Too Funny!

Our black lab mix loves the snow in just this sort of way, though I've never seen her in snow that goes over her head...



hat-tip Ten Kids and a Dog

Fun 'n' Games meets Reality?

Why is it that it's always the playing cards and money from the game of Life that are most often scattered around the floor of the game closet (and often other places as well)?

Funniest Moment of My Day...

It's homecoming week at a local high school, which includes spirit-oriented dress-up theme days throughout the week.

Which is why Bernie and I were amused to discover a young superhero in beautiful metallic red and blue attire (complete with shiny boots and cape) apparently waiting for an appointment at the doctor's office.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way Out of Trader Joe's

After many years of getting mostly odd comments at grocery stores about our noticeably large bunch of kids, I tend to savor the funny or overtly positive comments related to shopping trips with the gang in tow. Here are a few that happened recently...

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We went to Trader Joe's last week on our way home from a visit to the Milwaukee Public Museum. The children were very delighted to get Trader Joe's balloons (thanks to Terri, who very politely asked about the bunch floating from one of the registers). The balloon strings were pre-tied to tighten around the children's wrists, so we didn't have much trouble affixing them as needed before we walked into the great outdoors with its always-present threat of swallowing up helium balloons for ever.

Except that Terri accidentally dropped hers while we were still in the store. The balloon came to "rest" on the ceiling with the end of the string dangling a few feet above my head. Naturally, I tried to reach it. I jumped up and only just brushed it with my fingers the first time. The second time, I was able to grab it and we went on our merry way - until I brought back the shopping cart to the store entrance. Another mom walking out of the store called out to me - "Great catch!" I smiled and thanked her, slightly embarrassed (and only just considering that I might have had an audience). But she wasn't done yet, "We were all amazed that you could reach it! Someone else said it was just like the Tyson commercial - and you were tall enough too!!!" Well, it is kind of fun for this slightly dumpy mother of six to be the "cool" mom for a few moments. :) (But I still haven't seen the Tyson commercial in question.)

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A few weeks ago I was making my way through the check-out line at Target with my five younger kids in tow. Several of them had asked to wait on the bench just past the register and I gave them permission. As the lady in front of me picked up her bags and left, she looked over her shoulder. "Are they all yours?" she asked. When I answered in the affirmative, she said, "Wow, you're one brave lady," and walked away.

I turned to the cashier - a slight, older woman and said (with a somewhat puzzled expression on my face), "I guess I'll take that as a compliment." The lady looked up with me with sudden sincerity and seriousness and said, "Oh, you should! Your children are extremely well behaved!"

I just love this early Pixar short

My friend Katrina just sent this to me.

Why?

These are some silly-sounding foods I've seen (but not tasted) in recent days...

Organic American Cheese

Non-fat Half-and-half.

I think there were others along these lines too, but I can't remember them now.

And so, my question is...

why???

A Funny Little Kid Lesson

Today Kate and Frank were playing with our "Cascade Tower" purchased from Hearth Song many Christmasses ago.

It's missing the last rung and the cars aren't currently anywhere to be found, but Kate discovered that dice slide their way through the rungs in a very satisfying way. Soon, she and Frank were squabbling over a large pile of dice and who had how many and who took whose dice out of a container. Argh. In a burst of frustration, I had them each pick out one die and promptly confiscated the rest.

For the next five or ten minutes straight, the world was suddenly in the right place - Kate and Frank happily took turns and squealed and giggled with delight through the entire process - without even missing the extra dice at all (and as if they had been happy with each other all along).

Ah, simplicity, a lesson I need to remember more often. ;)

And speaking of Frank, today, Ria posted a funny story about him here and Gus posted a funny story about him here.

With Apologies to Dr. Seuss...

Some of my young friends who are attending the Latin convention with me have informed me that they were shocked by a previous post in which I belittled the existence of a Dr. Seuss book called Hop on Pop. Well, after much serious discussion, it was determined that it was actually The Foot Book that I was thinking of.

One Train of Thought... Lost

I was rather amused to find this list (written in my handwriting) tucked into a book. I'm really not quite sure what it means:

History
TAC Writing Manual
Quote from Fr. Rutler
Diagramming
Respect and Reverence
Freedom and Respect for the Child
Brave New World Revisited - Nature Making Everyone Different

???

The Crazy Things Moms Say...

These both really happened this week...

"Quick guys, clean your eyebrows, the ____ family is coming to visit."

(The middles had been having WAY too much fun with some face paint and were under the impression that they had already washed it all off).

"Oh sure, you can borrow the eyeballs for your literature skit - but I just have to try to find the other one - it's been missing for awhile."

(The eyeballs are from a funny little Shakespeare - King Lear kit that one of my co-op students gave me for Christmas one year - as a matter of fact it was that very same student asking to borrow them for her skit - though they were doing Oedipus - and alas, I was unable to find the other eyeball).

40 Reasons to Have Kids

Giggles
Originally uploaded by Chez VH

I started this awhile back, got distracted with reading through our funny kiddie quotes collection on Studeo and just decided to get back to it...

You've probably seen Karen's and Ana's lists of "40 Reasons to Have Kids" (I think someone since turned it into a meme). I couldn't resist getting in on the fun (and you know how much I love lists!) with my own angle. These are real moments or memories that in some way symbolize for me the joy of being a mom - I know that a part of this for me is the freedom that kids offer in the way of making me comfortable being myself (what kid ever cares if your hair or makeup is done or your socks match?) and provide the freedom of being child-like. I guess I should go beyond that and say that they help remind me of how to look at the world in a fresh, non-jaded way. Which is a good thing!

1. Younger siblings learning from older siblings.

2. The laugh-out-loud comedic aspects of life with kids that you could never have come up with on your own.

3. Their beautiful, and sometimes hilarious, love for and encouragement of each other.

4. Listening to them confuse the English language in exquisitely delightful ways.

5. Once in awhile their confusion rubs off on their parents.

6. Christmas

7. Easter

8. First Communions

9. Baptisms

10. Toddlers trying to talk with their mouth full (especially while nursing!).

11. Theological (and practical) tidbits the little ones share with you during Mass.

12. Parades any time at all.

13. Reading aloud favorite books to them.

14. Having them start to read books aloud to their siblings and listening to them stop and giggle at the funny parts.

15. The enthusiasm and sense of wonder that kids bring to the world.

16. Having them read (and fall in love with) your favorite books.

17. Halloween costumes (though perhaps not the candy-monster after effects).

18. Costumes any time at all.

19. Silly family traditions - like the little song we sing when we cross a state line and holding our hands up when we drive through a tunnel.

20. Skipping through parking lots.

21. Singing in the car.

22. The famous Van Hecke bird show dash at the Wild Animal Park. (LOL)

23. Learning together, even when we sometimes present a bit of a distraction.

24. The joy of solving problems together, despite grief along the way.

25. Cooking with kids (or even letting kids cook).

26. The beginnings of philosophical discussions.

27. Giggles.

28. May crownings

29. The thrill of seeing them overcome tough obstacles.

30. Kids and animals are always an entertaining mix and sometimes very touching too.

31. The wonderful smell of chrism that lingers in a baby's hair for many days after they are baptized.

32. Toothless grins.

33. Sharing sweets with your kids - it divides the calories and is a LOT more fun than eating sweets alone.

34. Newborn sweetness.

35. Sharing the joy of exciting accomplishments.

36. An incredible amount of comfort in times of sorrow.

37. Watching your kids fall in love with a brand new sibling.

38. Playing Mother Duck (I just noticed that I first reconnected with Nutmeg in the comments of this old post!)

39. The crazy things they do that make you suppress laughter even while remaining, ahem, stern on the outside.

40. Road trips to see family and friends - especially COUSINS!

Ah... I think Karen has the definitive list of other lists.

You Call That a Messy Desk?

As much as I love Danielle Bean, I have to disagree with her on a rather significant point.


She calls this (scroll down to see the picture) a messy desk. Ahem.


I'm sorry, but that is not a messy desk.












This....















is a messy desk. :)

Ah, and here's another wonderful example. And this family is always making amazing, creative things - my kids absolutely love their blog.

A Tale of Two Christophers

I ordered Christopher Derrick's Escape from Scepticism (a book I've long-neglected despite its connection with TAC - though I have read a great deal of Words and the Word and really liked it!) a week or so ago and received it in the mail yesterday. When the kids brought me the mail with an intriguing padded envelope, they wanted to know what was in it. I said, "The book by Christopher Dawson... no, that's not it. I can't remember the title."

When I opened the book itself... I found this first paragraph in Fr. Rutler's Foreward to the book and we were all highly amused...

An imp keeps making my pen want to write "Dawson" when I mean "Derrick". He must be wise as well as whimsical because both Christophers have written with profound sensibility and both have much to teach a generation which has not been taught the criteria for profundity.

Everyone Once in Awhile...

You should go back and read all the funny stories about what your kids have said and done that you managed to record on your blog.

Especially if you have way too much to do already. :)

Deconstructing Johann

This is an amazing (and funny) piece performed by the King' Singers.