Hey I have a new follower!

I don't often mention this because there are really so few of you, and I generally gain and lose a couple over the course of a year, but I do notice, and I do go to your blogs (If I am not already following you). I generally believe you all follow me because I either know you IRL, or am following your blog. When a new follower pops up (and I notice), I visit the person's blog(s). So my new follower posted this image on a blog, and I loved it because this is a pet peeve of mine:

This is such a pet peeve that every time one of The Boys or their friends or classmates uses this term, I ask for clarification.

Example:
The Oldest: Mom, there was like this great thing at school today!
J9: So, it wasn't actually a great thing, it was only something that was similar to a great thing? Or was it not really great and just a good thing?

This drives each one of them crazy, and causes them to not say "like" inappropriately.

Swear Words

So last week, The Youngest was cuddling on my lap during mommy TV time. They usually go and play or read after dinner, and I watch The Daily Show or The Colbert Report. I usually wait until after they go to bed, but I hadn't watched any all week and was behind on my DVR. And they had been fighting all day. So I banished them and sat down for Jon Stewart. I really do not remember what he was talking about, but there was quite a bit of swearing, which was bleeped out. The Youngest turns his innocent looking face to me and says, "Mommy, he said 'fuck'". Just like that. I had to not laugh, and explain that we don't use that word. "But Mom, we know the word fuck." I insisted that it was not a nice word, which is why they bleep it from TV, and I don't like hearing that word, and he needed to stop saying it. "But Mom, (name of boys' BFF) said 'What the fuck' when we were having a play date." I told him I didn't care WHAT word other people used, he and his brother are not to use that word. "Mom, I heard The Oldest whisper 'what the fuck' too." I told him that sometimes people slip up and in anger or frustration use words they should not use, this includes mommy and daddy, and he still should not be using that word. I also asked him if he understood that he was not to use that word. He said, "OK Mom", but I wasn't convinced.

Kids say the darndest things

The title taken from the Art Linkletter feature. Also featured today in Coachblogger's blog.

This got me thinking about all the funny and weird things my kids come up with. The best still has to be my oldest, then 4 years old, singing at preschool, "Tequila Makes My Clothes Fall Off" for his entire class, having to face the really cool Director, and knowing he learned it at a camp out the weekend before. That was followed by the discussion of where it would or would not be appropriate to sing such a song. The list of approved locations included at home, and at camp outs with the same group you learned it from. The list of unapproved locations: School, Grandma's House, and if they ever dared to take you, Grandma's Church.

We've had the occasional "dammit" slip out from the boys, and now the oldest is saying "BLEEP" instead, which is only slightly less annoying. They've gone through "Dog Dammit", "Frickin'", and "Flippin'". We've also now come to the "OMG" phase, not the phrase, the letters. I think that's a bit weird since I don't care if they actually use the phrase. The youngest went through a "What the Hell" phase when he was 3, a "Holy Crap" phase at 4 and now is found of saying everything "Sucks". I don't care for that word, so now he is saying everything is "Dull", which I find quite funny.

At one point in time, I had to go to Boswell's (a party supply store with very little parking). As we were pulling into the lot, there were 2 cars leaving next to each other and right up front and a car coming the other direction with his blinker on to take one spot. I let him go first because he was there first. He took the spot next to the curb, but parked over the line into my spot. I called him a jerk, and not even that loudly. Then the boys asked why I called him that, and what it meant which I explained. When I finally shoe horned my way in, he couldn't get his kid out of his car on my side. And we couldn't get out at all. He motioned for me to roll down my window, and I cracked it a bit. He said he would move over and give me more room, and I thanked him. As he was moving his car, I remarked on how nice he was and how he wasn't really a jerk after all. We all got out of our cars, and my youngest turns to him and says, "You know, my mom says you're a jerk." I apologized to the man, and admonished Billy for ratting me out.

Yeah, funny how they take after their parents...

Adding to the common lexicon

I've been working on adding a couple of phrases to the common lexicon. They used to be very popular, back when my grandparents were children, but I've noticed that they've fallen out of favor in my neck of the woods.
Wash and Set
This was something your grandmother had done at a beauty parlor, some ladies had it done daily - those were people living high on the hog indeed! It involved having your hair washed and then put up in rollers, or curlers, and sitting under a dryer while gossiping with the other hens.

Fergie wears it rather well. At least I think it's Fergie - I can't really tell with the rollers and dark glasses...

Bread and Butter
What you say when you are walking along, holding hands, and have to split apart to go around a tree, pole, etc. You can see it at 5:42 in the following:

I found a bunch of merrie melodies on you tube, and had actually FORGOTTEN about them. I'm off to watch more. I may have the energy to tell you of the five hour zoo trip later. After a drink or ten. Definitely after my headache goes away and my nose thaws out.