About Black Belt Mama

I am a 30 something forever 29 year old stay at home mother.  I stay at home with my two daughters: "Big I" who is six years old and "Lil C" who is two years old.

I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in English Writing, Creative Nonfiction. I met my husband my sophomore year, fell in love with him when he let me borrow his laundry detergent, and married him shortly after graduation.

I worked for a small literary journal as an assistant editor, then at Clinique cosmetics (because the pay was better), and then at a graphic design firm as an "Administrative and Marketing Assistant" which is just a fancy name for copy girl, xerox pro, or otherwise just plain old lackey. I was supposed to be a writer, but somehow got the desk where I answered all the phones, filed all the folders, and mostly just retrieved muffins and coffee creamer. I did, however, write a corporate identity manual and an insurance brochure. Zzzzz, Zzzzz. I did learn lots of things while working there though, but mostly how to swallow my pride.

When I got sick of that (a very short time later), I went to Duquesne University where I earned my M.S.Ed. in 11 months, and accumulated so much student loan debt that it's just plain ridiculous considering I taught high school English for not even two years and then decided my true calling was MommyHood.

I taught 9th grade the first year and was inundated with so many students who had probation officers that my head started spinning. One of my 15 year old students stole his dad's car, hit another car in a parking lot and then headed for the state border thinking he'd be safe. I also taught some really great kids who will go on to do amazing things.

The following year I taught 10th grade and looped with my 9th graders (the ones who passed, leaving most of the young criminals behind). Because of this, the school decided to give me special education students, a.k.a. anyone who has a major behavior problem plus the students who truly need to be classified special ed. All this, while pregnant with my first baby. I went on maternity leave, had my daughter in 2001, and never looked back.

We sold our house; and my husband switched careers so that I would be able to stay home with my baby girl. By home, I literally mean home, as in we moved in with my parents for a year. Then, we moved to NJ. Then we moved back to my hometown.

In October 2005, I gave birth to our second daughter after a long wait to get her on her way. I wanted everything to be natural, and planned a birth center birth. Then I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and that all changed. I did have a midwife deliver her and that was truly awesome.

I now work from home (in my spare time) as a part time logistics recruiter and freelance writer; my husband sometimes works from home too. Because of this, our neighbors probably think that:
A. we are independently wealthy
B. pajamas are the new 'business casual'
C. our house will be foreclosed on momentarily
None of these are true. Well, except for B., maybe.

I am trying to raise my girls to be smart, strong women. I am a 1st kyu brown belt in both Okinawan Kenpo and Kobudo. Did I mention it's a family affair? (I didn't just mean "strong" in the figurative sense.) Big I started karate when she was three and is now an 7th kyu; Lil C will probably know how to snap kick before she's potty trained (she already knows how to kiai better than I do); and I was a little late on the draw, starting when I was 29 (Yeah, I realize the math doesn't make sense with the whole "forever 29" statement in the beginning, but just work with me here).

I've realized that it's never too late to learn something new. You just have to be willing to face the fact that the 14 year old you take class with who has been there since she was three is 100% capable of kicking your butt.

I love: reading a good book, playing fantasy football (damn you LaDainian Tomlinson), going on vacations, and nailing a new kata.

I can't stand: litter butts, people who don't put their dogs on a leash, folding laundry, liars and bad table manners.

I think that about covers it.

If you have something nice to say, please leave me a comment or write me an email. If not, no one is forcing you to read this so get lost.

No, seriously.

Email Black Belt Mama.