The "You Have BAD Breath" Day...

My kids usually visit the eye doctor right before returning to school.  I was looking at the calendar a few weeks ago and realized I hadn't scheduled their appointments quite yet.  So with trying to accommodate my vacation week and work schedule, so I picked a day I already had to leave early.  My youngest daughter had a dentist appointment scheduled late one afternoon, so it worked out perfect that I scheduled their eye doctor visits for that same afternoon.  What I failed to realize was that because of doing just that, I would have blog material fall right into my lap.

It's no surprise that Jenna is the daily entertainment for our family.  She is the never-know-what-she-is-going-to-say-or-do-next child.  She is my handful but she is also very sweet and loving.  There is never a dull moment around our home when she is awake.  I know the expression kids say the darndest things is often heard or said.  Unfortunately, that might just be an understatement of her actions that afternoon.  She is known to be energetic almost all the time, but this day she was pumped up and ready to go.  I didn't ask her Granny if she gave her boat loads of chocolate that afternoon, but maybe I should have.  So we arrive just in time at the eye doctor's office.  Since she is the only one who wears glasses, she was raring to go first.  She jumped right up in that big black chair and started asking the doctor her normal 20+ questions.  What's that do, what's this do, why is that picture on the wall, what do you use this for?  Then he came closer to her to instruct her on what to do and where to sit.  Next thing I know, out of her mouth came four words that embarrassed the daylights out of me and left me speechless.  She looked him straight in the eye and said "You have bad breath."  Ugh, what, ummm, hmmmm, oh my God, my child did NOT just say what she did.  Yep, she certainly did and it was too late to rewind the scene.  My first action was to immediately look at Alyssa on my left with my mouth wide open.  What could I say or do?  It's not like I could jump up, spank her butt, and lecture her about things we don't say at that moment in time.  So I said her name very sternly, and told her that wasn't a nice thing to say.  Then it was time to try and save face as much as I possibly could.  The damage was already done, but I couldn't let the situation go completely.  I explained to the eye doctor to please not think anything about it because she tells me, my husband, and her sister that all the time.  He laughed it off but I could tell he was bothered by the comment.  But to retreat, he got her back because she had her flip flops on the floor and was barefoot.  He told her she had stinky feet!  Good one doc, considering you were just told your breath stinks!! 

So after that humiliating incident, it was time for Alyssa to get her eyes checked.  As always, the good child sat up there and did as she was supposed to do.  No humiliating words left that pretty little mouth and her eyes checked out great like they always do!

So after both exams were done, it was time to pick out glasses for the year.  I told the ladies working in the office what Jenna said, and they laughed about it.  But then the lady who always helps us pick out Jen's glasses put gum in her mouth and now always chews gum when she is around clients... all thanks to those 4 little words my daughter spoke that day.  The glasses choice was a quick and easy one, and it was time to be off to the next stop - the dentist where the people are nice and close to your mouth, oh my....

Let's just say Jenna received a lecture and a threat that she better not embarrass Mommy at the dentist office like she did at the eye doctor.  We reminded her that sometimes we may have a thought in our head, but we don't speak it out loud.  For most people, this is common sense, but for Jenna it can be difficult.  She has always spoke her mind or asked whatever is on the brain at the time. Lord knows I have tried to teach her appropriate things to say, but there are just times where her mouth is out of my control.  Her little brain operates and there is no stopping her! 

Her dentist venture began with her cleaning as usual.  At least I had conversation material for everyone in that office that we came in contact with for that appointment.  I told the story and each person just laughed and thought it was hysterical.  I have to admit it was a bit funny.  Honestly, what can you do after your daughter says that?  You have to laugh just a little bit, but the embarrassment definitely superseded the humor in it.  She continued on her role at the dentist of being energetic and thinking she was funny.  At one point, she asked the dental hygienist if she had anything to keep her distracted while she waited on the dentist to come in the room.  So she received a lovely tic-tac-toe electronic game to play with for a few minutes.  Then the dentist came in the room and heard the same funny story.  I have to admit I was grateful that none of them had bad breath.  At least Jenna didn't blurt it out if she thought so....

What was supposed to be a pretty quiet routine afternoon of doctor/dentist appointments turned into a comedy session that day.  And a day the eye doctor and ladies in that office will never forget!  I hope when she is 20 years old, the doctor harasses her about this story.  I dearly love both of my girls and their personalities.  It's funny how they are so much different from one another.  They both have qualities about themselves that I wouldn't change.  What I think I will change is the fact I will start carrying duct tape in my purse....  Thanks for the laugh and blog material Jenna.  We did get to pick up the glasses a few days later, and thank goodness no one had bad breath that day!

It's Great to Have a Good Laugh!

Laughter is good for the soul. Laughter is good for the mind, body and spirit too. I love to laugh, even when I don't want to laugh sometimes. We all need a good laugh every now and again. Sometimes we laugh at something that happens, our children, things others do, or even laugh at ourselves as well. And there are sometimes we have to contain our laughter for the sake of others. Like when someone slips and falls on the ice or down the stairs, your initial thought should be to make sure that person is ok. Then the thought immediately following is usually the fact that you want to laugh. We are all human, we have all done it. I know I have had to bite my tongue more than once around my kids. But once they leave the room, I can let the laughter erupt. We have all been there, done that, and laughing is a great thing!

Laughter can be a source of therapy sometimes. We can be having the worst day or nothing seems to be going right, and then something happens to make us laugh. It relaxes our minds, releases tension and stress, and makes us feel better after we've had a good laugh. It has the same effect as a good cry does; we always feel better after we've had a crying spell over something. We can equally feel better after having a laughter spell over something. So the next time you are having a rough time or a hard day, think of something funny! Even if you don't want to laugh, find something to laugh about because it will help ease your day and lighten your mood.

We have all had "oops" moments that we want to run and hide under a rock and hide our faces for eternity. We all make mistakes that result in embarrassing ourselves at some point or another. The best thing to do when this happens is to try and forget about what has happened, laugh about it too, and move on. Don't dwell on it, don't even think about it. As time passes, people will forget and it won't be as funny as the moment when it happened. We may do things that people will always remember, but at least we don't have to walk around red-faced forever. Time passes and so will those little embarrassing moments we all have.

Not only do we ourselves have "oops" moments, but it happens to other people all the time. Funny things happen all the time, jokes are spread like wildfire on the internet. There is always something to laugh about if you think about it. How many times have you thought about something that happened to another person in the past and still laugh about it to this day? Most people can recall at least one funny memory like that. But when it happens to others, it's even funnier because it didn't happen to YOU. Think about that statement. If something really embarrassing happens to someone, you have to laugh about it. But then when you think "I'm glad it was them and not me," it makes the scenario even funnier.

I know for me personally, I find more laughter in things that my kids do and say. My little one sure has that ability, she makes me laugh every single day. Her latest overstated phrase of "I got you a question" was hilarious when I first heard it. Now I find myself telling other people "I got you a question!" I really have to watch what I say because I pick up the 4 year old lingo and it sticks. Ever notice how that works? Your kids will say something so many times and it kind of grows on you after awhile. So just beware if you have little ones, sometimes their childlike language becomes a part of your everyday vocabulary. And then you can make others laugh when you use the words of your children in adult conversation!

Have you ever been slap happy? I love that term! Slap happy just sounds funny in itself. Being slap happy doesn't mean you go around happily slapping everyone (and I know a few who would not to mention any names) but it simply means you are giggly and in a happy mood. Not only do I love the term, but I love being slap happy. This usually happens to people when they are low on sleep and really tired but have a burst of energy right before they are going to crash. Sometimes it takes a little bit of alcohol and people get slap happy. It's like being on a cloud and not focusing on reality for a short time. And everything you do while in slap happy mode is funny to you and you think everyone else should laugh about it too. It could be the silliest or dumbest thing, but it's just hysterical. People don't get slap happy too often, but when they do, stand by and watch because you might just get a few good laughs over it!

Some people are happy go lucky and can laugh all the time. Other people are depressed, sad and mope around all the time. And then there are those in between. We all have good and happy days. But we also all have bad and not so good days. We also all have our moods too ~ up, down, happy, sad, focused, scatterbrained, etc. Our mood will determine how much laughter we will release in a day. So if we can stay in a positive and upbeat mode, we will be able to laugh and have more fun in a day then if we down or depressed about something. Even on a bad day, we all need to see the light and be thankful for all of our blessings, and smile! Smiling is contagious and if you smile, you will feel better =-) !

Let's see, what else comes to mind when I think about laughing? Well, the fact that laughing can make us happier in life. We need to forget about all the bad things in life and focus on the positive. So the time to start is now. Put aside all the bad thoughts in your brain and think about the good ones. Think about the funny thing your child said or did, think about something funny that happened at someone else's expense but was funnier then heck, think about one of those "oops" moments you've had and laugh. Laugh about it! It's healthy to let it out. It's good for the heart and soul to laugh. Ok, back to Gigglytown for me. Now I just have to remember the last funny thing my daughter said to me....

Have a good day and laugh, laugh, and laugh some more!!!

My Mini Comedian

Do you have kids that like to be funny or do things that you can't help but laugh about? Well I must say there is never a dull moment around our house. My little one has become the entertainment on several occasions. You just really never know quite what she will do or say next. So a few nights ago she informed me that her toothpaste was "taking a bath." I thought what in the world is she talking about?!?!


So then my brain had a flashback to this time last year. She accidentally dropped the cap of her toothpaste down into the sink and it fit just perfectly into the drain to where I could not get it out. The cap was such a perfect fit that no matter what I used to try and pry it out or what I did, the cap became wedged down farther into the drain the more I tried to retrieve it! So finally after multiple tries and using different objects to try and fish out the cap, I gave up and decided to call for back-up assistance. So I dialed up my mom's husband, otherwise known as my Mr. Fix-it who came up with the remedy to solve the problem. He jabbed a sharp knife way down into the plastic and carefully wiggled the stuck cap back up to the surface! So we had a tube of toothpaste that had this lovely knife hole in the cap until it was all used up.


So the other night when my little one informed me that her "toothpaste was taking a bath." I said NOOOOO and knew exactly what that meant! So I ran into the bathroom and sure enough ~ an exact repeat a year later! She once again had the toothpaste cap wedged down into the drain and the sink was half full of water. Only this time her toothpaste was floating in the water "taking a bath." So I dialed up Mr. Fix It and he came over to fix the problem once again. I had a talk with my little one about how the toothpaste doesn't need to take a bath, just people. So a few days later she came up to me again and told me her toothpaste was taking another bath... (But luckily Mr. Fix It was at my house this time so no need to make another phone call LOL)

Then a couple days later I said the words "diaper bag" in conversation with my little comedian. She then informed me that it was an "underwear bag." Well I was puzzled for a few seconds until I realized oh yes, she has been potty trained for awhile. So she corrected me that her "diaper bag" must now be called an "underwear bag" for future reference! So I'm trying to remember to use the correct term but I have been corrected a few times since. I will give her credit and say she does have a very valid point!

No matter what, all kids say the darndest things at some point in time. Sometimes they are embarrassing, sometimes their words can be cute, but what is most important is that we take the time to laugh about their funny sayings. Kids are only little once and might be funny or embarrass us a few times in our lives, but those memories will stick with us a lifetime and become some of the best moments to reflect back upon as they grow older. As I always say, life is short so laugh, love and live happy!

Where is Heaven?

Last night I was asked a question that made me think before I answered. My daughter was sitting at the table and said "Mommy, where is heaven?" I thought for a minute. Then I answered that heaven was in the sky and that's where God lives.

Our family dog of 11 years passed away back in July. She has talked about Chewy numerous times since. I have tried to explain to her that Chewy died and we buried her so God could come and take her to heaven. Well, she continues to want to buy Chewy a toy at the store, or little things like that. She told her grandma they needed to dig Chewy up because she is all dirty and we need to clean her up. So trying to explain about heaven and that it is where people and animals go when they die is difficult when it comes to little ones.

Then she asked me about her sister that we lost before she was born. I said baby Mindy is in heaven and she asked why. She is on the "why" stage that little ones pass through at some point. I told her Mindy was in heaven because she was sick when she was born and God took her from this earth when she was 9 days old. She has seen pictures of Mindy and knows that is her sister. She will one day understand when she gets older.

It is a pondering question though: "Where is heaven?" We believe that it is above the clouds and that it is beautiful with golden streets and angels and perfect harmony. Even though my daughter is too young to understand at this point in her life, it does make me think more about where it is and what's it like in heaven.

As I was driving this morning, I took these picture of the sunrise. It was such a beautiful bright orange sun rise this morning. And yes I was driving and taking picture at the same time. I promise there were no cars coming or I wouldn't have been multi-tasking like that. But my point is look at these pictures. Look at the bottom picture. Do you see it? It almost resembles a cross with a light in the middle. Please note I didn't take this picture on purpose for that reason. But that's what I saw after I looked at the pics I had taken. Take a look and see if you agree with me.