Another Memory-Made-for-Laughter!

Sometimes, I actually (unexpectedly) forget some of the funniest instances that I've been privy to witness. How is that possible? I don't know. I suppose it's that left-over 'baby-brain'. (Er, mommy-brain - as we moms tend to take on each child's thinking for them until they are able to process thoughts thoroughly for themselves [you know - like for 22 years!] - and often, even our husband's 'brains' as well. I guess that answers that question!) Enter, my bro-in-law - king o' funny! He dare not forget a funny moment. They should, after all, be cherished forever! Thankfully, he reminded me recently about a Mack-Moment, as it occurred at the Mack Family Farmstead a couple of years back... It helps to know their dad, but 'tis a grand memory nonetheless. I myself don't want to forget it again - so if this bores you - just proceed to the next post and we'll call it good.

The farm house has one door in the kitchen, and one located at the opposite end of the building leading to the front through the dining room. I have my back to everyone as I'm doing some post-dinner dishes... Joel is nearby, drying them for me, and his mom is also in the room - chatting with us. His dad walks in through the kitchen door... and pauses mid-way between the kitchen and dining room. He glances back at Joel and his mom who have stopped talking to try to figure out what his dad is doing just standing there. What makes it more ironic, is that although he is the one who pauses en-route, he also begins the 'circle of whats'. As his dad glaces back toward the kitchen, he lets out a disgruntled "WHAT?" Joel resounds with another, "WHAT?" (only in a higher tone, as in - "what yourself?") To which his mom replies, "WHAT?!?!" Nothing else was said, and their dad rolls his eyes, turns, and continues through the house - going back OUTSIDE through the opposite door!!!! Joel and his mom continued their conversation as though nothing out of the ordinary just happened. I was literally in tears for HOURS afterward. I couldn't stop thinking about the charade - and all of the little nuances that made it so memorable! I think people bring up things like that just to hear me snort when I laugh that dang hard ;)

TIP: Family - there for you... They never let you forget. Sometimes - that's a GOOD thing! 

A QUOTE: “Laughter is the closest distance between two people.” Victor Borge

WHIDFML: Set up the girls' room with a bunk-bed, and they are LOVING it! Me too... they have so much fun in their 'new room'.

Just a Few Flash-Backs...

Sometimes, when the mood hits me right - I laugh... out of nowhere! Okay - if you ask Joel, I do that pretty regularly. And he therefore regularly asks me, "What are you laughing about now?" Hahahaha!

I realized that as fantastic as my parents were at parenting... they had a way with knowing when it was okay to divert from the norm, and inject a few unexpected 'methods' of dealing with us kids. As it turns out - ignoring kids can work to your advantage - when done under the proper circumstances. 

Envision this: I'm age 11. Sister, about 9, and brother, probably 6. So - we're all in the newly acquired family RV, snuggling in for the night - while the parents have joined forces with the aunts & uncles (owners of the cabin next to which the RV is parked) - for laughter and shinaningins (aka: drinking and hilarity) whilst we try to sleep. There is a set of bunk-beds in the back - 2 beds, 3 kids... And so it goes, my sis and I share the top-bunk, sleeping feet-to-heads, while the bro sleeps below us. Windows are open on this balmy summer's eve - and as the noise and bellows ensue, we find ourselves lying there - - awake. 

I happen to have a very odd 'habit' - that is certainly engraved deep within my genes, as there is no way to break this addiction. In order to effectively fall asleep (at least in a timely manner) - I must engage toes with sheets. There is something about that soft material between my tippies that makes me more relaxed than just about anything (well - maybe not as much as a good massage - but still very comforting in addition to the rendered inner-calm evoked.) My toes found their way to the edges of my sister's pillow - and once there - there was no turning back! Kim balked at my persistence - as she made known her discontentment with the situation. When I wouldn't listen (who listens to their little sister???) - She proceeded to yell out the window of the bunk, toward the open windows of the cabin o' chaos, "Denise is putting her feet on my pillow, and they stink!" Silence followed, as the parents surely were trying to determine whether they had, in fact, heard small voices coming from the children's sleeping quarters... And then, more laughter. Suddenly our brother blurts out a, "mommmmmy?!" - to which my uncle replied heartfelt (read: sarcastic) concern, "Does your pillow stink too?!?!" More laughter. Not another word was uttered from within the surrounds of the camper on wheels... and the parents all but forgot about the interaction - as nothing further was acknowledged that night. And wallah - an almost-situation turned into laughter on one end, sleep on the other. Note-to-self...  ;)  Now, whenever I think about it - (and I can still hear the adult's voices and outbursts of glee) - I can't help but laugh myself! Thus, you have one fine example for 'when it is okay to ignore your kids'! 

TIP: Kids of a certain age know when you're too 'involved' to break up a menial cat-fight... Chances are they'll figure it out themselves, or give up (as in our case) - and the world will still spin on its axis the following morning. Hahahahahaha!

A QUOTE: “I always knew looking back on my tears would bring me laughter, but I never knew looking back on my laughter would make me cry.” ~Cat Stevens [For me - laughing until I'm crying!]

WHIDFML: Made time to blog again, amidst the weird, swirling pattern that we've been caught-up in - with regard to our inability to avoid being so busy again. It seems to be the tail-end of it all - so we see the light!  

Now I remember!

I was going to tell you about the time I went to cut Addie's bangs again - - 

Because, as it turns out, Myla inherited a much better memory from some unknown source (neither her dad nor I!) She recalled a rather, um, shall we say....... traumatic incident involving the sharpened snipps... I trimmed up Myla's bangs with great success. However, after trimming Adelyn's lovely locks the last time, they turned out a bit short for my taste. Didn't quite flow with the rest of her 'flow'. I guess it was a stressful time, because I kind of melted down and shed a (what I thought had been) quiet tear over the mishap.

So, upon announcing that it was now "Addie's turn" for the inevitable bang-trim- Myla blurted out, "But mommy! You cried the last time you cut Addie's hair, remember??" Well, this time I laughed, because that was pretty damn cute.  And, I learned from that situation - This time, they were JUST right!!

TIP: Live, Love, Laugh... and learn! 

A QUOTE: “Nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.” Oscar Wilde

WHIDFML: To determine what needs fixing on the computer, some 'tests' had to be run. I chose some nice, warm, sunny days (today, for example) to run tests... and disconnected from the www - spending almost ALL day outside. Did I mention I got in a 45 min power-walk with the girls along the river today? Yep.

Pretty Sure I Didn't Already Write about This....

You see... when you have kids - for whom you must coordinate and remember things, and work, and like to play, and maintain a home, etc, etc, etc - your brain is very succeptable to what has been clinically referred to as "overload". It's true! It was probably 20 years ago - by my mother's doctor. When she complained at one time of having a very difficult time storing things to memory, or recalling things day-to-day, her doc's reply was simply, "Totally normal... It's called 'overload'." (And this was a STELLAR doctor!) And so - to this day - she and I both use this term (pretty loosely.) It makes for a favorable excuse for a less-than-stellar memory capacity. It's obviously also genetic to some degree... Yet another handy excuse! Now - these are 2 reasons why this is completely out of our control. Well, I suppose not completely... I do think I could manage to 'exercise' my brain a tad more in the way of brain teasers and such...  Caffeine for the Creative Mind: 250 Exercises to Wake Up Your Brain     Have you not read the above list of things that occupy my already-bustling-mind?!? So - one day - when I have time... (Dang it! Fine... I'm going to make time. I don't particularly enjoy crossword puzzles... I'll think of something.)  Now I forgot what I was going to originally write about - you know - but wasn't sure whether it had already been scribed?? K, where is that puzzle??

TIP: If your friends forget certain details about your life... don't take it personally. They've probably just been busy being one brain spread out amongst 3 people - or something like that.

A QUOTE: “When I was younger I could remember anything, whether it happened or not.” ~Mark Twain

WHIDFML:  Just realized how to exercise my mind, AND prepare for some future expedition to a far away land.... Re-learn the German language! Score.

Fly on the Wall...

Sometimes it's fun to 'pretend' you're a fly on the wall - and secretly overhear the interactions between the girls when they are playing together. Gotta keep from laughing out-loud at times, and disrupting such cordial exchanges! 

Recently overheard during interactive play: 

~ While Adelyn was toiling with some items as part of one imaginative session, Myla was heard saying, "You know, I can help you a hand there..."

~ And when it was deemed that Adelyn was the 'mommy' and Myla was to be the 'kid', Adelyn blurted out with every transition to a new location, "C'mon kid!"

Pure, unadulterated, humorous entertainment - no additional charges apply!

TIP: When you're having a stressful day - have a conversation (or eavesdrop on one) with your kids. Instant cure.

A QUOTE: “Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.” ~Bill Cosby

WHIDFML: Starting my interview soon - going to be featured on the TJ's blog!!

"Crazy-Mixed-Up-Day"

Hmmmmm.... Kinda like the new motto for my life ;) 

But really - they have so much fun in Myla's preschool class! Though I have to say, I'm not entirely certain who has the most fun with it: Myla, or me? Keeps my creative juices flowing - which I always welcome. 

They are reading "The Mixed Up Chameleon"... and the class was encouraged to "go crazy and use their imaginations" - and mix things up. So - we obliged. 

We put socks on her head - adhered to her 3 wacky pig-tails, jeans under her dress... one pant leg way up, one rolled down, 2 different socks on her feet, 2 different shoes, a tail, and every fingernail is painted a different color.

Trying to encourage her to be creative, and be herself, without the fear of being judged... Seems to be working. She is thrilled each time they get to do something so out-of-the-ordinary. So should our attitudes remain towards this 'crazy life'!
Cheers to that.

TIP: Let them express themselves - Start young and they'll probably be less prone to taking it to heart if they are picked on by other kids. That's one thing that never really got to me - when kids would tease me in school. It always rolled right off. I have my mom to thank in part - because the first pokes were made at my short stature. My mom's reply? "Well good! You'll be glad you're short... The boys like short girls the most."  Ha! Cute, eh? Look how long that memory stuck with me...

A QUOTE: “The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed, in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a wide-spread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible” ~Bertrand Russell

WHIDFML: About to paint Easter-Eggs with the girls and daddy! :)  Happy Happy -

Extra Inspiration!

Still dreaming about writing a book (well, a couple - maybe even a few, actually). Tried to collaborate with the chicks at "Cooking with Trader Joe's" a couple of months ago... Still awaiting a reply. That never bogs me down. Lots of doors stay stuck closed before the right doors eventually open :) 

[I'm an eternal optimist, and eternally determined!]

Anyway - you have it here: I was going to work with them on creating a gluten-free cookbook specific to products purchased at TJ's. Ya'll got my back if something turns 'sour', right? Of course you do!

In any case - the flick "Julie & Julia" made its way to the top of our Neflix Que a couple of weeks back - and I was re-inspired! I love a good true-story - and this was a Twofer (2 for 1). Bonus! I could relate to them both on different levels... Still, I'm pretty sure I relate to Julie most closely. Also got me thinking - "What makes some blogs so viral?" Real life is probably the most obvious answer - and perhaps humor coupled with humility. Maybe one day - my blog will get there. To be honest - I've been somewhat hesitant to really strive to 'publish' it on a larger scale. Trying to keep it separate from my other biz... and be genuine and real without divulging too much (precautionary stalker-avoidance). I mean - although this blog is primarily about ME, and my journey through motherhood and other related life-occurrences, it does involve my immediate family greatly. Kind of comes with the territory, given the subject matter. But I think I'm doing so in a way that prevents any attempted malice, or so I hope. (Feel free to leave feedback below.) I've always been a cautious kind of gal - and if anyone came close to attempting possible harm involving my children - they'd be dealing with (an armed) mother-bear! Is that too cautious? Maybe. Perhaps I should have used a tad more caution with regard to patent/ copyright protection before submitting my proposal??? We shall see. Still learning. And - still excited about any future opps that may come along! 

(And still giving the TJ's gals the benefit of the doubt!)

TIP: Follow your heart, tune into your instincts/ intuition, and never doubt the viability of your ideas. That's where it always begins, and you have to start somewhere!

A QUOTE: “I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works.” ~Oscar Wilde

WHIDFML: Took that first step toward a (er, another) big goal! Feels groovy.