I told Emily to brainstorm some ideas for her writing project. She created a full-page mind map which looked completely normal until I noticed that the center circle contained “Um…”
Author: Shannon
Grandma’s still got it!
I just had a lovely chat with John’s grandma, who has been calling churches to pray for people in Hurricane Irene’s path. She signed off with, “You tell everyone that Grandma is still cooking, and I don’t mean food!”
Changing History
Grr– the cats have discovered the timeline on the laundry room wall. They have removed The Triple Alliance and The Cold War from our history record. Oh–and there goes Operation Iraqi Freedom. BAD CATS!! STOP THAT!!
Laughter keeps us young
“Here I am, pining for my lost youth…”
– Shannon, getting ready for the day, sighing at her reflection
“No worries, Honey! They’re downstairs eating breakfast.”
– John, being helpful and making his wife laugh
It makes you a silly-billy!
“Mama, what is ‘alidocious’?”
– Amanda, practicing at the piano
“What do you mean?”
– Mama, who has never heard of “alidocious”
“Well, in the song it says ‘super-cali-fra-gi-list-ic-MAKES-ME-alidocious’, and I just wondered what that makes me.”
– Amanda, succumbing to her penchant for reading the first part of a word and guessing at the rest when faced with “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”.
Directional challenge
“We should be putting something on your scar every time you turn around”
— Mama, dabbing ointment on Emily’s keloid scar to try to soften it
“Good grief! I need to walk in straight lines!”
— Emily, very amused at her own joke
Watch out for the watermelon!
“Look! A squirrel eating watermelon.”
– Daddy, glad that the rinds he left on the porch railing were being enjoyed
“EEEK! A squirrel-eating watermelon?! (Dramatically) Who knew a fruit could be so savage?”
– Emily, making her father very proud…
School daze
“I got no school this week.”
– Amanda
“Sounds like you *ought* to have school this week.”
– Daddy, commenting
“I *have* no school this week.”
– Amanda, correcting
“No… I *don’t* got no school this week!”
– Daddy, “correcting”
“I *ain’t* got no school this week!”
– Emily, continuing
“I done told you I ain’t got no school this week!”
– Mama, capitalizing
“Y’all…”
– Amanda, completing
Read-alouds, Daddy style
[John is reading Tales of Robin Hood to the girls]
“… He stepped up to address the crowd and silence fell. When they stood silence back up again, he said in a loud voice…”
[Oh, the fun he adds to make sure they’re paying attention!]
Let’s put them out of their misery!
“Mama, the brownies have sunk in the middle since you took them out of the oven! Poor little things. Maybe they’re tired. Maybe we should eat them?”
— Emily, who has had a one-track mind ever since the brownies went into the oven
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