Random humor
One of the best things about being a parent is that you have a nigh constant source of amusement on hand - which makes up quite well for some of the jaw-clenching stress. Most of the time.
Like any family, we've a few stock phrases that we repeat in given situations. The title of this journal being one. Sometimes these comes from jokes (again, like the title), others from movie quotes...but the very best ones come from direct from the fabulously fertile imaginations of the kids themselves.
Occasionally we can't even recall the genesis of some of them - hence at least one raison d'être of said journal. It looks as if a new one was created recently, but before I get to recording it here, I'm going to try to wrack my brain for a few others so they don't slip away with the rest of my aging grey cells:
"I feel like I'm evaporating!" - J, five years of age, as the elevator began to go up.
And that concludes our wracking for tonight. I guess I need to poll the rest of the family - the only other ones I can recall are, um, probably only amusing to a 10 year old and not over-dinner-conversation worthy. What, they're kids, what do you want? There IS one about chicken and McDonald's hashbrowns, but it would take too long and you'd get bored. We'll save it for another post, along with "sometimes I wear Mommy's shoes". Hey, you do what you can to get repeat lurkers.
So, the new one: the Saturday before Mike's recent birthday I took the kidlets shopping. for breakfast-in-bed supplies and presents. In the car on the way to the stores, SecondBorn pipes up enthusiastically from the furthest back seat "who wants to play coffeepot?!"
Dead silence.
(What can I say, it was early, it's not everyone's favorite game)
After about 10 seconds of complete familial non-responsiveness, Eldest quietly says...."cricket, cricket".
Did you get it? It's dang subtle. Even took me a second of looking at him quizzically before the lightbulb dawned. Think non-plussed characters in a Bugs Bunny cartoon and a foley artist. That's the best hint I can give you.
Or maybe this one will work better: Mike's company has been going through some 'restructuring' since being bought out by another company. The grand high muckety-muck from Norway (or Sweden?) flew all the way here to can Mike's boss. He then called the few remaining engineers in to a meeting to explain what and why and what next. And then asked "Any questions?".
Again with the awkward silence. And the avoiding gazes.
Mike came home Friday and told me it was all he could do not to mutter "cricket, cricket" into the void. But it helped him keep his humor.
Yeah, that's a keeper.
(Gentlemen readers, you're welcome to remember it for the next time your wife or girlfriend asks 'does this make my butt look big'.)
ps. Oh, and when I relayed this story to Eldest yesterday (knowing full well he'd get a huge kick out of having started a new family 'saying'), I told him his dad had had a really hard time not piping up with it. To which J replied off-hand (obviously without thinking first) "huh, he's smarter than he looks".
Um, I suppose I better not turn that one into a family pet phrase, huh? Heck, yeah, I laughed. I have no earthly idea where the boy gets such smartaleckiness from. No, really.
Like any family, we've a few stock phrases that we repeat in given situations. The title of this journal being one. Sometimes these comes from jokes (again, like the title), others from movie quotes...but the very best ones come from direct from the fabulously fertile imaginations of the kids themselves.
Occasionally we can't even recall the genesis of some of them - hence at least one raison d'être of said journal. It looks as if a new one was created recently, but before I get to recording it here, I'm going to try to wrack my brain for a few others so they don't slip away with the rest of my aging grey cells:
"I feel like I'm evaporating!" - J, five years of age, as the elevator began to go up.
And that concludes our wracking for tonight. I guess I need to poll the rest of the family - the only other ones I can recall are, um, probably only amusing to a 10 year old and not over-dinner-conversation worthy. What, they're kids, what do you want? There IS one about chicken and McDonald's hashbrowns, but it would take too long and you'd get bored. We'll save it for another post, along with "sometimes I wear Mommy's shoes". Hey, you do what you can to get repeat lurkers.
So, the new one: the Saturday before Mike's recent birthday I took the kidlets shopping. for breakfast-in-bed supplies and presents. In the car on the way to the stores, SecondBorn pipes up enthusiastically from the furthest back seat "who wants to play coffeepot?!"
Dead silence.
(What can I say, it was early, it's not everyone's favorite game)
After about 10 seconds of complete familial non-responsiveness, Eldest quietly says...."cricket, cricket".
Did you get it? It's dang subtle. Even took me a second of looking at him quizzically before the lightbulb dawned. Think non-plussed characters in a Bugs Bunny cartoon and a foley artist. That's the best hint I can give you.
Or maybe this one will work better: Mike's company has been going through some 'restructuring' since being bought out by another company. The grand high muckety-muck from Norway (or Sweden?) flew all the way here to can Mike's boss. He then called the few remaining engineers in to a meeting to explain what and why and what next. And then asked "Any questions?".
Again with the awkward silence. And the avoiding gazes.
Mike came home Friday and told me it was all he could do not to mutter "cricket, cricket" into the void. But it helped him keep his humor.
Yeah, that's a keeper.
(Gentlemen readers, you're welcome to remember it for the next time your wife or girlfriend asks 'does this make my butt look big'.)
ps. Oh, and when I relayed this story to Eldest yesterday (knowing full well he'd get a huge kick out of having started a new family 'saying'), I told him his dad had had a really hard time not piping up with it. To which J replied off-hand (obviously without thinking first) "huh, he's smarter than he looks".
Um, I suppose I better not turn that one into a family pet phrase, huh? Heck, yeah, I laughed. I have no earthly idea where the boy gets such smartaleckiness from. No, really.