Pay It Forward
Do you remember that movie from several years ago, "Pay it Forward"? I thought that most of that movie was very cool, all except for the ending. Regardless, it was nice to see a movie about trying to be nice to other people; because all people should seriously try more of that in their every day lives.
This morning, Big I had a playdate with her best friend. Big I’s friend also has a little sister, only a few months older than Lil C. When I dropped her off, Lil C started digging into the toys and playing with the girls, and the next thing I knew I was accepting the Mom’s very gracious offer to keep both of the girls for the play date while I had some time to myself (Trust me on this one-I can always use some time to myself after Mr. BBM has been traveling).
I’ve never left Lil C with a non-relative before and I wasn’t sure how she’d react; but she seemed so interested in staying and playing and it was only for a few hours in the morning, so I left and had absolutely no clue what to do with my morning of freedom.
First I went to the post office to pick up a box to mail all our Polly Pockets back to Mattel. GRR, on that subject. Damn those toy manufacturers with their magnets and their stupid toxic paint, and why isn’t Mattel paying for the stupid box I have to send the stuff back in?!? Sorry, tangent. Anyway. . .
Then I had an idea. Instead of going home and taking a shower (or a nap-which would have been so sweet), I decided to pay it forward.
I quickly picked up supplies and came home to cook up a feast. I made a home made chicken pie for us, and I made one for my grandparents as well. I also made cream cheese and chocolate chip dark chocolate brownies for the play date Mom and her family.
When I went back to pick up Lil C, she was eating lunch and smiling. When I asked her if she had fun she said, "yeah" and grinned ear to ear.
We then drove over to my grandmothers house to drop off the chicken pie. Lil C had fallen asleep and she’s a load. So, I asked Big I to carry the chicken pie into the house. As I was maneuvering the door and trying to let Big I pass in front of me, she dropped the pie.
It would have been fine, but instead of picking it up horizontally, she picked it up vertically. I wanted to cry. When we got inside, I unwrapped my creation and the pretty pre-baked pie I had put together was no more. My grandmother grabbed a spoon and started scooping it back into shape. It wasn’t going to look pretty, it was really more of an upside down pie, but at least I know it tasted good.
We spent the afternoon hanging out with and talking to my grandmother. She told me so many cool things about her mother and father, her aunts and her uncles, and what life was like back when she was young. Although I’ve heard many of her stories multiple times, today’s stories were all new and they were an absolute joy to hear.
I made her day with my chicken pie, and she made my day with her original tales.
If this story made you smile, then pay it forward yourself. Maybe we can start a trend.
Fantasy Football: A Draft No-No
Last night was my first draft of the fantasy football season. There were ten teams and we had the sixth pick. We were doing just fine, despite the fact that Mr. BBM had a very last minute trip and had to be in North Carolina instead of sitting beside me in the "war room" (aka the family room). He got on his computer in the hotel. I got on mine, and we conference called our draft. My parents even came down to watch the kids so I could freak out in peace. Fantasy football drafts get me totally stressed. I’m just a tad bit obsessive about it.
We ended up with the following starters:
QB: Vince Young
RB: Willie Parker
RB: Laurence Maroney
RB/WR: Donald Driver
WR: Torry Holt
WR: Marques Colston
TE: Kellen Winslow
D/ST: Dolphins
K: Olindo Mare
We also ended up with some o.k. bench-goers (and some not o.k. bench-goers):
QB: Trent Green
WR: Deion Branch
WR: Chris Chambers
RB: LenDale White
TE: Owen Daniels
RB: Warrick Dunn
But the draft software was causing problems throughout. People were unable to choose and the auto picker would just do it for you. People were getting frustrated, but none more frustrated than Mr. BBM and I as both of our computers completely froze up and the auto picker chose for us. . . are you ready for this. . . because I almost threw my computer completely out the window. . .
Michael Vick.
WHAT?!?!? $%#^&^*)+@#$$@!@
This is why, my friends, you must always pre-rank your players and move dog-fighting idiots like Vick to the bottom of the barrel just in case you have a computer freeze up. So, we could have done a lot better if we hadn’t had to waste a pick on Vick, but considering the circumstances, I think we’ll do o.k. Or at least I hope we’ll do o.k.
Every team it seems, ended up with at least one or two players they didn’t want at all. Of course, most of those players will just suck or be sitting on the sidelines, not sitting behind bars, so we’ve already dropped Vick and will be picking up someone a little less. . . criminal, someone a little more available.
Fantasy Football Lesson #1: Move ALL criminals to the bottom of your pre-rank list because your computer will inevitably freeze at a crucial moment, if your luck is anything like mine.
The Injured Reserve and the Amusement Park
You must first know the cast of characters:
BBM: Recovering from whiplash/motion sickness sufferer
Mom-Mom: Recovering from knee surgery (torn mensicus-two weeks post surgery)/motion sickness sufferer
Pop-Pop: Craniotomy
Big I: Roller Coaster Queen
Lil C: Agreeable toddler
My parents, the girls and I went to an old-fashioned amusement park on Friday. We were an unlikely crew for amusement park material. But my grandparents had a ton of free ride tickets and it was a nice day, so we went. Mr. BBM (aka Roller Coaster King) couldn’t take the day off to come with us because he is currently up to his eyeballs in work and also preparing for a trip.
Big I spent much of the almost two hour drive talking about roller coasters as my parents and I looked at each other questioningly. Who was going to step up? Who was going to "take one for the team" when it came to riding the rough rides?
My Dad took the first shift. Those airplanes may look nice and easy but the turns were fast and wicked for a recovering whiplash gal. I also saw no way that my Mom was going to be able to climb up into those things. So my Dad spent much of the ride stabilizing Lil C’s head the way a lifeguard would after a diving accident.
That was followed by the pirate ship. You know, the one where you swing back and forth endlessly and your stomach starts to feel really sick and. . . you get the idea. My Mom took her turn, because anyone who has previously barfed after that ride (yours truly) gets a pass.
My Dad then took another turn and went with Big I on a wooden roller coaster. It was the smaller of the two and I said there was no way I was going to be able to handle the shaking and the quick turns. My Dad got off the ride with a major headache. My Mom was nauseous. I was realizing it was my turn to step up. . . so we headed off to kiddie land.
Big I and Lil C rode in this fire truck while I balanced myself on the rapidly spinning platform in case Lil C decided to abandon ship. When we were finished spinning, none of the adults were feeling great. Amusement parks were definitely made for kids.
Even so, I agreed to take the girls on the rockets. They looked smooth enough. Meanwhile, the thing flew at warp speed and Lil C and I were plastered to the side of the rocket, holding on for dear life! When it was all over, I was about finished with rides and Lil C had adopted a new phrase, "anoder ride peease."
She repeated that right up until she fell asleep with true little diva style. So, my parents and I took turns babysitting the stroller while we let Big I choose rides and victims riding partners. My Mom and I were chosen first to go on a lovely log flume ride. Big I and I took the front and we fared pretty well. My Mom didn’t. She got hit with a geyser pretty good and took a decent splash at the end too. She said she was going into ride retirement for a bit, mostly to let her butt dry off.
So, my Dad took his turn with Big I. The engineer in him figured out the exact weight distribution so as not to get drenched. He could have given my Mom a few words of advice in that area.
Big I then saw the Tilt-a-Whirl or as I like to call it the Barf-while-Twirling. That ride makes me super sick. My Dad said the spinning would be bad for his head, so my Mom got nominated. During the first rotation, she looked pretty happy. My Dad said, "Look, she doesn’t look that bad." I laughed and said, "Give her one more trip around." Sure enough, the next time my Mom came into view she was looking a bit under the weather. The ride went for an eternity, and she staggered off feeling terrible. It could only mean one thing. . .
It was definitely Pop-Pop’s turn. My Dad took the girls on the Merry-Go-Round and they had an absolute blast.
Then they had some close encounters with some bears since we all needed the spinning to stop for a bit.
Lil C insisted on getting up close and personal. We’ve officially entered the affectionate stage of our toddler program.
We then rode the train with the tiniest little heiney seats I’ve ever seen. Lil C could not believe we were on a CHOO-CHOO TRAIN! She kept yelling it over and over again, like "Hey world, look at me! I am on a CHOO-CHOO TRAIN!".
Then we hit the highlight of the entire day. BALLS!!!! Now everyone loves a good ball pit, but when the ball pit is practically the size of a pool, it enters a whole new level of fun! The first time the girls went in, Lil C was tentative. She just sort of stood there in the balls and would pick one up every once in a while and proclaim "RED ONE" or "BLUE ONE". She mostly just stood there looking incredibly dazed but happy, and as if she had no clue what to do.
During the second round of ball pit time, Lil C got a little more into it. "Ready, SET, GO!" she yelled as she jumped in full force, and almost sent me flying in with her. She only spent a couple minutes showing me the BALLS!!!! before she decided it was time to "swim."
Big I did the back float. . .
. . . while Lil C did the freestyle. This also marks our first almost-temper-tantrum. When her time was up she made like a jellyfish, went completely limp, and then tried to run away from me in the pit. But in true Lil C fashion, she pulled it together when I mentioned "popcorn."
So "Whiplash Woman", "Meniscus Lady" and "Craniotomy Man" made it through the day without suffering any significant injuries (O.k. well the wallets don’t count).
The End.
Crap Happens
Today our powder room toilet overflowed. The powder room is directly beside our unsealed wood floors, so Mr. BBM and I both went charging at the offending river armed with pool towels that didn’t get put away yesterday. Thank God I am a lousy-no-good housewife who doesn’t put stuff away unless company is coming. The towels were right there, where we needed them most.
That didn’t stop the water from going in the vents and flowing down through the floor into the basement though, where the water made contact with our printer, a keyboard, a ton of toys, etc. I spent the entire morning spraying things down with a bleach solution and going through more paper towels than I ever thought possible. The skin on my hands is now peeling. Who needs a chemical peel or hot wax treatment when you can soak your hands in bleach instead?
After cleaning up the mess, Lil C was eating her lunch in the kitchen. She waved her spoon around and dropped a glob of applesauce on the floor.
"Oh crap!" she said.
I can’t imagine where she would have learned that language from, because I. . . oh, who am I kidding? She learned it from me! I’m just glad she didn’t replace "crap" with its synonym friend that starts with "s." Then I’d really be feeling crappy.
Later in the afternoon, Big I fell down the stairs. It sounded as if my washing machine had decided to take a joy ride of something, so I ran upstairs as fast as I could expecting the absolute worst: broken legs in every direction, blood, gore, missing teeth. My heart was pounding out of my chest, I was so afraid at what I would see.
What I found was Big I sobbing and gingerly rubbing her bum. I hugged her and asked her what happened and she said, "I stepped out and just lost my balance." She started crying harder and then said, "It was awful Mommy. It was like a stair luge." Apparently we’re watching entirely too much of The Cat and the Hat around here.
For dinner tonight, I made a Mexican feast. We had taco’s with ground beef and rice. Lil C used to eat absolutely ANYTHING you put in front of her. Lately, she’ll eat "matos" and "bluedas" only (that’s tomatoes and blueberries for those of you who don’t speak toddler). She’ll also occassionally eat crackers, but only on every third day between the 1:15 and 1:18 p.m. She’ll eat cheese as well, but only on Wednesday’s when it rains. She will also tell you she wants "or-nanj-juice" right up until you hand her the cup, and then it’s "malk." The whining that comes with her drink requests is free.
This is the kid who used to ask for "mar broc-O-lee peese" (more broccoli please). She’d also eat hamburgers, steak, grilled chicken, salmon, potatoes, spinach (yes, I said spinach), and any fruit you put in front of her. We’ve gone from that to "matos" and "bluedas" and my patience is wearing a bit thin.
Apparently Lil C’s is too because with each meal Mommy must now serve an appetizer. Everyone wants something from me and NOW, and they all want something different. I feel like a short order chef as of late and it’s only going to get worse.
For the past few weeks, Big I has been asking us with great interest, whether or not what she’s eating is from an animal. She declared a few weeks ago that she will only eat animals that are "not cute." We convinced her that chickens are nasty looking. We also convinced her that humans only eat the ugly cows.
Tonight, she stopped buying that. I wrapped up a taco for her and she sat there staring at it for a while. "Is this from an animal?"
"Yes" I said. Keep in mind that I have a super sensitive stomach. I don’t like to think about the unpleasantries that may have happened before my ground beef got put on a styrofoam slab and wrapped in plastic. If I had to do you-know-what, I’d be a vegetarian; but I don’t have to, so I eat meat and gladly.
"Mommy?" Big I asked.
"What?" I said.
"Can you take the cow out of my taco? I don’t want to eat it anymore" she said.
I told her that’s all fine and good if she doesn’t want to eat animals anymore, but that we’re going to have to find other ways to add protein to her diet. She wasn’t happy with the protein choices I gave her. I have a feeling big sister is headed for the mato and blueda diet herself.
She also started bringing up my sister, Crazy Aunt E. I love my sister dearly, but when I went off to college, my sister decided she was going to become a vegetarian. I came home on a break and was excited to be eating one of my Mom’s awesome burgers and then I bit into. . . that. It was one of the early versions of veggie burgers and it tasted worse than a slab of cardboard. I protested. My Dad nodded silently in agreement, but did nothing to join my protest. He must have already learned that it did no good.
It was a vegetarian nightmare after that. I can’t tell you how relieved I was that my Mom didn’t cave in when it came to Thanksgiving turkey time. Of course, my sister refused to sit at the table with us while we ate "carcass" and kept asking if she could go bury it (which come to think of it, might be why I can’t tolerate that kind of talk anymore), but I didn’t let her bother me then. I was a college student and I was starving for good food.
Picky eating I can tolerate. Big I ate nothing but noodles and nectarines for an entire year of her life. But vegetarianism? I just can’t handle it, not this week anyway.
I’ve clearly had enough crap for one week.
Speaking Up
Two weeks ago, my husband and I took our guest for the weekend to the Musik Fest that happens every summer. The Musik Fest is awesome, featuring many national and international recording artists. Many of the performances are free. There are things for everyone to do, including music for the kids. We had a great time; but the music isn’t really what I want to tell you about.
As my friend and I were walking through the crowds, we noticed a lot of military men. They were all walking around in their uniforms in 90 degree weather, yet they looked flawless in their appearance. I have always been a sucker for a man in a uniform, so as we walked by a couple of these guys, I leaned over to my friend and told her that every time I see a military man or woman, I just want to go up to them, and thank them for all they do for this country. She agreed and told me I should.
At the next tent, we stopped to listen to a performer. There were three army guys sitting in front of me. When the performer was finished, I leaned forward, said "Excuse me" and then went on to thank them for all that they do for this country. I told them I didn’t think that they heard it enough, so I wanted to let them know how much my family and I appreciate them.
The first guy looked me in the eyes and nodded slowly as I talked to him. He looked touched that I had chosen to say that to him and his friends. His friend, standing behind him, looked completely shocked. When I was finished with my little speech, they both nodded and quietly said "thank you" and it was obvious they really meant it. I can’t tell you how good it made me feel to be able to tell them how much I appreciate them and their service. If you haven’t thanked a military man or woman, I highly recommend you take the time to do so if you happen to come across one.
If you’d like to do something more proactive, you can email military men and women through this site. Here, you’ll be paired up pen pal style with a service man or woman. You can also go here to email a soldier a thank you. If you’d like to send supplies to Iraq for school children (facilitated by our military men and women), you can find more info on how to do that here.
Our leaders make political decisions, but our soldiers are just doing their jobs and being paid next to nothing for what they do. They deserve our support and thanks. If the mood moves you, please click on one of the links above and help to make their day.
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