Well this is a bit awkward...

What in the heck is a doddamn blue frog?

I think that's a reference to your avatar....

Oh! I've never thought of my avatar as a big blue frog but I do like that interpretation!

Remember this song?

I'm in love with a big blue frog
And the big blue frog loves me
It's not as bad as it appears
'Cause he's got rhythm and a PhD

My brother just returned from a week or so in Australia and he loved, loved, loved it there. He sent Mo a present from there and I'm dying to find out what it is. (Mo is hoping it's a kangaroo.)

I could live in Austrailia. Yes, I could!

my big vote for that would be no.

I think I am still the only person who voted to leave the cards out entirely.
If you will be delivering these cookie bags by hand, then I would say forget the cards this year.
You will be there and so will Mo. So no need for signatures.
Next year, if things are not given in person, then add the cards and an easy way around that would be to pass the cards around and everyone signs what they want to .

Little mos handwritting, then yours, then Mr B's.
No real order.. just little personal hellos written in side the card.

possibly.. ?

I was wondering if you'd done it yet.

I'd opt with Shewolf. Have Mo sign it how he wants and then put your name and Mr. B's name under it somewhere.

Short, simple and to the point. Be the bigger person here and be the nice boomer we all know and love. (You can mentally scream "screw you!" to them as you deliver the cookies.) As my mom used to say "Kill 'em with kindness" People like that don't know what to do when you are nice to them and you will feel better having done it than not. At least, I think so.

LOL! I always thought of Boomers avatar as a "friend of Puff n Stuff. Remember that show?

Hmm. The theme song fits nicely, too.

H.R. Pufnstuff,
Who's your friend when things get rough?
H.R. Pufnstuff
Can't do a little cause he can't do enough.

Once upon a summertime
Just a dream from yesterday
A boy and his magic golden flute
Heard a boat from off the bay
"Come and play with me, Jimmy
Come and play with me.
And I will take you on a trip
Far across the sea."

But the boat belonged to a kooky old witch
Who had in mind the flute to snitch
From her broom broom in the sky
She watched her plans materialize
She waved her wand
The beautiful boat was gone
The skies grew dark
The sea grew rough
And the boat sailed on and on and on and on and on and on.

But Pufnstuff was watching too
And knew exactly what to do
He saw the witch's boat attack
And as the boy was fighting back
He called his rescue racer crew (enter Boomer and Mr. B)
As often they'd rehearsed
And off to save the boy they flew
But who would get there first?

But now the boy had washed ashore
Puf arrived to save the day
Which made the witch so mad and sore
She shook her first and screamed away.

H.R. Pufnstuff,
Who's your friend when things get rough?
H.R. Pufnstuff
Can't do a little cause he can't do enough.

H.R. Pufnstuff,
Who's your friend when things get rough?
H.R. Pufnstuff
Can't do a little cause he can't do enough.

Oh I like that interpretation too!

I'm really trending to the no card option. The bubbles have a card drawn by Mo so maybe that's enough.

I think I'm guilty of my typical overthinking.

Mo got a card in the mail from his great-grandparents that was addressed just to him.

On one hand that is kind of cool but on the other hand it was a bit cold towards me and Mr. B. A little dismissive, I guess.

I suppose there is a part of me that wants to sort of force their acknowledgement that Mo is much more a part of this family than that family; that we aren't the babysitters.

And I know that is really silly but that doesn't stop me from harboring this grain of resentment.

Sometimes I don't want to be a grown up but yeah, I can be the "bigger man".

then sign their cards...



then


fart on them..

Yeah! Then only you will know of it and you can smile inside when their hands touch your fart.

If there's even the remotest chance that you'll feel like a hypocrite signing your own name, I'd opt for "love, Mo."

or-

I have gotten cards from my own family that just says

Merry christmas. or Best wishes and happy holidays..

no signatures. ?
that is always an option as well.

i join the 'Love, Mo' and a side scribble from you and Mr. B club

It's done!

Hurrah!

Let the celebrations begin!

I went with the cards that Mo had drawn and left it at that.

I figured that was the happiest medium between "screw 'em" and all of us.

It is really weird doing the "rounds".

Mo's dad's parents treat me like family - Mo's family. They always welcome me in.

The rift of their drug use is over and they are leading responsible and productive lives.

Mo's mom's family is..... different. I don't know how to even describe it. Maybe I'm a reminder of .... junk.

Anyway....

They were asking Mo what he had asked Santa for for Christmas and he told them a piano. (I'm still wiggling out of that.) So the topic came up that we had been considering piano lessons and maybe next year and blah blah blah

Then I noticed that g-grandma clamed up, left the room and started checking her phone messages.

Uhh.

WTF?

I guess I'm not supposed to plan for Mo's future or something.

I dunno.

Happy, happy, happy to be home and have it done with!!

I think you made the right decision.

>applause<

you seem to handle things so well Boom.
No need to second guess

Merry Christmas by the way!!!

Yea!!!

As for the Grandma behavior... Likely doesn't take kindly to you doing things that may indicate you're the better choice, what with the court thing coming up and all.

May have actually not wanted to hear that you ARE the better choice and have to deal with that herself emotionally, as well as with family. Better to stay in the dark than have to admit...

Denial is a beautiful drug

That sounds really good overall, boomer!

Weird about g-grandma.

As for piano, we went to the Discovery store at the mall (as in Discovery Channel), and they had all kinds of stuff that sozlet coveted including a keyboard thing that was pretty sophisticated but not that expensive. I'll see what I can find online, just a sec...

Hmm, this isn't it exactly, but similar:

http://shopping.discovery.com/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?endecaSID=108544BA6653&langId=-1&storeId=10000&productId=59126&catalogId=10000

There's a store in Portland!

Portland
Pioneer Place
700 SW 5th Avenue, #2115
Portland, OR 97204
503-222-0015

Anyone who buys your child a keyboard, no matter what their relationship to you or the child, or their professed feelings, anyone who buys one, really, deep-down underneath it all, hates you.