job I have ever had. My career was very important to me and took up a lot of my time. Those kids needed me and, frankly, I think I needed them, too.

November marked the end of the first quarter and a 12 hour day of parent teacher conferences. Somehow, the conferences always seemed to land on my actual birthday. I came home from a very long, exhausting day wishing that I had the energy to celebrate my birthday. I did not.

Nurse Boy was so excited I was finally home since he had a special present waiting for me. He had a sparkle in his eye as he told me that I had to "find" my present. That's right, he had taken the time to hide the gift somewhere in our little apartment. He seemed so proud while he told me that I would really like the special gift he picked out all by himself. He just knew I would love it.

Honestly, after the long day I had had, I couldn't wait for a special little gift from my new husband. It seemed like the perfect way to end the day. I searched the apartment while Nurse Boy peeked around the corners to see whether I was "hot" or "cold". Suddenly, I opened a closet door and pulled out a...


MOP.


Yes, you read that right. A mop.

I looked at the mop and looked at Nurse Boy. He was so excited to show me some of it's special "features," that he failed to notice the look of HORROR on my face.

I mean... IT WAS A MOP, for crying out loud.

And, crying I did.

I decided that as long as we had that mop, I was NEVER going to use it. Nope. And, I didn't. Not once. The entire 2 years we spent in that apartment, Nurse Boy always mopped the floor. And, he never complained. He didn't dare.

And, he has never bought me another item to clean our home wrapped up in the illusion of a special gift. Probably for fear that I would stop cleaning all together.

This story cracks me up now. Plus, I have spent the last 12 years "educating" him on appropriate and inappropriate gifts. "Appropriate" being something that sparkles and, preferably, has a diamond in it. "Inappropriate" being anything that "helps" me clean or can be plugged in. He is a pro now. Well, sort of...

At least I know he won't be buying me a mop anytime soon.

OK... Now you can hop over to True Story Tuesday for some more fun!

22 comments:

Deb said...

This is hilarious. Here are some of the "gifts" Sven has given me over the years:

1. A bread machine
2. A Play Station
3. A surround sound system

Then,

4. Two diamond rings
5. Two pearl jewelry sets
6. Various suites of garnet jewelry

They can be taught.

Emily said...

That is hilarious!!! I hope he's learned what is an appropriate gift by now! It's taken me almost 8 years to teach my husband but I think he finally got it! ;)
And by the way, I think the title of your blog and the story behind it is so funny!

Kmama said...

I found your blog via the True Story Tuesday carnival. Very funny story.

Even though I just found your blog, I'm awarding you with the One Lovely Blog award. Please stop by my blog (http://thedailydribbles.blogspot.com) to pick it up.

Foursons said...

Bahahahaha! Poor you! I have received a cordless phone, a "bill" box, and a vacuum. Yup, good times my friend. Good times.

Mr. and Mrs. Nurse Boy said...

So here are the rules. The man buys a gift that the woman does not want. She cries and he is a jerk. The woman buys a gift that the man does not want and she cries because he does not appreciate it/her. The man then buys gift certificates. The woman cries because if you know her, you will know what to get her. The man then buys very expensive jewlery and the woman is happy but says you don't have to spend so much money.

Yes we do!

Mr. NB

Brandi said...

HAHAHA! A MOP? Wow! Yes, you have that exactly right Mr. NB! :)

TinaJewel said...

a mop? oh man.
daddy-o has gotten me a few interesting gifts too:
*a crock pot (slow cooker) so i could make corned beef for him
*a rack to hang the mop and broom on so they are our of the way
*a divided laundry hamper so it is easier for me to do the laundry (it would be great if he even used it)
but he has gotten me some nice thigs too:
*a wood stove so i am toasty warm in the winter
*a family necklace (with little gemstone people)
*a jetted tub for our bathroom
*he converted our garage into a family room and let me paint it pink

it is supposed to be the thought that counts, right?

momstheword said...

Cute story. Mr. NB has got it, lol! I worked with a gal whose hubby bought her a lawnmower for her birthday. She was underwhelmed.

Maybe he should buy you a puppy...hehehehe!

Rachel said...

Oh my goodness! The story was hilarious - but you also have the best commenters too! Or does that make them commenTATORS? Hmm...

The first comment was hilarious - and you have definitely proven that guys can be taught.

I gotta say that Mr. Daddy pretty much rocks in the gift-giving department. I mean, he even planned for Itty Bit to be born a whopping 5 weeks early to celebrate my birthday! :)

So... when's the next birthday and what's in store for you? :)

Mr NB - you have that NAILED. Though I dont need jewelry, I would crumple up and cry if my husband bought me a gift certificate.

You can always get her a horse. That one goes over well :)

Thanks for linking up - this was funny!

Rachel said...

Oh my goodness! The story was hilarious - but you also have the best commenters too! Or does that make them commenTATORS? Hmm...

The first comment was hilarious - and you have definitely proven that guys can be taught.

I gotta say that Mr. Daddy pretty much rocks in the gift-giving department. I mean, he even planned for Itty Bit to be born a whopping 5 weeks early to celebrate my birthday! :)

So... when's the next birthday and what's in store for you? :)

Mr NB - you have that NAILED. Though I dont need jewelry, I would crumple up and cry if my husband bought me a gift certificate.

You can always get her a horse. That one goes over well :)

Thanks for linking up - this was funny!

Anonymous said...

You can say that again!

Eve said...

Oh my goodness, this sounds just like my husband the first few years that we were married (it took me a while to really get the idea into him). He wasn't being thoughtless though - he really thought I would enjoy "useful" things! ;)

He really has become one of the BEST gift givers over time - he gets it now.

Here's hoping you've gotten a few diamonds or sparkly things since then!!

Eve said...

Just for the record though - there have been a few "useful items" that I've actually asked for and received from him, such as a kitchen aid mixer and a really, really nice espresso machine! ;)
So he's apparently learned when "useful" is appropriate and when it isn't! Hehe...

Mr. and Mrs. Nurse Boy said...

Tranquility has proven my point.

Kitchen aid: expensive.

Expresso machine: expensive.

Expensive=appropriate

Poor husband=happy wife

I don't like this math.

Mrsbear said...

Hahahahaha. I love that you NEVER used that mop. I'm surprised you didn't set fire to the thing. Most women have stories like these, I think. Where the well meaning husband makes an inspired purchase that will make the wife's work infinitely easier. Personally, a maid, a nanny, and a chauffeur would make my life infinitely easier. If you can't afford those then just get me something shiny or pretty or edible. The end. Your hubby learned his lesson though. lol. Great story.

S said...

What if he had "made" the mop? Then the rejection would have been WAYYY more personal. haha. Or what if he had given you the mop with a coupon book full of "redeem for one free cleaning of the kitchen floor--for the rest of your life!"
I'm a sucker for anything that took a little time/effort to put together.

Queen to my 3 Boys said...

No kidding!

What was he thinkin'?

Sir Nottaguy-Imadad said...

I'm surprised that you didn't mop the floor right then, with HIM.

Lisa @ Boondock Ramblings said...

Oh man! No way! Hubby is pretty good at gifts actually.

Of course there was the time he bought a Swiffer Mop and thought that was all cool. It wasn't a gift for me, but it was. . . a new mop.

Whatever.

MotherT said...

Funny story! Sir Nottaguy-Imadad has usually done pretty well in the gift giving department. He knows that he can always get a book by one of my favorite authors and it's better than gold to me.

Mummy McTavish said...

Nurse Boy, I opened the comments with baited breath to read your response... you didn't disapoint! Wolf had a fight with the kitchen shop lady once that "yes, she really did ask for a frypan for christmas"... he bought the wrong one. I returned the run-of-the-mill-average-priced one (after very gently breaking it to him that my hints weren't for a frypan, they were for THIS SPECIFIC frypan) and bought my brilliant-I-use-it-every-night-never-sticks-but-cost-the-earth one. He should have just gone to you. You could have told him that if I wanted a frypan I wanted the one that would cost a months wages (not really that much but it felt like it).

Mrs Nurse Boy, 2 years of NB mopping the floor!!! That was a well played tears card!

Liz said...

My husband isn't afflicted with this particular illness, he is an excellent gift giver. On the other hand, I have a girlfriend who is (((impossible))) to please anyhow, and she complains every year that her hubby buys her a cd for her birthday, and she takes back every Christmas gift he buys her. If I were her husband, I'd stop buying her gifts altogether so she'd actually have something to complain about.