um.

Kids can really make you think sometimes...


Funny things:

Have you ever had a tumbleweed inside your house?

L--, grade 5- Look Jen, look at this cactus he's trying to poke me with!
(holds up tumbleweed that is almost as tall as him, 4 feet? and is as wide as him)
Me- um. why is THAT inside the house?


Grocery Shopping

(after unloading the car)
M--, 19 yrs old- Did you accidentally buy a box of fish?
Me- um. no. Why do you ask?
M--,- that box has a picture of a fish on it, it has fish inside it, right?
actually it had apples inside it, but it was labeled "Trout", the next week I brought home a box labeled "Lemons", that had apples inside it.
reuse, but maybe not recycle?

Going out with friends

M--, 19 yrs old-So when you go out with friends in the states, do you go out to tacos?
Me- um. no. not exactly. well, we don't have taco stands where I live.
M--, 19 yrs old-But you have tacos right?
Me- yeah, but they aren't the same, it's like...
(interrupts)M--, like diet tacos?
Me- sure, like diet tacos.

more with M...

M-- has not had a meal unless she has said two key phrases... "no pica nada" meaning "it's not spicey" and "ya me llene" meaning "I'm already full" except that she continues eating after she says that, or even asks for seconds. I tried to ask her if it is just something everyone says, and that if she doesn't really mean it when she says it, maybe it really means "this food is great!". Unfortunately, she just looked at me confused.

after C--, 16, had a nightmare and slept on the couch
M-- You slept on the couch last night.
C-- while sitting on couch, with blankets and pillow No I didn't!
M-- You cried during the night, Jennifer woke you up, You came and slept on the couch.
C-- I did?!?
M-- You can't watch movies anymore. No more movies, because you have nightmares.
C-- no, no, the movie didn't make me cry, I was scared.
M-- The movie had monsters in it. The movie made you cry.
C-- oh. yeah. I won't watch that movie anymore, but I will watch the other movies.

(Is the Chronicles of Narnia THAT scary? and maybe I'm out of a "mom" job)

I've decided to always have my door locked. always. I had this weekend off, and I was in my room part of it, with my door locked. Everytime C-- came in or out of the house, she jiggled my handle. I don't think she realized that I was in my room. She only knocked a few times, and those were times she didn't jiggle my door handle. I think I counted that she tried to open my door 12-15 times. I wonder why she wants in?

Cultural differences
We have two sisters M and E, 10 and 9 respectively, who come from a poorer background, also Spanish is their second language...

Me-what's for dinner?
M- "flesh of hen" (notice she didn't just say "chicken"- Thanks Tani for pointing this out to me when it happened)

Me- Why haven't you gotten in the tub to take a bath yet?
E- well, M said you didn't ask her.
Me- She doesn't need to take a bath, you need to take a bath.
look of fear and surprise
E- I have to take one WITHOUT her??
V, 11- Jennifer, they don't take baths alone. They have never taken baths alone.
Me- If she doesn't want to take a bath, she can sit on the toilet and keep you company while you take your bath.