{Wordful Wednesday} Black Snow Bunnies: My Babies and their Granddad On Christmas Vacation

There is absolutely nothing more peaceful to me than spending time with three of my favorite people in the world: My daughters and my dad. Where he lives,  there is peace. And around this time of year, a bit of snow, too—something my girls don't get to see much down here in Georgia. So, as you can imagine, it was no time before they were out rolling around, licking and throwing the white stuff—just as I was putting my new iPhone Hipstamatic app to good use. Here, some of our favorite moments in the snow. Enjoy!

Footprints in fresh snow

And it wouldn't be good, clean fun without some snow angels!

This child has been eating the white stuff since her first snow at eight months. We taught her early: Stay away from the yellow snow. 

All that chocolate in snow ought to be illegal!

My Mari, keeping her head to the sky

Did I mention that my father NEVER played in the snow when I was little? The man will do anything for his granddaughters—even take some cold ones to the dome. Ha!

My Mari took this shot. Made me look pretty.

My Daddy, with his handsome self.

How could you not find peace on such a beautiful piece of land?

 

My people.

It's Like Tyson Vs. Holyfield—Except They're Shorter. And More Brutal.

My daughters, Mari and Lila, love each other. I think. At least this is what I tell myself most days when the two of them are going for each other’s jugulars. Honest to goodness, there are moments when their knock-down/drag-outs feel like the ninth round in a primetime fight—sweaty, loud, nasty and brutal.

Alas, Mari and Lila are sisters. And this is what sisters do. They fight. They make up. They play. Somebody gets on the other’s nerves and then they start the whole thing all over again—usually precipitated by Lila, the little sister, doing something annoying and Mari, the bigger one, acting like the Earth is going to fall off its rotational axis if the 8-year-old Lila doesn’t get out of her face, pronto.

This bothers me. A lot. Maybe it’s because I’m a little sister and can say, with certainty, that it sucks – I know first-hand that it’s no fun when older siblings act like they don’t like you. But mostly because what mother doesn’t want her kids to get along? Through thick and thin, heck or high water, family is all you’ve got. You can’t pick them—or discard them—like you do friends; family is much more valuable than that. When you are hungry, they feed you. When you need shelter, family puts a roof over your head. When you’re sad, here comes a hug from someone who genuinely loves you and wants the best for you. You can’t always count on that with folks who aren’t your kin.

To see how I keep my daughters from straight killing each other, check out this blog post in its entirety here on the MyBrownBaby page at DontFretTheSweat.com, where you can find tips, confidence-building tools and stories about how moms like you and me are helping their tweens navigate those sweat-inducing "moments."

Ribbons in the Sky: Indulging My Kids' Passions (Without Turning Them Into Total Brats)

Lila and Mari, the beautiful dreamers

When I was little, I wanted to play the piano like Stevie Wonder and speak French and travel to far away places like California and Hawaii and Harlem. Alas, these things happened only in my mind. My parents, after all, were factory workers—bound to blue collar paychecks, limited vacation days, and a work schedule that stretched from sun up to can’t see. Lack of time, money and sleep meant I could be a world-traveling, French speaking, piano playing wonder child only in my dreams.

Of course, I hold no ill will toward my parents for this. But I promised myself that things would be different for my girls—that they’d grow up having known the excitement of exploring a new land, learning about new cultures, and, above all else, having their wishes indulged.

It’s not that I spoil them, mind you. There’s a big difference between caving to every little whim and coaxing and encouraging their love of something new...


To read about how I indulge my kids' passions to help build their confidence and teach them the value of trying something new, and to get great tips on confidence-building tools and stories about how moms are helping their tweens navigate those sweat-inducing "moments," check out www.DontFrettheSweat.com.

Wordful Wednesday: Just Me and My Beautiful Girls

Just the other day, my friend and MyBrownBaby contributing writer Bassey Ikpi wrote a beautiful piece on her Bassey's World site, about her memories of September 11th, and how the tragedy of the day made her remember—made a lot of us remember—"to focus on the second chance given to maximize love and live it." Every last one of her words was poetic and authentic—all-at-once powerful and sweet and haunting. But it was the last paragraph that made me want to pull my babies close:

I love you. I don’t want tragedy to remind us of what was. I want tragedy to remind us that what could be already exists. LOVE like you mean it. Like you made it. Like you own it. When I love you, it’s forever. I refuse to allow the trivialities and pettiness of urban living to blind me from what is. If I’ve wronged you, I’m sorry. If I’ve neglected you, please, welcome me back. If it seems like I’ve turned my back, forgive me, I’m holding out my arms now. If I love you, believe it. If you need me, I’m here. I love you all. Be safe. Stay safe. Be strong. Stay strong. Hug someone. Kiss yourself.

Love someone

mean it. 

And so, in honor of staying true to what Bassey implored each of us to do, I hugged my babies, kissed their face, and told them that I loved them since forever. And that I mean it. And today, I just felt like showing you all what that love looks like—me and my beautiful girls.

Now do like Bassey says. Love someone. And mean it.

Word(ful) Wednesday: Art and Imagination

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” —Albert Einstein

Okay, so I'm no Einstein, by any stretch. But these words inspired me to make the rounds of the artwork hanging throughout our house and think about the talent and, specifically, the imagination of each of the artists. And then I came across these two pieces, created by my girls at an art class a friend of mine had at her place. The kids were studying the renowned Harlem Renaissance artist William H. Johnson, whose folksy art always featured beautiful images of African Americans—their arms stretched wide, their legs leaping. Exploring. Praising. Happy. Their instructor, Jackie Ellett, whom I written about before HERE on MyBrownBaby, asked her charges to paint an expressive picture of a child with arms stretched wide; Mari's is up top, in the orange, and Lila's is the yellow.

They make the walls around here sing.

And inspire us to use our imaginations to make up fantastic tales about why the girls in the pictures are happy.

Which always makes us leap for joy.

My hope is that they'll make you smile, too.

Enjoy!


(Note: Lila wanted me to stress that when she painted that picture, she was four. And she's a MUCH better painter now that she's seven. Also, Mari wanted me to note that the black spots on her character's jeans are pockets. Not armpits. Just in case there was any confusion and stuff.]

Thank sweet baby Jesus—the kids are back in school.

Please understand, I love my babies with abandon.

But don't let those cute, chocolately faces fool you. Two whole, looooooooooong weeks of them running amok around this house? Drinking up all the punch, leaving potato chip crumbs all over my good couch and sticky toxic waste-like juice spills on the floors and counters, watching endless SpongeBob, iCarly, and Phineas and Ferb reruns, slamming doors, screaming like lunatics, tattling like little rats, engaging in straight up Ali/Frazier hand-to-hand combat, and interrupting my business calls, talking about, “I’m bored”?

Oh yeah, it was time for them… to… go.

I mean, we had our bright moments, Mari and Lila and I: Those Christmas presents—particularly the Tasty Science, Chemistry Lab, Fashion Studio, and countless Wii games—helped break up the monotony. For like, five minutes a piece and whatnot. And importing their little friends over to the house kinda took the drama down a notch or two, except that five little giggly girls decked out in “party” dresses for fancy guest room soirees replete with a feast of Tostitos, Cheez-its, and Chewy Sweet Tarts, can trash a room better than Axl Rose on a post-concert adult elixir high.

Mostly, Mari and Lila wanted to hang up under us. Which is really sweet and great and all for, like, the first day. But fifteen? Fifteen?!

Uh, uh—no ma’am. Jesus be the homeroom bell on the first day of school after a long break.

They gone.

Let the church say, Aaaaaaaaaaa-men!

Celebrating The Princess and the Frog: Princess Tiana Takes Center Stage at Our Weekend Slumber Party

It was all about Princess Tiana at our house this weekend past.

I’m talking bejeweled tiaras.

Sparkly, feathery masks.

Lots of great, New Orleans-style music.

Green and lavender balloons, napkins, and goodie bags filled to the brim with all manner of princess stuff.

Even “frog” cupcakes.

Oh yeah, Disney’s The Princess and the Frog was in FULL effect—please believe it! Mari and Lila hosted eight of their best girlfriends at a super raucous, super cutie sleepover to celebrate the opening weekend of the animated film featuring Disney’s first African-American princess, and I have to tell you, we were all downright giddy to fete Princess Tiana as we anxiously await her debut on the big screen on Friday. Here, a blow-by-blow of our Princess Tiana Rocks Party…

Of course, the key to a great party is a great theme, and Mari and Lila put in overtime to make sure their party celebrated Princess Tiana in every way. While we pumped up the volume our digital download of The Princess and the Frog soundtrack—Princess Tiana’s “Almost There,” performed by actress Anika Noni Rose, gets them moving every time—Mari whipped up some vanilla cupcakes while Lila assembled the eyes for the “Frogs in the Water” cupcake recipe we cribbed from "The Princess and the Frog: Tiana's Cookbook." Then we poured some Sun Chips and Tostitos in our fancy bowls, set out some gummy worms and gum drops, and decorated and filled up the goodie bags with loads of neat stuff—The Princess and the Frog buttons, mini posters, and word searches, plus Mardi Gras bead necklaces (in homage to New Orleans, Princess Tiana’s hometown), recipe cards for the cupcakes, songbook lyrics for the soundtrack, and candy (of course). In short, Mari and Lila laid it out!

The feathers were flying when Mari and Lila kicked off the festivities with a Mardi Gras mask-making crafts session—in honor of the fancy masks Princess Tiana and her friends sport in the movie. The girls had quite a time bedazzling their already colorful masks with lots of little sparkly things, and seeing whose was fanciest. Then Nick set off the action when he sent the girls on a wild Tiara Scavenger Hunt; lots of little giggly girls, split into groups of two, were running all through the house in a mad dash for clues that lead them to pretty purple and hot pink tiaras stashed in practically every nook and cranny from the bedrooms to the basement. Of course, there was a tiara for every princess!

Of course, all that tiara hunting worked up a serious thirst! Good thing we had Tiana’s Swamp Water Smoothies—blended frozen mangoes, strawberries, blueberries and bananas, yogurt and OJ—on hand for the parched princesses. And of course, even drinks with the word “swamp” in the title taste delicious served up in fancy glasses fit for a princess. While they sipped, the girls politely took turns playing The Princess and the Frog Wii game (the animation is amazing and the games definitely kept them interested and giggling, especially the one where they had to run from the kissing frog!) and bonding with the balloons (they never tire of balloons, do they?). Soon enough, they sat down to a feast fit for princesses: Spaghetti with roasted tomato and basil sauce and home made meatballs, mixed salad, and garlic bread. They topped off dinner with some sweet frogs—frog cupcakes, that is!

There’s no party like a Princess Tiana party because a Princess Tiana party won’t stop! That’s right—a core group of the girls jumped into their jammies and kept the party going into the wee hours of the morning. They made crystal ornaments (boiling water, Borax, and pipe cleaners make for some pretty neat Christmas tree decorations). They played tag. They played video games. They tickled and smothered each other in the playroom. They told each other crazy stories and watched The Disney Channel and enjoyed each other tremendously. And then (finally!) they drifted off to sleep some time around 2 a.m., only to get back up at around 8 a.m. for more!

The next morning, while they waited for their pancake, bacon, and strawberry breakfast, the super crafty and fashionable Princess Simone encouraged the girls to use leftover tissue paper to make themselves a bouquet of colorful tissue paper flowers. The masks and tiaras made another appearance too, because, well, what princess rises in the morning without the tiara? It was, for sure, a great way to end a fantastic princess slumber party!

Each and every one of the girls left Mari and Lila’s Princess Tiana Rocks Party totally in love with Princess Tiana. I don’t know if they realize the significance of her debut—how her march onto the screen this Friday marks a significant place in history when little girls—little brown girls, in particular—will, for the first time, sit in movie theaters across this nation and celebrate the intelligence and strength of a beautiful princess—a beautiful princess who looks just like them.

Finally.

To ensure my Mari and Lila get a front row seat to this piece of history, I’m buying our tickets today on FANDANGO.COM. I encourage each of you to do the same, as we need to make a STRONG showing at the theaters this weekend to show our support for the first animated movie made specifically with little brown girls in mind.

We HEART Princess Tiana!

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