Silly things that have made you happy recently

[Piratelvr1121]

My youngest is showing interest in using the potty.  He has yet to actually do anything, he just wants to run to the bathroom, pull his pull-up down and sit on it but hey it's a step in the right direction and that much closer to no more diapers/pullups!

[Outdoor Girl]

The kiddos were being terrible at the store today. There weren't enough checkers, so we had to use one of those self-scan registers. Baby was climbing out of the shopping cart and the older 2 were running around. I was furious and embarrassed because I don't tolerate that kind of behavior when we're out and about. But I was also totally drained and exhausted. I finally got the 2 older kids to be still by instituting a "statue contest" and ended up handing Baby my wallet to destroy. It's not a good idea, but it kept him still and quiet long enough for me to scan everything. To top it all off, the machine kept messing up. I had the attendant over 5 times.

As I was getting ready to pay, a woman approached us. I thought she was going to tell me off for my kids' bad behavior, but instead she gave them a big smile. She complimented them on their statue poses, and remarked on what good helpers they must be for Mommy to take them all to the store. Then she asked me if it was ok for them to have stickers, and handed me 3 to distribute.

Twiggy, can I just say, I think a 'statue contest' is a brilliant idea?

I'm not even close to being a mom of a kid the right age for it, but I think my nieces would love it. I'm going to save that idea for the next time they want to go outside when it's terrible out.

When I was a teenager, I babysat a couple of kids regularly, particularly through the Christmas holidays.  They were so excited about Christmas, they were driving me right 'round the bend.  So we had a 'Monk's dinner' - no talking allowed and you had to eat with whichever utensil you pulled out of the bag.  Might be a spaghetti server, might be a slotted spoon, might be a potato masher.  I got 30 minutes peace and their mother told me they talked about that dinner for years.

[gramma dishes]

When I was a teenager, I babysat a couple of kids regularly, particularly through the Christmas holidays.  They were so excited about Christmas, they were driving me right 'round the bend.  So we had a 'Monk's dinner' - no talking allowed and you had to eat with whichever utensil you pulled out of the bag.  Might be a spaghetti server, might be a slotted spoon, might be a potato masher.  I got 30 minutes peace and their mother told me they talked about that dinner for years.

Such a super clever idea!!   

[mbbored]

When I was a teenager, I babysat a couple of kids regularly, particularly through the Christmas holidays.  They were so excited about Christmas, they were driving me right 'round the bend.  So we had a 'Monk's dinner' - no talking allowed and you had to eat with whichever utensil you pulled out of the bag.  Might be a spaghetti server, might be a slotted spoon, might be a potato masher.  I got 30 minutes peace and their mother told me they talked about that dinner for years.

Such a super clever idea!!   

I did something along those lines when I was a camp counselor. One week I had a group of 12 year old girls who were obsessed with fixing their hair and make-up and trying to flirt with boys, and weren't really enjoying any of the activities or getting to know each other. My co-counselor and I made them an offer: we'd give them make-overs and they could give us one on the last night if they would skip make-up for the week (which was way more practical: high heat and humidity, no air conditioning) and if they agreed to our terms for the final dinner. They focused way more on having fun and on the last afternoon we had a blast doing make-overs before we got to dinner and they found we were going to tie all our hands behind our backs to eat.  They were dismayed for approximately 10 seconds then dove right in for one of my best camp memories ever. Over 10 years later, a lot of those girls are still friends and most of them went on to be counselors themselves.

In a complete change of topic, I super love watching the parade of nations during the Olympic opening ceremonies. It's so great seeing so many people who've worked so hard and so many of them haven't had very many or any advantages in their lives.

[hobish]

Bunheads is on Xfinity OnDemand!
Not that I ... y'know ... watch ... such girly silliness ... I just thought y'all might want to know 

[Miss Misery]

Fiber One Lemon Bars. Yummy! 

[Vall]

Fiber One Lemon Bars. Yummy! 

Ahhh, the power of suggestion.  Right after I read this I went into the pantry and got a lemon bar.  Mmmmm, they are so good!  I like the cinnamon ones too.

[ladyknight1]

As a non-traditional college student, sometimes I feel like I am playing catch-up.

Last week, using the optical microscope for the first time, I not only was the first to complete the lab, I had my work checked and it was perfect! I got to play with spirogira and pond scum during the remaining lab time!

[Mel the Redcap]

It was my birthday yesterday. The Good Ethnic Boy gave me part of my present two days early, because he thought I might want to use it on the weekend (and he was right!).

[hobish]

As a non-traditional college student, sometimes I feel like I am playing catch-up.

Last week, using the optical microscope for the first time, I not only was the first to complete the lab, I had my work checked and it was perfect! I got to play with spirogira and pond scum during the remaining lab time!

Cool! Did you see any water bears?

[ladyknight1]

I can't remember the names, but I saw lots of organisms!

[Ms_Cellany]

The Sweetie has started playing Scrabble (the actual board game by Hasbro) with me! She's a genius, but an idiosyncratic speller, and has resisted for years. We made a deal where she can use a dictionary before playing a word, to confirm the spelling, but she can't hunt around looking for new words.

I'm a better strategist, so I whomped her the first two games. The next night, she handed me my donkey on a platter with "zoos" on the triple-word score.

We've added in a twist where I made a list of the allowable two-letter words, and we can both consult that. It's just so much fun to have someone to play with!

[Piratelvr1121]

As though toddler laughter isn't cute and infectious as it is, it's even funnier when they're laughing so hard they snort.  I had Piratebabe doing that today prior to his nap and if not for the fact I was standing and holding him I might have been rolling on the floor.

[Bijou]

Over the past couple of weeks two of my four sons have started playing around with guitars.  I have one son who has been playing for years, my mom and her whole family of brothers and sisters played, so we were always a guitar family.  My mom taught my two sisters and me to play and every family gathering was music to the rafters.  I have another son who is going to start playing his (we all manage to have guitars around us).   Hopefully my two daughters will get the guitar bug and start playing.  I can't help but feel that my mom is looking down from her place in heaven with with great approval.

[mlmama]

I got a new-to-me car. It's 12 years old, but it's mine! I'm so happy now!  I can fit everyone and anyone I want into MY truck! I already named her Serenity because she gives me peace of mind (don't feel "trapped" at home), and for the ship on Firefly. Got my Firefly manufacturer's decal to put on her, too! Not too silly, but I feel silly being happy about an old SUV.