The Things They Say

Some of the biggest smiles in my life are Littles. My own three youngest siblings, the students who march through my door each week, and the cute kiddos I see at church and babysit ~ these are the ones that keep life hopping and happy. Besides the fun of teaching and playing with them, their constant stream of silliness (intentional, and otherwise) keeps me chuckling, no matter what the day has held. If you don't personally know the truth of this, here are some conversations that have taken place around here, lately...

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Zach: "I was just breathing through my ear!"

*Various Siblings*: "That's impossible."

Zach: "No, really! Air was coming in and going out!"

Gracie: "You have an eardrum there, you can't breath through it!"
 

Methinks it's time for a discussion on air flow & anatomy.
 

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Meg: "If actions speak louder than words, then they also speak louder than words in 'Whack'! Shouldn't that be true??"
 

Thanks, Meg! Now I have a logical defense when I find myself tongue-tied & have to just point at someone.
 

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Me: (Placing supper on the table) "Ok you guys, time to eat!"

Little #1: "But...but...but...where's my fork?!?"

Me: "You don't have one yet. Run and get it!"

Little #2: "I have to go get my fork, too!"

Me: "Yep! Go for it!"

Little #3: (while sliding his fork back & forth across the table, yet in dead earnest) "I need a fork, too!"
 

Ahh, peer pressure, how young you start.
 

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You know that part in The Pacifier when Murney has to play Mother Superior for The Sound of Music skit? We were suffering through watching it w/the younger kids, when Zach suddenly blurted out, "Wow! I never knew Mother Superiors had such hairy legs!"
 

...which causes me to stop and consider: Do Mother Superiors shave their legs?

Oh the things I would never wonder if it wasn't for Zachary.
 

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Me: "Meg, put this away."

Meg: "Ewww!"

Me: "Big whoop. It's just clean underwear."

Zachary: "And if your a girl, you wear it every day!"
 

"If you're a girl"?? I don't even want to ask.
 

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Then there's the list of instructions I had to give Maddy, all in one afternoon of knitting.

Please tell me, are these instructions rocket science? 'Cause she seemed to think they were...

 

"Maddy, you may not put your knitting needle in your nose!"

"Maddy, don't scratch your face with your knitting needle!"

"Maddy, get your knitting needle out of the chip bag!"
 

Note to self: knitting needles are complicated tools of {apparently} ambiguous purpose. So much for the explained-by-the-name theory.
 

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What would we do without Littles?



Watch-It Wednesday: Red Blanket in the Great Room

"Sarah," the Twinkles begged last night, "Can we pleeeaase watch a movie?"

"No," was my heartless reply, "Absolutely not. We're not watching movies tonight."

"We'll pick a short one! Please? Please?"

"Nope. Why don't you guys make a movie...or at least, a play?"

"Can we do a story we already know?"

"For sure."

"Ok!!"

And so, with the help of Zachary, they put on a play for James and me 10 minutes later. Although they claimed it was the story of "Little Red Riding Hood", I'm not quite convinced because, well...maybe I'll just show you the story, and see if you recognize the plot. :)

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The Story of Little Red Riding Hood

(Mother): "Here Darling, take these cookies to your Grandmother so she will feel better."
(Little Red Riding Hood): "Yes Mother."
(Mother): "And do not stop to gather flowers in the woods!"
(Little Red Riding Hood): "Yes Mother."

(Narrator): "And then she met the big-bad-wolf"
{no picture, unfortunately, but he was shrouded in a gold-and-burgundy quilt}
(Wolf): "Hello, Little Girl. Why don't you pick some flowers for your Grandmother?
That way, she will like you better."

(Little Red Riding Hood): "Ok!"

(Narrator): "And then she came to her Grandmother's house."
{here there was some confusion about whether or not the one on the 'bed'
was the grandmother or the wolf. In the end, they determined she was the wolf}
(Little Red Riding Hood): "Grandmother, what great big eyes you have!"

(Big-Bad-Wolf): *Evil chuckle*

(Narrator - who also happened to be the hunter): "And then the hunter came in
and killed the big-bad-wolf and dragged her off!"
{here there was some confusion about whether or not they ever found the real grandmother
(they didn't)
and whether or not Little Red Riding Hood was ever punished for disobeying her mother
and picking flowers
(she wasn't)
In the end, they determined it would be best to take a final bow
(so they did)}

THE END!

Have a smiling Wednesday! Obey your mother, and don't believe any wolves who tell you that disobeying will make your grandma like you more! :)

Watch-It Wednesday: A Series of Uneventful Episodes

We've done it now. Made it public. What really goes on when parents double-date and leave 19 kids at home? Absolutely nothing worth mentioning, of course...just a bunch of uneventful episodes.

Wishing you an uneventful Wednesday!

Don't Laugh

I've always been told I have a terrible poker face. In fact, my face resembles more a large-print book, lying open for anyone to read, than the controlled, calculated expressions of...say, Lady Deadlock. Sometimes this is good, sometimes this is bad. But apparently, the Littles have banded together to give me some practice in keeping a straight face.

From prayers….

 (Madeline): Dear Lord, thank you for the food, and have a nice day. And please help the flowers to grow and us to grow and…AMEN!

To supper topics…

"In ten years,” Zachary gasped, “I'll be seventeen!"

"In ten years” James countered, “I'll twenty!"

"In a billion years," Meggy chimed in matter-of-factly, "I'll be a-billion-and-six!"


To clean-up conversations…

"Zeke, we need to get the table cleaned off! Is any of this stuff yours?" Zach screetched to a halt mid-gallop as he whizzed through the room, passing piles of school books on the kitchen table. Spinning around, he continued to shuffle from one foot to the other as he looked at me, and registered the question. "Uh...Sarah, can we... um... No! Actually, uh..."

He was still dancing.

"Can I go to the bathroom first? I really can't talk right now!!"

To school discussions…


Photo Credit :)



"Chickens," I began, as the Littles and I settled down for math class (Note: I really am not sure why or when I began calling Team K5 "chickens". It is not, in any way, related to their looks, supply of bravery, or the noise they make when they're happy. It's just...what I call them). "Chickens, why do we study math?"

Many were the reasons listed by my wee students, but by far the favorite was Madeline's matter-of-fact  reply:

"Well, it's just 'cause, in case we need to know math. Like, 'what's nine plus nine?' I know that. It's..." she paused for a minute, pursing her lips "... it's seventeen!"

My poker face has a long way to go. How's yours?