Sometimes you have to go into the other room to laugh

Responsible parents know that it’s completely inappropriate to laugh at your kids when they say things that are disrespectful. Unfortunately, sometimes they say things that are so funny, you have to hide your head in a pillow to try to desperately hold onto the title of “responsible parent.”
Phillip (age 3) is going through a [...]

Super Powers

We were riding in the car today, when Phillip said, to no one in particular, “I really need some super powers.”
I bit back a smile and said, “Really, Phillip? Why?”
He looked at me as if the answer were obvious and said, “I can’t fly.”

Cootie shots

“Circle, circle, dot, dot. Now you have a cootie shot,” said Elizabeth, teaching her little brother how to give them.
“Mom, does a real cootie shot hurt?” she asked me.
“There’s no such thing as a real cootie shot,” I told her. “They’re just pretend.”
“I thought you had to get one when you get married,” [...]

Overheard

Overheard conversation between Caleb and Elizabeth:
“Hey, Dude.”
“I’m not a dude.  If I’m a dude, where’s my mustache?”
“Not all dudes have mustaches.”
“Okay, but all dudes have hair.”
“Some dudes don’t have very much hair.”
“Okay, all dudes have hair somewhere.“

Toddler translations

Do other toddlers have their own language? Some combination of English and whatever makes sense to them (and no one else)?
Each of my three children has developed some form of this, but none as complicated as Phillip. He’s developed his own code of speech that I like to call “Phillipese” (not to be [...]

Because it wasn’t mortifying enough to be overheard in the store, I put it on my blog…

I took Phillip with me to the store today to buy a few “necessities.”  Unfortunately, it was lunch-time and the store was very crowded.
When I stopped to pick up a much-needed feminine product, he stomped his foot.  “No, Mama, I want to buy Diego pull-ups!”
“These are not for you, Phillip.  They’re for me.”
“Mama, you wear [...]

Kissing

We took all three of the kids to see “High School Musical 3″ in the movie theatre tonight.  We watched the first two movies on the Disney Channel, free of charge.  They sucked us in with the first two so they could charge us $40 to see the third installment.
Phillip had a hard time staying [...]

He says whatever is on his mind

I haven’t posted about “funny things that Phillip says” in a while, so all of his funny comments are piling up, just waiting to get out.
He has been observing our school situation (Caleb is homeschooled, and Ellie goes to public school) without much comment, so I wasn’t really sure how he was processing it until [...]

I hope it’s just a healthy interest in material texture

Tuesday, we went to a sporting goods store to pick up a swimsuit for Caleb. He had a swim meet Tuesday night, and he had to have a Speedo. I’m not saying we’re thrilled that he has to wear a Speedo for swim meets, but at least they come in a long shorts [...]

Red tape

I’ve been told that some people are intimated by me as a mom because I have three kids and I homeschool. Other people have been out in public with me and my kids and feel sorry for me (or the kids, I’m not sure). Neither of those people were with me and my [...]