Category Archives: Uncategorized

Frog caught your heart?

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My daughter, who grew up loving stuffed animal frogs, is now too old for them. {Brief moment of sad reflection.} And so it was time to rehome her amphibian friends.

This was the first to go:

“Rita” the Frog waiting for a ride in the laundry basket.

As I handed the giant frog to her new owner, who is, ironically, a teenage girl, I said, “She goes by Rita, but will respond to anything.”

The girl held the stuffed animal out in front of her and, with a gleam in her eye (the girl’s, not the frog’s), said, “You shall be called, ‘Rita’!”

Clearly, it seemed to me, this girl knew that the name fit.

I reported the happy news to my daughters: Not only had the frog gone to a new loving home, she would be able to retain her name! “Isn’t that wonderful?” I said.

I was met with blank stares. Didn’t my children personify animals the way I did?? Didn’t they care?!

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Altitude Adjustment

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Our family took a mini trip to a rented house in a quaint little mountain town known for its apple cider and apple pie. On the drive, as we got farther and farther from our city by the sea (and sea level), Husband warned the kids of several possibilities, due to the altitude:

Their ears might start to hurt, due to the altitude.

The air is thinner, so it might be harder to breathe, due to the altitude.

It’s much colder, due to the altitude.

These possible side effects were mentioned several times… due to the altitude.

At the house, one daughter said the water tasted different, “maybe due to the altitude.” (I suggested it was probably just the different fridge.)

As another daughter climbed into bed with socks on, I was shocked to see how filthy the bottom of her feet were.

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When spelling doesn’t cut it.

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When spelling doesn’t cut it.
Having the most challenging family member be preliterate is handy, since the rest of us know how to S-P-E-L-L.
Being able to communicate in a way that keeps our little Joe out of the loop is great when someone wants to sneak outside unencumbered by an enthusiastic tag-along.
The only problem is when that wannabe interloper is too smart for his own good. For instance, when Joe one day asked, “Can I go “o-u-t”?
This was our response, in cat form:

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No cold feet in this house.

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I’m going through my drafts folder, of which I have 22 potential posts. This was the oldest. The daughter I speak of is now 15! This was fun for me to read, as I didn’t remember any of it. So grateful for this blog to store these memories. I hope you enjoy this little tale.

My oldest daughter was two-years-old, I would regularly take a nap on the couch while she played quietly nearby. Yep, you read that correctly. I could nap without fear while my TWO-year-old played. She was certainly something special.

Usually I would sleep with a blanket on me. One day I laid down without first grabbing the blanket. My daughter noticed this and got my blanket for me, spreading it carefully across my body. Another time, the blanket had slipped off my feet, so she replaced it for me.

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Pic by tookapic of Pixabay.

Perhaps a year or two later, Read the rest of this entry

Dam it!

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Hubs and I were standing in the kitchen when youngest daughter said, “Damn.” Our eyes widened.

What in the world?

I turned and saw this:

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Stylish hair gel

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Isn’t my son so stylish with his new spikey hair gel look?

Cool kid.

Nope. It’s just Read the rest of this entry

Covid pets

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My children have become resourceful in their time of need. And boredom.

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Snails in their new… terrarium, I guess?

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Closer shot. They look happy. I mean, I think.

After gathering these creatures from the neighborhood, the girls are learning snail husbandry. Each snail is named and checked on daily. A chart has been made with dates, colorations, observations. “What snails eat” has been googled many times to be sure they are well cared for.

Then, several weeks in, lo and behold… Read the rest of this entry

Rabbit fur coat

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Don’t get upset. It’s not what you think. It’s just what someone called it after piling me with bunnies.

First there was one.

Then someone asked if I’d like to hold two. “Sure,” I said, but that quickly jumped to three.

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And suddenly there were four.

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Then, of course, five. Read the rest of this entry

Do I wash it, bake it, or beat it?

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Clear instructions in case I want to either flog my blanket, or turn it into a meringue.

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Perhaps it needs to be punished for all that time spent lazing about outdoors?? What’s your take on this?

Potty prize

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Joe gets a treat for using the potty.
He decided I did too, so he brought me a jelly bean.
Half eaten.
I shrugged and ate it.

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Half-eaten pink jelly bean.