The Things, You Say....

Catch the song reference?  Ah, I know.   It was pretty lame.  Sorry.  (If you're dying to hear that song now, and you want to see a really lame video of someone lip-syncing it, click here.) I do so many of these posts about the things the kids say that I have pretty much tapped my creative title resources.  By now, you should know the format.  Here's a list of things my boys have said over the last few weeks, that I find amusing.  Hope you get a chuckle too!

Every day Andrew wants to know what the schedule for the day is, where he is going, when I am going to get him, etc.  The other day, our conversation went like this: me: "OK, I'm going to take you to school, go to work, go to the grocery store, come home and unload the groceries, go to UPS and then come get you at school."  Andrew: "Where's my PS?"
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Andrew loves to show me his stuffed animals and ask for hugs for them.  One day he brought me his stuffed manatee and said, "Look who I brought you!"
"Aw," I said.  "Isn't he cute!  What's his name?"
"What do you want to name him?" Andrew asked me.
I thought for a minute and said, "How about Manuel the Manatee?"
He considered my suggestion, then replied, "Um, how about Lobster the Manatee?"
Oh.  OK.  Sure.  Lobster the Manatee has a much better ring to it anyway!
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Andrew: "Mom, God is bigger than the full world, know why?"
Me: "Why?"
Andrew: "Because he ate all that healthy food that no one else likes."
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One day when I was bringing Andrew home from school, he looked over at an old age home and asked me if I remembered when we went there.  I have never taken him to Garvey Manor, or any other old age home, for that matter.  Despite anything I said, he kept insisting that we were there.  Finally, he said, "Yes mom!  We were there!  Remember, it's the big house where all the old humans live!"
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Andrew had a really hard time reconciling with my new hair cut.  The first night, he gave me sideways glances for hours and repeated, "Tell me who you look like!" many times.
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Andrew and Jacob were playing with some of Jake's Spiderman action figures at my parents' house one day.  I asked Andrew what his character's name was and he said, "Doc Off."  Of course, we all thought that was lewdly funny.  My mom chimed in and said, "Oh, I think I know his brother, Jack," which made my mom, dad and I all chuckle again.  That really pissed Andrew off, so he slammed his arms down at his side, stomped his foot and said, "No! This one is Peter Partner, and this one is Doc Off!"  Yeah, it was hopeless at that point.
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Words Andrew is currently mispronouncing:

• Dabloom = balloon
• Skeleskope = telescope
• Bee hide, because "that's where the bees go to hide."
• Hee = as in, "the boo boo on my knee is starting to hee." (heal)

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Harbor House had a show-and-tell of sorts a few weeks ago.  When I picked Andrew up, I asked him if he showed his friends his toys.  He said, "Well, I didn't show the Steelers."  Of course, I assumed he was talking about the football team.  "What do you mean?  There were Steelers at Harbor House today?"  "Yes," he said, "**** and ****, they steal things, so we didn't show them our stuff!"

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"Mom, I know how to spell your name: K.O.E. eleven. E."  Hey, that's closer than a lot of adults get!

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Andrew says the word "even" periodically when he is talking, and he rarely uses the word correctly.  Here are some examples: "Even there's dirt in that water."  "Even I have a lot of pets."  "Even we're going to a birthday party today."  I don't know where he picked it up, but it's kind of contagious.  We think it's funny, so we do it too.  After a while, I don't think we know we are saying "even" all the time as well!  Even I might be doing it now!  Even I bet you do it at least once today, just to try it! 

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This last one is from Jake.  Jake has lots to say, but unfortunately, he's getting older, so it's not often funny in the same way Andrew's words are.  I'm more often amazed at how much he knows than I am amused by what he says, but every so often Jacob will come out with something entertaining too.  Here's a good one:  

One time when Greg was fishing without us, he sent me a picture of an old, crushed can he pulled out of the water.  I showed Jake the picture as a joke, but Jake thought it was a pretty awesome catch.  He said, "Oh, Mom!  Tell Greg to keep that!  It's rare to catch garbage when fishing."  I said, "Really?  You want him to keep it?"  "Yes," he said.  "The rarest, and most valuable trash to catch when fishing is an old boot.  The second most valuable is a tire, and the third is a can!"  I'm betting those statistics were pulled directly from an old-time Warner Brothers cartoon!

And....

That's all folks!  

(Now, if anyone has title ideas for future entries, I'm all ears!)

Fall Favorites

I like the spring.  It brings a promise of renewal, a glimmer of light at the end of a long, dark winter, but  despite the hope brought in by the spring, those unending vernal rains get me down.  I find the constant drizzle outright depressing.  Spring just isn't my favorite season.

I love the summer.  I love fun in the sun, splashing in the water, boating, traveling, picnicking...you name it, if it has to do with summer, I probably love it!  But I'm not wild about the super hot days and the oppressive humidity, especially those final scorching days at the end of the season.  I tend to wither a little come August.  Although summer is on the top of my "good times" list, it isn't quite my favorite season either.

Winter, well, I'll keep my thoughts about winter to a minimum.  I love the appearance of the very first snowfall, when it's still white, pristine, and sparkling in the sunlight.  But after the plows and cars come trudging through, and that pure snowy blanket turns gray, dirty and slushy, the novelty of snow wears thin.  I also hate to shovel.  I also don't like when my feet and hands freeze, the wind stinging my face, my back breaking.  I don't like wading through cold and wet slop, worrying about slipping and falling, to get to and from the car.   And I'm not wild about the holiday season either.  Put that all together and you can readily see that winter is definitely not my favorite season.

But fall?

Yes, fall is undeniably my favorite season.  I have loved the crisp, cool autumn days as long as I can remember.  I have a very vivid memory from some time in junior high.  In it, I am crossing the street at the corner of Hart and Hewitt, heading home from school.  The buses are zipping by me.  The sky is brilliant blue.  There is just a slight breeze, and piles of crunchy leaves at my feet.  I'm wearing one of my favorite sweaters, one that my dad brought back from his latest trip to Canada, and I can smell the fall.  I feel elated just to be outside on such a beautiful day.  I still get that feeling in the fall.  It's my favorite time of year, hands-down.  I just love it.

I think fall rests endearingly in the hearts of many people.  It's simply a beautiful time of year with moderate weather and stunning colors.  I don't know many people who dislike fall (unlike its ugly brother, winter!) Fall is quickly approaching, and I'm getting excited.  Our nights are cooler, and the days are less humid.  We've been surrounded by some brilliant blue skies, and I can see the leaves beginning to change.  I feel fall approaching, and it just makes me happy.  In honor of my best-loved time of year, I thought I'd share some of my joys with you, so here you are:

• Fall clothes - they're warm and cozy, but don't weigh you down like big bulky winter coats and boots.
• The gorgeous fall colors, of course!  I live in central Pennsylvania.  In the fall, I am literally surrounded my mountains of vibrant reds, yellows and golds.  Who isn't amazed by that?
• Leaf jumping.  I typically loathe yard work, and I can't say that raking leaves, stuffing them into bags and meticulously grooming the lawn for the upcoming winter is at the top of my "favorite things to do" list either.  But there's something innocently joyous in diving into a pile of crunchy fallen leaves.  I don't care who you are, I'm betting the thought of leaf jumping makes you smile too!  
• Honey crisp apples.  If you've never had one, go get one now (or as soon as they hit the shelves)!  They are the best apples ever, but you can only get them for about a 5 week period in the fall.  That time is coming up soon!  If you see them in the market before I do, please let me know ASAP! They are quite literally my apple equivalent of crack!
• Acorn squash.  These simple fruits ooze fall goodness!  Need an easy and delicious recipe for acorn squash? Here you go: cut one in half, place a generous dollop of butter in the center along with a generous dollop of cinnamon and brown sugar.  Place in a water bath and bake at 375 until the squash is tender.  Use your fork to mix the sugar and butter mixture with the squash.  Delicious!  
• I may as well continue with the food theme, while I'm on it - Pumpkin seeds.  I don't like store bought seeds.  I've tried them over and over with recurring high hopes followed by repeated crushing disappointment.  I have finally come to the conclusion that homemade is the only way to go with this fall food.  My sister-in-law gave me the best recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds I have ever had.  Now, I wouldn't exactly say it's the healthiest recipe ever, but it's super good:  Clean your seeds.  Melt one stick of butter in the microwave.  Throw in some dashes of Worcestershire sauce.  Spread the seeds evenly (Don't layer them.  If you have too many, use two sheets) on a cookie sheet and pour the butter mixture over the seeds.  Sprinkle with garlic salt and bake at 425 until the butter mixture is dried up and the seeds are crispy and brown, turning occasionally.  It's more of an art than a science.  Just play with it and you'll get it right.  I guarantee you'll love these seeds! 
• Sitting by the fire pit on a cool night, roasting marshmallows and sharing laughs with our friends and family. (We have a fire pit date set for Friday!  The boys and I can't wait!)
• The smell of burning leaves on a cool, dry day.  
• Chilly fall nights that are perfect for sleeping.
•  High school football.  OK, I have to admit that I don't actually give two hoots about the game itself.  But I live close to the high school stadium, and this time every year, when I see the lights, hear the crowd cheering and the band playing, it instantly takes me back to my high school days.  Nearly two decades have gone by since I was in school, but I still vividly remember the feel of sitting in the stands with my fellow band buddies, cheering our team to victory.  It's not that I ever really cared about football, per se. Actually, I never really had a clue what was going on (still don't).  I just cheered and booed with the rest of the crowd for the sake of team spirit!  You don't have to be a sports fanatic to catch that contagious surge of adrenaline and camaraderie at a live game.  The games now serve as a transporter for me, taking me back to some pure, fun and carefree teenage memories.  
• Fall running.  The fall is perfect for running.  I don't mind running in the winter.  Actually, running is probably one of the few things winter has to offer that I would consider good.  I don't mind the cold when I'm running,  and as long as there isn't any ice, I'll bundle up and head out in even frigid temperatures.  Although I favor summer over winter in general, I don't care for running in the summer. The heat and humidity are real energy zappers. Fall is the perfect middle ground. The humidity is low.  The temperature is cool enough that I don't exhaust easily, yet not so cold that I have to wear 25 layers to avoid frost bite.  It's a freeing time to run - minimal clothing, perfect conditions, beautiful scenery.  Fall is the perfect time to rekindle my running mojo, and I'm so happy to be back in the game as fall approaches this year.
• Our anniversary - October 14th.  This will mark our 6th year in utter wedded bliss!  We went to Vermont for our honeymoon 6 years ago.  The north east is truly the perfect place to go in the fall for autumn lovers!  Maybe I'll tell you some honeymoon stories sometime - we had a blast! Wish us a happy anniversary on the 14th...or better yet, take our children so we can have some time alone! 

What's your favorite season? Do you love the fall too?  Did I miss anything about this wonderful season?  Let me know your thoughts! 

Cats VS Politics

A friend of mine on Facebook recently posted something to the tune of "politics and religion don't belong on Facebook."  I couldn't agree more! In my opinion, Facebook is for entertainment.  It's for fun, for play, pictures or maybe (just maybe) for an occasional benign rant over something utterly unimportant.  Many people aren't able to have exchanges with others whose views are different or opposing, when it comes to politics and religion.  I think it's great that people are passionate in what they believe in.  We all should be!  But, I don't necessarily feel the need to post my own views on Facebook.  I just don't feel like that's the correct venue.  Here on my blog, well, that's different.  I try to keep it light most times, but sometimes I touch on heavier material.  But this is my blog.  It's not a public forum.  Although anyone can read it, I know that most of the people who take the time to read my run-on sentences and rambling idea strings are my friends.  They probably already know my political stance, my religious affiliation and my take on any other controversial topic, because, well, I'm not exactly a quiet and reserved person.  I talk.  A lot.  I also don't tend to freak out when someone expresses a differing perspective.  So if you feel the need to argue my opinion about appropriate Facebook content, by all means, my ears (or eyes, rather) are open!

Sometimes I find it quite humorous to read argumentative posts, and see people unfriending, and blocking each other over differing opinions.  It's like a real life soap opera!  But it also makes me feel bad that people lose friendships over stuff that is posted on Facebook.  That shouldn't happen.  The point of Facebook is not to convert the world into people who think alike.  What fun would that be anyway?  Differences make life interesting, solve problems, and bring balance.   My opinion is this: if you can post something and not get angry when someone disagrees, then by all means, post.  If you can comment on someone's post without getting angry over a retort, then by all means, comment.  There's only a small percentage of people who can do those two things.  Otherwise, keep it simple, stupid and fun.  Personally, I like to post lots of pictures of my kids and of my cat.  Facebook is the vehicle I use to make sure everyone in Blair County and beyond knows about Andrew-isms and Sam's fat behind.

Speaking of Sam, after I wrote this little blurb, I looked through my cell phone and found that I have just as many pictures of Sam as I do of my kids!  Many of them have already been posted on Facebook. The rest?  Well, look out Facebook friends, another cute photo of Sammy is coming soon to a timeline near you!

Loving the fresh air and sunshine!

"Hey there.  Can I come out and play?"

Sam, like me, is not always the nicest when he first wakes up.

"Oh...I think I over did the breakfast burrito!"

He thought he was in a glamorous photo shoot.  Don't tell him it was really just the dining room table cloth.  It would hurt his ego.

Star-gazing with his littlest human.

Ssssstttttrrreeettttcccchhhh

Comfy window seat

Sunning his nether regions

"Mom, I'm not smiling anymore!  I'm sick of these pictures!"

"Oh, OK, maybe just one more glamour shot."

Now, that's what I'm talking about.  Good, clean, feline fun!  Come on, you have to admit, he's very photogenic!