Clothing Advice from my Daughter

Catherine: "Mommy, I really like the skirt that you and Theresa made tonight. I like the style and everything. I would buy a skirt like that, but..."

Me: "What don't you like about it?"

Catherine: "I like everything about it, but I don't think that she can wear it to Mass because I think that it would be too much of a distraction. I know that if I were sitting behind her, I would be looking at it."

I don't know whether or not Theresa will be wearing her skirt to Mass, but I do know that I got a good laugh.

If nothing else, Theresa will wear her skirt, red shirt, and liberty bow flexi clip on the 4th of July. Oh wait, Independence Day falls on First Friday and we will be going to Mass!

At least, she can wear the skirt when she goes camping this summer.

Ben Who?

Finnian has a wonderful imagination and enjoys pretending that he is a saint, a knight, or a soldier.  A few weeks ago, the following conversation took place:

Me: "Who are you?"

Finnian: "I'm Ben Who."

Me: "You mean Ben Hur?"

Finnian: "No, I'm Ben Who."

Me: "Finnian, there is no such person as Ben Who.  There is a Ben Hur."

Finnian: "I'm Ben Who!"

Catherine: "Mommy, Finnian's right. He is pretending to be Ben Who.  We watch the CCC Ben Hur in Spanish and his name is pronounced Ben Who."

Note:  I apologize for not knowing how to spell the pronunciation of Ben Hur in Spanish.

He Usually Knows What We Will Say

After returning from Mass on Sunday, Finnian ran into my room and said, "I was very good at Mass, so I had my throat blessed."

A few minutes later, he returned and the following conversation took place:

Finnian (whispering):  "Mommy, please may I have a hotdog for lunch."

Me:  "Go and ask Daddy."

Finnian (in a loud voice):  "Oh, I give up!"

Sword Fighting

My little boys enjoy pretending they are knights.  This morning, as I lie in bed, feeling dizzy, they are pretending to be knights, blowing their horns and sword fighting.  A few minutes ago, the following was heard from the hallway:

Finnian:  "Oh, I am wounded."

Catherine:  "Go see Mommy and she will bandage you up."

Finnian:  "No, I am a man."

I pray that everyone has a blessed Sunday.

Guilty

As I was teaching the children the other day, my youngest son wandered in and stated, "I don't have nothing. I don't have nothing Mommy. I don't have nothing behind my back."

He had a screwdriver behind his back, but he was being honest because he used a double negative.

What Constitutes an Emergency?

Patrick: "Mommy, Mommy, it's an emergency! It's an emergency!"

Mommy (heading to the kitchen to see): "What's wrong?"

Patrick: "Daddy's been taking some of the goldfish to work."

Good Night

Daddy (to the older children): "Good night, sleep tight, see that the bed bugs don't bite."

Finnian: "Good night bugs. Don't bite me."

Mommy: "The bugs won't bite you."

Daddy: "The bugs won't bite you, but the hippopotamus might."

Finnian: "Good night bugs. Bugs won't bite me. Good night hippopotamus. Hippopotamus won't bite me. Good night hippopotamus. Hippopotamus won't bite me. Good night butterfly. Butterfly don't bite me."

Mommy: "The butterfly won't bite you. Butterflies don't know how to bite. They only give kisses."

Daddy (taking Finnian's hand): "That's right, butterflies won't bite you. They only give kisses like this."

Finnian: "Good night butterflies. Butterflies won't bite me."

Our Little Mother

A few nights ago, as Theresa helped me make dinner, we heard fighting coming from the boys' room. Theresa left my side and walked down the hall. Her eldest sister overheard her say, "Now, now, now, what's going on? Let me sort this out. Patrick, what did you do?"

Why One Should Refrain from Doing Science Experiments in Front of Young Children

Yesterday, after Catherine had finished her Science experiment, I asked her to clean up. As usual, she did so right away. A little while later, I heard some noises in the kitchen and assumed that someone had decided to help me with the dishes. However, when I heard giggling coming from the kitchen, I knew that this was not the case and that I needed to check what was happening. As I entered the kitchen, Patrick scampered out. Finnian remained standing on a stool, happily mixing water and food coloring in the clear bowl that his sister had used earlier. Needless to say, Finnian was not happy to see me bring an end to his Science experiment. As for Patrick, he was happy that I never found him in his typical place of refuge, on his sister's top bunk, hiding under her comforter. May God bless and watch over my boys!

Refrigerator Alliteration

Me: "Patrick, please close the refrigerator."

Patrick: "But I am feasting on feta."

Me: "Patrick, please get out of the refrigerator."

Patrick: "I am munching on meat."

The Way She Thinks

Theresa: "I have decided that I want to do Ballet again next year."

Bernadette: "Oh, now that the show is over, have you decided that you like it."

Theresa: "No, I just want to collect as many different costumes as I can."

From the Mouth of a Child

Recently, Patrick attended his sisters' dress rehearsal for Ballet with me. The lead was played by, Julianna, the older sister of my daughters' friends.

When the prince came on stage, Patrick, my very masculine little boy, turned to me and in a disgusted voice stated, "Mommy, that man with Julianna is wearing sticky pants with no underwear."

The dishes, the laundry, the toys...

Brendan: "Our house would be a lot messier if you didn't have all of us."
...a lot messier!

Full of...

After Mass on Saturday, my friend Rachel shared a humorous story with me. In preparing for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, she was teaching her children about "Grace". As she was speaking, her son, John, piped up, "Chicken Nuggets have grace." Thankfully, his eldest sister knew what he meant and responded, "You mean grease, John. Chicken nuggets are full of grease."

My Matter of Fact Son

This morning, I thought that Patrickk was crying because he wanted to go with me to First Saturday Mass and 40 Days for Life. However, when Brendan asked Patrick why he was crying, Patrick responded, "I am not crying because I want to go with Mommy. I am just crying because I don't want to stay home with Daddy."

What has Mommy Done?

Yesterday, my husband called from work and he was truly worried. One of our July birthday girls answered the phone. He asked if he could speak to Mommy. Theresa responded, "She's not here. She's getting my birthday present." Slightly worried, he then asked if he could speak with Catherine, only to receive the same response. He received a similar response when he asked to speak with Bernadette. Thankfully, I took the phone at this point.

My husband told me what Theresa had said and how worried he was getting. Knowing me, he didn't know how I could have left any of our children at home, especially our soon-to-be birthday girl. I explained that the three of us had gone downstairs because I needed the older girls' opinion on a birthday gift. He laughed, tension relieved.

Self-Communicating

Despite his antics, Patrick really does pay attention at Mass. Tonight, he sat at the table with a small stack of Pringles. With each chip, he broke off a small piece, said, "Body of Christ", placed it in his mouth, and followed with "Amen". This continued until the pile was finished.

*Posted by my husband