Black Belt Mama

My Wish for All Mothers

May the only "whine" you are around today. . .come in a glass.

Happy Mother's Day!

A Family of Superhero's

On Friday, Mr. BBM and I packed up the car and headed to western PA for Easter weekend. Instead of taking the vehicle equipped with a DVD player and headphones for the girls, we took our Subaru Forester for her very last long ride. We traded her in for a new car on Saturday morning.

Mr. BBM spent days convincing me the drive out and back, without a DVD player, would be "fun." I wasn't buying it and as usual, I was right, as usual-wait, did I say that already? Oh yeah, I did; but it warrants being said again. As usual, I was right.

The drive out consisted of Mr. BBM being ready to self-combust at any moment if the girls even tilted their drink or snack even slightly off a perfectly upright angle. He did this despite the beach towels he had put on the seats for the drive out. Big I decided it was a great opportunity to ask us all kinds of questions, like "Would you rather have ears where your eyebrows are, or a nose where your belly button is?" I should also note that each question was proceeded by a startling, "Daddy" or "Mommy." We swear she used those two words about 2000 times each direction of the four hour drive. She also used "Are we there yet?" enough times to make me volunteer to ride on the roof rack.

We won't even discuss Lil C and her non-stop whining. We just won't because I'd rather not have my head explode all over my lap-top.

We arrived at my father-in-law's home, knowing that they were in the middle of a big kitchen renovation, but people. . . we had no idea. The kitchen contents were in boxes in the family room. The kitchen cabinets were. . . gone. . . completely. Dishes were done in the laundry room sink and clean dishes could only be found on a table in the dining room. I stress "clean" only when the drywall man hadn't been there. Clearly, he does not believe in sealing off areas before sanding.

For cooking, there was a microwave.

You were waiting for a crock pot or electric skillet too, weren't you? Nope, not a one. At some point, Mr. BBM must have threatened to kill someone or himself because a coffee pot was eventually found and plugged in. Because of the state of the kitchen, we had to eat out for every meal, minus breakfast each day, which was microwaved oatmeal (and minus today's fantastic Easter dinner, cooked by my mother-in-law.)

Despite the stress of all of this, we had a great time. My father-in-law recently remarried a lovely lady and two of her adult children were also visiting. It became quite clear that there was some good-natured sibling rivalry between Mr. BBM's new step-sister and her younger brother who even refers to himself as "the glow." "The glow" can do no wrong; food even tastes better when you're in the presence of "the glow." It's really quite an appropriate nickname considering that it was only minutes before Big I was proclaiming her undying love for him. I had to kindly remind her that he's now her uncle, and you know, sort of too old for her. Plus, eight-year olds need to chill on "being in love." Seriously, although I must admit that "the glow" does have a stellar smile. Geez, even from hundreds of miles away, he's still having an effect on me.

What became even funnier than "the glow" and the antics surrounding him was Mr. BBM's stepmother and her patented "look." While we were busy answering Big I's never-ending list of questions on the drive out, my father-in-law was busy talking to his wife's kids about her classic "look" of death. Together they decided that a picture of this "look" should be painted on missiles that wouldn't have to even explode to scare our country's enemies. Seeing "the look" would be enough. They also decided that the problem with illegal immigration could be solved. Simply put "the look" on strategically placed billboards at our borders.

Having never been the recipient of "the look" (I'd only ever seen it from the side until this weekend), I could laugh but not know for sure. However, after my step mother-in-law saw the new mess in her kitchen after drywall sanding while we had been out, and the fact that my father-in-law had used their Dyson and not a shop vacuum to clean it up, I found myself standing between the two of them and caught "the look" straight on. All I really have to say about that is . . . "teach me, oh great giver of 'the look'."

When the weekend was coming to a close and all was said and done, I realized that I'm now part of a family of superhero's. "The glow" charms everyone around him; while "the look" can instantly make you regret ever having been born.

Despite getting a fabulous deal on the new car without them, I can't help but wonder what kinds of amazing things they could have done for us during negotiations, had they been there. After being warmed up by "the glow" and then subjected to "the look," it's entirely possible we would have been given our new car for free.

Merry Christmas

I am taking exactly two minutes out of my crazy day of shopping, cooking and cleaning to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. . .

From the BBM family to you and yours. I hope you get everything you hoped for and more.

Packed Full

Two cook-outs, a bonfire, prednisone for the poison ivy (ahhh sweet sort-of relief), one random couple who thought we were having an open house and so just walked right in our front door on Sunday, one potential buyer turned off by the fact that we have two dedicated parking spaces out front (apparently she prefers a free-for-all. . . weird), another interested couple who is still trying to figure out if it really is time to downsize or not, one first time hair-cut for Lil C (I didn't cry and neither did she), a much shorter 'do for Big I (which looks super cute). . .

. . . and one very exhausted BBM who still looks sort of leper-ish but is finally starting to show some improvement in the itchy-scratchy department.

More to come when I'm not so exhausted, but until I am back, go wish my good friend Adam a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY (especially since his gift from his friend in the states is running a wee bit late)!  Happy Birthday Adam!

Holiday in Review

In the interest of telling you about something other than my knee, here's a little photo essay for you:

These pictures, taken the day before Christmas, mark the first time I laughed so hard I cried post surgery. 

Why you should NEVER let Pop-Pop strap you in your car seat. . . "Um Pop-Pop, those straps go OVER my shoulders."

"No seriously.  What's the deal with this?  Is someone going to fix it or what?"

Some kids like Santa. . .

And some kids think Santa is nothing more than a scary dude with bad fashion sense and a scratchy beard. . .

Some kids are wide awake on Christmas morning and open all of their gifts in 10 minutes flat. . .

. . . while others scoot down the stairs repeatedly saying "Oh MAN, back in da crib" because her big sister woke her up entirely too early. . .

"I'll take one of Mommy's Saltine's before I even THINK about opening a present." 

By Round three of visiting relatives, little people get a little happier (even if Mommy still looks fairly miserable). 

Last but not least, because it had to be included, is Big I growing up or what?  Slow down girl!

I hope you had a great holiday season. Happy New Year to everyone! 

The Dreaded Christmas Letter

Hello, BBM Readers!  I am delighted to be writing my first blog entry ever while BBM recovers.  I have to be honest and tell you that I think this whole "ACL" thing is just a ploy by BBM to get me to start blogging.  She's been harrassing me suggesting to me to write for awhile now.  Because she knows I will help her in any way I can, she conveniently "tore her ACL" and needed "surgery."  Then, she begged me to help fill the blog void while she was gone.  Good one, BBM!  You finally got your way!  Seriously, though, I'm excited to be writing here.  Be gentle with me, dear reader; it is, after all, my first time.

The Dreaded Christmas Letter

by Tkddaughter

It is that time of year when you finally are excited to go to the mailbox.  In between the thousands of credit card offers, magazines and bills, you actually get fun mail.  You know the kind with cute stamps and little snowmen on the envelopes.  It is the time of year where you can reconnect with friends you haven't seen in years and years.  But along with that fun mail comes much controversy...da da DA!!!!!  THE DREADED CHRISTMAS LETTER!

You know how it goes...Little Susie started preschool this year and she is already working on quantum phsyics.  Johnny Jr. is the starting quarterback for his peewee football team and we hear the Steelers are looking to sign him.  Our dog, Snickers, just landed his 10th doggie commercial!  Blah blah blah.  By the time Christmas finally gets here, you feel incompetent, unworthy, and simple.  I've already felt the stress of it myself.  It's annoying.  At times it's painful.  And you know what?  I'm glad they sent the letter.

I'm glad they sent the letter because what I dislike even more than the dreaded Christmas letter is the beautiful Christmas card showing no signs of a human's touch.  Or one that only bears the inscription, "Merry Christmas from the Smiths."   I haven't seen you in 17 years and the best you can come up with is, "Merry Christmas from the Smiths???"  Are you kidding me?!  I want to hear the growing your family has done during this past year.  I want to know a little bit of what you do each day and how you've changed.  Who is this person you've become?  I can't get that from a photo card printed out for you.

So while so many people dread the family Christmas letter, I say do it.  Send it out.  Tell your Christmas card list what you are up to, what the last year has shown you, and how you've grown.  Send less cards if you have to, but write a little hello to each person.  And a little advice:  be honest.  Don't exaggerate to make your family sound like the perfect family.  Tell it like it is because let's face it...we're all in the trenches here and it's nice to know we are not alone.

That being said...well, I didn't send a Christmas letter this year, but I did hand-make all 75 of our Christmas cards. While I didn't write about our past year, I did put my own personal touch on it.  But I bet there are still a few people out there who got my card and thought, "Gee, that's nice, but what have they been up to this past year?"

Elf Yourself

I wasn't going to post today or for the next few days, but then I found this.  Season's Greetings from the BBM family to you and all of yours. 

If you're in a Bah Humbug type of mood, you might enjoy this one.  (Funny face courtesy of Big I and too much sun at the beach.)

The Case for Shopping More Often

Today I went shopping again.  Yes, I believe I can currently be declared "legally insane" in a court of law.  I bought Big I these shoes:

I bought Lil C an entire outfit for $9 including socks.  My Mom bought both of the girls non-slip slippers so they don't wipe out on my very slippery wood floors and steps.  She also bought Lil C a ton of bows for her hair.  Right now she's wearing all nine of them in her hair at the same time.  One is a Christmas bow with little bells on it, so I guess we'll always know where she is when she's wearing that one. 

My Mom also bought the girls dress coats that are too cute; and she bought me an awesome sweater and cami that I've been drooling over since the Ann Taylor Loft mailer arrived at my house.  I do have to wait until Christmas though, but it's only a month away.

I got home from shopping with Big I and my Mom to find that Mr. BBM had set up both of our Christmas trees.  He also put the lights on the one that doesn't have lights and got out all the greens for the mantles.

I think I should go shopping more often. 

Things I'm Thankful for. . .

In no particular order. . .

1. The guy who does my hair didn't move to South Carolina.
2. My Dad recovered from his craniotomy and is doing great.
3. My grandmother is 90 years old, still living at her own home, and healthy.
4. The BBM Review seems to really be taking off. 
5. I have an awesome dojo "family."
6. I have great friends in real life ("chex," Kim, Kim (not a duplicate-I have three Kim friends), Rachael, Shep, Shelley, Stacey, Stacey, ikigai, etc.)
7. I have great online friends (Adam, John, Mat, Miss Chris, Frotoe, Scott, Deryck, Sizzle, the always controversial Steve, Nathan. . . Man, there are too many to list.)
8. I have a very helpful family.
9. I only have to use one crutch.
10. I have a husband who cooks, cleans and does laundry without ruining my clothing.  He also takes really good pictures which will spare me from visiting The Picture People (see 11 & 12). 
11.  
12.    
13. Having a conservative doctor.
14. Having an attentive and kind physical therapist.
15. I live in a country where I'm able to speak up.
16. Big I has a nurturing teacher this year.
17. The people who hold the door open for me when I'm hobbling around.
18. My massage therapist because I don't think my neck ever would have gone back to normal without her.
19. My chiropractor for his help and for recommending my massage therapist.
20. Little Julia is finished with therapy and doing o.k.
21. Being able to train with some of the most amazing martial artists at my dojo and at our training camps.
22. Dark Chocolate because it gets me through whiny two-year old days.
23. My fantasy football teams are kicking some serious booty these days.  WOOT!
24. Adrian Peterson-oh yeah!
25. Good training partners at the dojo.
26. Diet Decaf Icy Tea
27. That I was published this year and actually paid for it!  WOOT again!
28. Neighbors with big dogs.
29. Having inlaws that don't drive me nuts for the most part.  ;-)
30. When I came home a few weeks ago and my front door was wide open (and had been for three hours), there weren't any robbers/killers/squirrels in my house.
31. Mr. BBM having a great job so I'm able to stay at home with my girls.
32. The motorcycle lady, because she got me through what might have been a rough day.
33. Our troops, who deserve our endless support and thanks. . . THANK YOU!
34. The National DO NOT CALL list.
35. All of my AWESOME readers and commenters who can single-handedly make my day with your comments and emails.  I don't take any of you for granted; and I thank you!
36. All of you crazy lurkers who keep coming back for more despite not leaving comments. (I get to imagine that you're Noah Wiley or Patrick Dempsey.) ;-)
37. All of the online publications who like my blog enough to publish me.
38. My DVR.
39. Project Runway

And now I'm just getting ridiculous, so on that note Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it, and to those who don't, Happy Thursday! 

Christmas List

It's my blog so I can say "Christmas" not "Holiday."  Any complaints can be emailed directly to yourself, because I don't care to read them so there.

Yes, I'm a little cranky today.  Not that I really needed to state that.  We are less than a week away from Thanksgiving and I am still on crutches.  Know how sick you are of hearing about it?  That's how sick I am of using them.  (If you're a new reader and want to know why I'm on crutches, start here.)

In addition to Lil C's crutch injury the other day, I almost killed myself while going up the stairs to Big I's teacher conference yesterday.  The steps in the school have this little lip on the end of them and as I moved up one by one, I kept getting caught, which made me lose my balance and teeter backwards a bit.  Thankfully I made it up without injury, but coming down was a nerve-wracking experience as well.  Luckily, the conference itself was nothing short of wonderful and glowing so that was at least good.

After the conference I went to PT and sadly, had to report to my PT that after my workout on Wednesday, I felt very sore.  It wasn't my muscles either; it was the knee joint itself.  Because of my report, he cut out one stretch, and cut my bike time in half.  I hate set-backs.  He said that much of PT is trial and error so that's the way it works.  He also said that I can cut down to twice a week since he knows I'm doing my exercises at home, and primarily because my co-pay is going to be the end of us. 

When I got home, Big I wanted me to write out her Christmas list.  I thought it would be a good idea to write a list for all of those that I buy for, 20 total, two additions from last year.  My choices as far as Christmas shopping goes are as follows: crutch it around the mall and die of exhaustion and irritation (at all the rude you-know-whats that don't hold doors for injured people), allow Mr. BBM or Big I to push me around in a wheel chair (NO WAY!  What?  I have pride issues.), do all of my shopping from the comfort of my own couch via the internet, or make a detailed list including item numbers, prices and descriptions and send Mr. BBM on what will still be a wild goose hunt.

I also wrote a list for myself since I rarely ever do this and after Christmas, I'm always like "Oh man, why didn't I ask for. . .?"  Right now, my list is markedly longer than anyone else's list and includes the following items:  gift cards or clothes from Ann Taylor loft or Ann Taylor, zip-up hoodie and matching pants from ATL or Eddie Bauer (I need cute PT clothes; I'm running out), that military book by Eric Haney (the one that show "The Unit" is based on), Shureido sai (sob, sob, sob-I could at least hold them and look at them), a brand new intact ACL, gift card for Victoria's Secret, a new Vera Bradley purse, stationary for letter writing, kanji paint set from craft store, thin socks (blacks and blues), a pale yellow Pitt sweatshirt, ginger salad dressing (the kind they serve at hibachi restaurants). . .

You get the idea.  I went a little nuts; and I admit that I'm sort of unrealistic about some things. 

In contrast, here is Big I's list: Wii Princess game, Pirates of the Caribbean III movie, unicorn webkin, Littlest Pet Shop Teeniest Tiniest Pet Shop (dear God, help me!), Littlest Pet Shop Electronic diary, and a computer (more our idea than hers), and sparring gear. 

Lil C's list? Puzzles, Ratatouille movie, Brio train accessories, oh and chocolate.

I think I need to remind myself that Christmas is for kids. . .

***If you'd like some ideas for Christmas yourself, make sure you check out the reviews on The BBM Review.  From books, to martial arts products, to video games, there are plenty of reviews there and there are many to come in the weeks leading up to Christmas.  Our review schedule is getting booked up quickly.  If you have a product or website that you'd like The BBM Reviewers to review, please contact me as soon as possible. 

Alice and the Witch

As promised. . .

Alice in Wonderland and a little witch.  If only you knew how very fitting these costumes were for their very distinct personalities. . .

"Alice" is carrying around the white rabbit she chased in the story and the little witch (for this picture anyway) had tossed her custom-crafted by Home Depot and Mr. BBM broom aside.  She was like "Seriously, you're expecting me to carry around a broom?  You want me to carry a broom when I could be carrying around melting chocolate?  Um, no.  I don't think so."

Because flash cards are the new "Kit Kat's". . .

Hmm, M&M's or Goldfish?  I'm thinking M&M's. After all, there's nothing cuter than chocolate drool on a witch. 

Here is the calm before a major storm that almost involved a self-inflicted head wound off my Mom's floor as she threw herself flailing around in true 2-year old style because Mr. BBM wrangled the lolly away from her because she seriously had enough sugar already. 

The little witch from behind because one day she'll thank us that there is a cute picture of her butt. 

And for all of you people who thought that "Caldron" was spelled "Cauldron". . . you can spell it either way.  I checked.  Oh, and that's Lil C looking in her other bag for her long lost lollipop.  Yeah, the night ended on sort of a rough note.

*** For those of you who may have missed it, check out the second half of the previous post for how the MRI went.

Kicking off the Summer

We decided to kick off the summer right this year, and spent Memorial Day weekend in Ocean City, MD.  There are benefits to having a husband who traveled 24/7 for two years. . . hotel points.  We spent the weekend in the new Hilton Oceanfront Suites and it did not disappoint.  We had a living room, a bedroom with two queen beds, a full kitchen and a fabulous jacuzzi tub in the bathroom that made more bubbles than Lil C could have ever imagined.  We also had some cool chairs that are Lil C approved.

We also had a fabulous oceanfront view that Lil C enjoyed immensely.  I mostly just freaked out and continued to test the rails to make sure they were up to my standard. 

   

In addition, there were two oceanfront pools.  One had a swim-up bar that I did not get to enjoy despite the fact that I kept telling Mr. BBM that he was "on duty" and that I was going to go make some new friends at the bar.  I'm all talk apparently. 

The other was a kiddie pool where I spent most of our time getting splashed by some kid who thought my legs were pool toys.  I started to seriously consider practicing some take downs, especially when he got his little hands all in order to splash Lil C again, after both of us and his Dad told him to knock it off.  Mr. BBM and I also took about 3000 turns each catching Lil C at the bottom of a kiddie slide, when Mr. BBM wasn't taking a ride himself.  Lil C also cleared out her sinuses in the fountains that were just the right height for a good shock to the nostrils.   

 

Lil C also enjoyed hanging out with her new buddy, the whale.  That partially-transparent-because-she's-so-white-girl is me, and that's the most you'll be seeing of my new swimsuit which was so delayed at Victoria's Secret that I went out and bought a different one.

   

During our short stint on the actual beach, Lil C thought it was particularly funny to dump a bucket full of sand on my head.  She also found the freezing cold waves pretty hysterical, especially when they splashed her "bum bum."  The weekend was fabulous, minus the four hours it took us to get out of our actual room and down to the pool or beach each day.  Putting sunscreen on children is completely exhausting.   

Unlike North Carolina beaches where we go each year, Ocean City has a much younger crowd especially this time of year.  A popular destination for Senior Week, I was reminded of the stark difference between my visit to OC MD 13 years ago compared to now, with two children.  The difference is huge. 

Thirteen years ago, I was partying with my friends after graduating high school.  This weekend, I spent a large proportion of my time trying to get Lil C to sit in a high chair and/or just let me breathe for a minute.  This is her idea of hanging out with Mommy, or "Me" as she likes to call me.  We are officially in the "clingy" stage.

And then there's my other kid who's not clingy in the tiniest bit, which had me constantly scanning the pool and freaking out when I couldn't find her and her cute little floral bikini.

So to those going off to Senior Week within the next few weeks, my message to you is simple:  Enjoy it, because in 10-15 years you're going to be a little less hot (a little people, not much), and a lot more busy putting sunscreen on little munchkins.  You'll trade your Coppertone oil in for SPF 50 minimum.  Gone are the nights spent partying until 2 a.m.  In fact, 10:30 starts looking like a pretty reasonable bedtime after a day at the beach.  The good news is that you'll spend a lot less money on beer in the future; and instead of laughing at your drunk friends, you'll be laughing along with your kids who are having an absolute blast.      

Easter with a Legend

I met Dave "The Hammer" Shultz on Sunday.  He was a big star for the Philadelphia Flyers before I was born.  According to my dad, he was the guy you didn't want to mess with.  He beat up EVERYBODY.  He happened to be at the Flyers game on Sunday.

Last week, when a friend offered us his club box tickets for the final Flyer's game of the season, we didn't think we'd be able to go.  It was on Easter Sunday after all. But with four free tickets in a prime location, how could we not?  My Dad is a HUGE Flyers fan and has been for many years.  So, the family decided we'd have our Easter get-together on Saturday.

Sunday, my Mom, Dad, Mr. BBM and I went to the game while the girls hung out with my sister and her boyfriend.

Me and Mr. BBM from our awesome seats (Thank you MIKE!).

My parents, Mr. BBM and I used to have a blast together before the kids came along.  When I was in my final year of college, I got a 4.0 and my parents were ecstatic.  So, on a visit home, we popped a couple bottles of champagne, played Scrabble, and got "stoned."  That's what my Mom said she was after having some champagne.  She obviously had her adjectives a bit messed up because getting "stoned" was not at all a part of that equation.  Every time she has a drink to this day, we always ask her if she's getting "stoned." 

Today was like old times.  In the front row of the club box seats at center ice, we felt like royalty.  My Mom and I drank Yuengling's and chanted for the Flyers like we were teenagers (that's my Mom with the big ole beer).  We I even heckled the Sabres fans sitting in front of us a bit.

As we entered the arena today, my Dad grabbed my arm and yelled, "Look!  It's Dave Shultz!".  I know Dave Brown, another brute in his time.  Shultz I do not know other than having a familiarity with his name.  After my Dad filled me in on who he was and what he did, I remembered all the old stories my Dad told me about him.  Let's face it; hockey fans like hockey for more than just the stick work and goals.  Every die hard hockey fan likes to see a good fight, and "The Hammer" did not disappoint back in his day.

During the first intermission, my family and I took a walk to see if we could find Dave Shultz and get a picture.  We found him, got a picture taken with him, and he signed my Flyers jersey too.  My Dad joked that he was going to tell Dave that he could kick his butt as we were walking up to him.  After the picture, I told Dave Shultz what my Dad said.  I have never heard my Dad object so quickly and so loudly.  "No! No!" he yelled.  Dave laughed and said, "He probably could.  You know I'm a senior citizen now!"  We all laughed.

That's Dave Shultz in the middle, and my Dad (who just got a clean bill of health after his final CT scan).  You can't even tell the man had a craniotomy only months ago!     

Today was probably one of the best Easter Sunday's ever.  And did I mention that the Flyers won?  Even better. 

Upon returning home, we saw this scene:

That's Lil C with Mr. Better-Propose-Already-What-Are-You-Waiting-For-Oh-My-God!

Lil C was completely sacked out, which is probably what those Sabres fans in front of me were if they didn't take my advice and stuff their Sabres sign in their jacket on the way out as I strongly advised them to do. 

Happy Hallmark Day!

Happy Hallmark and Florist Day everyone!  When I was in college I spent two years working in flower shops and let me tell you that Valentine's Day only comes with a negative connotation after that experience. 

For days leading up to V-Day, I spent hours upon hours slicing thorns off of roses and stabbing my hands endlessly; and on the actual day I spent hours trying to get forlorn looking men in and out of the store in a timely fashion by packing up whatever flowers we had left into a presentable looking box.  I was always glad to see the 15th arrive. 

In elementary school, Valentine's Day was fun.  I carefully wrote out Valentine's and delivered them with care to all my friends (and enemies because you have to in elementary school as Big I found out last night). 

In Junior High, Valentine's Day stopped being fun as hoards of girls got called to the office to pick up flowers that their boyfriends had sent to the school for them.  Now that I think about it, they were probably flowers from their parents or from themselves, sent to make themselves feel special.  How many boys in Junior High really had $50 or $60 to put out on roses?

I rarely had a boyfriend over Valentine's Day, so it was always dull.  High school was more of the same.  I had a boyfriend for one year but the teddy bear and rose he brought me left me unimpressed.  The feeling that I thought would be there just wasn't there.  It was a relationship that was going down the drain anyway. 

But when I got home, it was a different story.  Starting in Junior High, I think my Mom realized how tough V-Day can be for a boyfriendless adolescent.  Valentine's Day became a day when my Mom broke out the good dishes.  She cooked up a feast, made a pink cake and as a family, we ate dinner by candlelight.  My sister and I always got a little wrapped gift-not a lot, just something that made us smile. 

It was so nice to know that we could expect a treat at the end of the carnation filled days.  So, instead of waiting for Junior High, I started the same tradition in our family when Big I was just one year old. 

Tonight, we will dine by candlelight, eat a special dinner and cake and both of the girls will get a little surprise or two.  I hope that as they get older, they'll continue to look forward to our special V-Day celebrations, and that it will make those boyfriend-less school days a little easier on them. 

How will you spend Valentine's Day?

On a different note. . . for my fellow karate-ka, if you have a heavyweight gi, what kind do you have and what do you think of it?  Either leave me a comment or shoot me an email.

Doing my part as a Mommy Blogger

I've been really lousy about posting pictures lately so I thought I'd post some pictures from Christmas and beyond so you can see how much Lil C and Big I have grown.

Think these two look alike at all?

Here's the Christmas card picture.  Lil C's cheeks aren't usually that full.  It's just that to get her to sit still for more than 10 seconds at a time, we had to feed her a constant stream of fruit puffs and they, well, puff the cheeks a bit.

Here's before the chaos started.  Two sets of grandparents, great-grandparents, an aunt, a future uncle(?) and two parents who forgot that they started shopping in January for this year's Christmas, and well. . . you've got a little bit of crazy.

Mer"wii" Christmas

It's 11:00 p.m.  All the presents have been opened.  We're suffering from multiple paper cuts and injuries due to the plastic ties that hold toys in boxes.  We've decided that we'll need to move to a bigger house; and the Wii was a HUGE hit. 

Big I and Lil C were angels today.  Big I loved her Leapster L-Max and Lil C loved her Little People and clothing.  Big I thought the festivities were over from Santa and Mommy and Daddy and then we read her the letter Santa left for her.  Santa told her that on his way out of the house, he noticed that Mommy and Daddy left a special surprise for her under the downstairs Christmas tree. 

She ran down the stairs, ripped open the box and gasped.  She was so excited to see the Wii and learn that it wasn't a CD player for her uncle.

Since the first time she played the boxing game, she mastered it.  First she knocked out her Daddy, then my sister's boyfriend, then me, then her Daddy again.  She's unstoppable, and the Wii is so much fun. 

Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate it.  Happy Holidays to those of you who don't. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go check out real estate listings and/or storage facilities. 

For those of you who've been inquiring. . . My Dad came home from the hospital on Saturday. . . finally. 

Mulan and the Tulip Fairy

I wanted to get these up last night, but yesterday was hectic.  The cupcakes were a big hit as was Big I's costume at school.  Last night was a lot of fun and both girls were great about keeping their costumes on and had a good time. 

I present to you, Mulan. . .

and the Tulip Fairy. . .

And Mulan and the Tulip Fairy together. . .

Now you'll have to excuse me while I go and continue being a human tissue.  Lil C had a visit with her doctor this morning.  She has a cold, that turned into croop, that turned into an ear infection, that turned into a clogged tear duct.  Trick-or-treating was fun last night; afterwards all hell broke loose.  The BBM family will gladly accept donations of Lysol, Kleenex, stain sticks. . .

I can not WAIT to go to karate tonight.  Have fun Mr. BBM! 

Kailani at The Pink Diary is having a Halloween Costume contest.  Go and vote for the BBM girls or to check out the other entries! 

Easter Recap

It started off like this in the morning when the baskets were first discovered.  My husband will not like this one bit, but oh well. . .

We then went to church where Lil C let EVERYONE know she can say "da da" and "ma ma" at the top of her little lungs. 

And then we went to Mom-Mom's house, where Big I had a great time on her solo mission egg hunt.  Even Lil C got in on the fun, "finding" one egg and batting it down from it's hiding location on the window sill.  My husband got this great action shot of the hunt. . .

. . . and this picture of me and my girls since The Picture People failed to capture the pure adorableness of their outfits.  Unfortunately, Big I's bag is in the way of her skirt that matches Lil C's outfit.  (It's always something!)

But, just when you start to think you have a fairly normal family, you have a holiday get together with the whole crew.  Any illusion (or delusion) that you had of having a normal family is completely blown to hell.  Let's start with my sister's boyfriend. . .

Let me preface this by saying that I like her boyfriend.  I am, in fact, inadvertently responsible for them being together.  (I told a friend my sister needed a boyfriend; she had a friend; we had them exchange email addresses; the rest is history.)  He is a hard worker; he's responsible; and I think that he loves my sister which is fine by me.  (Let me just say here that he better love my sister or else I'm going to have to go all karate on his ass.)  When forced to be around anyone for any length of time though, you start to discover the little oddities about them. 

These oddities first were revealed on vacation last year.  We spent a week at the beach with him and it was, well, interesting to say the least.  My sister's boyfriend is somewhat of a food snob as in:  Orange juice from concentrate???  The nerve!   This isn't the only odd thing though.  I wouldn't even feel compelled to bring it up if it wasn't for the fact that he called my daughter a "freak" because she didn't eat the crust on her toast.  But since he did, game on.  The boy does not like: any kind of pasta, any kind of cheese, cake (yeah, seriously), ice cream (unless it's from a dairy in Michigan), any type of tomato based sauce, anything that mixes two foods together, anything with cornbread or yeast in it, salad, fruit, and the most shocking of all. . . chocolate.  Now, tack on the fact that he does not ever have an alcoholic beverage and you've got a teasing fest in the making. 

Yesterday our menu included: salmon cakes, ham, scalloped potatoes, corn bake, salad, rolls, Easter cake, and red beet eggs.  He ate. . . ham, lots and lots of ham.  No seriously, like half of the ham.  This is what he does.  At Big I's birthday party, we had pizza and cake and ice cream.  We special ordered him a plain hamburger.  On Christmas, we had seafood lasagna, and because my Mom felt bad knowing that would be a huge taboo for him (sauce, cheese, pasta. . . the horror!) she made hot roast beef for sandwiches.  He ate five of them, in a row and nothing else. 

Yesterday as I was serving the Easter cake (yellow cake, pudding and cream cheese mixture, pineapple, cool whip) I asked him if he wanted a piece.  He said he didn't like cake, so I cut him a small piece and told him to eat up.  The man is in his 30's for God's sake.  He can amuse the chef and eat a small piece without acting like a 4-year old.  So, he started to eat it and wasn't falling over from the sheer disgustingness of it, so I said to him, "You like that cake?  You know what's in that cake???  Noodles and cheese."  I thought my husband was going to die laughing.  The boyfriend chose to ignore me and needed a drink.  "Is that tea out there diet?" he asked.  "Yes, it is," I responded,  "so that eliminates that as a choice.  What do you want?  A nice glass of meat juice?"  I don't think he found me very amusing, but how can you not find his eating habits amusing?  His diet consists of meat, and white bread.  Period.   

While we were trying to coax him into eating, my grandparents were arguing about juice.  This is what they do.  My grandmother is 88 years old; my grandfather is 81.  They are an absolute riot.  My grandmother LOVES to talk.  She can talk about just about anything and just in case you missed something, don't worry, because she will tell you again from the start in exquisite detail.  My grandfather is much more quiet.  He doesn't say much, but sometimes like a volcano under pressure, he erupts.  It's like he can only take so much of my grammom's talking before he's had enough.  Whatever she happens to be talking about at the time will be the subject of the eruption.  Yesterday, the subject of wrath was none other than juice.  It went something like this:

Grammom: "I have cranberry juice at home.  I used to have the stuff that was from concentrate.  Now I have juice that is 100% juice.  They don't put sweeteners in it or anything.  It's 100% juice.  It's cranberry with raspberry in it."

Pop-pop:  Nods, but starts to look a little irritable.

Grammom: "I like that juice.  We don't buy the stuff from concentrate.  It's really good.  And, it's 100% juice.

Pop-pop:(shakes head and talks through his teeth)  "It does have other stuff in it.  It's got raspberry juice in it."

Grammom:  (exasperated)  "But it's 100% juice, Herb."  (says "Herb" as if it's a dirty word.)

Pop-Pop:  "I'm just saying it's not 100% cranberry juice, because it DOES have other stuff IN IT."

Grammom:  "I know HERB!  It's got raspberry juice in it.  But it's 100% juice!"

Pop-Pop:  (mutters under breath and gives up).

A few minutes later, orange juice comes up.

Grammom:  "I like my orange juice to have that stuff in it."

Pop-Pop:  "It's called PULP HELEN!  PULP!"

Grammom:  "I know what it's called Herb!"

Pop-pop:  (as if someone just said something negative about where he buys the juice)  "We buy our juice at Weis markets.  We buy Weis brand.  It's the best.  It's got lots of pulp in it.  You don't have to buy fancy orange juice."

My grandparents are funny in that they have strong opinions, but on just about everything.  Politics, check. Orange juice, oh you better believe it.  During Big I's solo egg hunt, my grandmother was telling us how you just never know what's going to happen these days, and because of that she stores jugs of water in her basement.  She uses old milk containers, wine bottles, whatever she can come up with.  My grandfather patiently waited for her to relay her story and then said, "Yeah, she's got so many jugs of water in the basement that if I trip and fall down there, I'm liable to drown."  She's the storyteller; he's the one-liner.  It always makes holidays interesting to say the least. 

Now, go make yourselves some meat sandwiches (no condiments allowed), drink some 100% juice, and say a little prayer that if my sister does get married to this guy, the wedding reception doesn't have a ground beef cake.