Meet Milo!

As I've mentioned here before, my Hubby is a very funny, silly, punny, creative, intelligent guy. As a benefit of this, I've gotten some pretty creative gifts over the years.

After we saw the movie Simon Birch years ago, he gave me two homemade turtle doves for Christmas (literally two ceramic turtles with white Fimo wings baked on).

A few years ago he made me a wooden box puzzle for which I had to solve the riddles to find the clues to open the box (a la The Da Vinci Code) and get the present inside.

And he's made me countless homemade cards, artwork, collages and trinkets.

But perhaps one that touched me the most (okay, maybe not the most. I mean, every gift he's given and/or made has touched me deeply because of the sentimental value and love behind it) was this silly seal:



Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Milo, My Ninja Seal.

(Come on. Say his name out loud now. Milo, My Ninja Seal. Perhaps it sounds familiar to some of you????)

You see, as we all know and love, I have spina bifida. But the more technical name for the condition is myelomeningocele.

What?, my to-be Hubby asked when I first ever said the word to him.

mye-lo-men-ingo-cele. Another name for spina bifida.

And that was that.

Months later, it's Christmas night and he and I are opening our gifts from each other. One of mine being Milo.

I didn't get it. Why was he giving me this silly seal dressed up like Zorro?

But then he explained who exactly I was looking at - Milo, My Ninja Seal, and I just melted. How cool is that?!!!! I ran right out to show my parents my newfound friend and to quiz them on what his name was.

Okay, here's your clues. He's a seal. His name is Milo. He's mine. And he's dressed like a Ninja.

I don't think they guessed right away either, but were nonetheless equally impressed and excited when I told them the answer.

Cut to these so many years later. Hubby and I have always thought we should do something more with Milo, but what? And now, thanks to Hubby's creative graphic design skills, we have.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the new and improved Milo!



And, no, the fun doesn't stop with just this little cartoon rendition. Now you too can grab your own little piece of Milo over at my section of BlanchardCreative. Products and clothing of all kinds and sizes. Milo is ready and willing to come to your home, move right in, and warm your heart!

Milo is kid-friendly and a positive role model for all people living with spina bifida, stressing the importance of recognizing your disabilities while realizing your possibilities. You go, Milo!

So click over and take a look. If you find yourself saying, Gee, I sure would be interested if I could buy X with Milo's image on it., just let me know and I'll see if I can add that product to the line up. This is your store too - your wishes are my command.

Also, if enough orders are placed that would make a decent contribution, I'll happily donate 10% of the proceeds to The Spina Bifida Association of America. Little by little, we can make a difference - in attitudes, in empowerment, and in affecting a change for the better!