hollerisms

I grew up in the middle of nowhere. Seriously. Just when you thought you had gone past all signs of civilization, you turned onto a gravel road and continued for another two miles. We were coun-try! My Nanny and Pa were our closest neighbors. While I have fond memories of being so close with both of them, the focus of this particular blog is my Pa, or, more specifically, things my Pa said. I've coined the word 'hollerisms' for his sayings. Pa had an interesting way of putting things. Whenever an animal found itself somewhere it wasn't supposed to be, Pa would vocalize a harsh sounding grunt/grumble that could be translated as 'Get on out of here.' It's impossible to spell, but I think 'Hitonouttahere!' would be pretty darn close. I can't make up a spelling for the other sound he made, but I have used both sounds quite often (in the classroom and at home).
Recently, another of Pa's most frequently used sayings has crossed my mind quite a bit: 'Just like a pet coon.' Pa was an avid coon hunter, so he knew all about raccoons. He also had tons of tools and cool looking stuff that intrigued and delighted us kids. Even though we knew we weren't supposed to get in Pa's stuff, we would - especially the boys. It seems like one of the boys was always pilfering through Pa's stuff. He would catch them, and say, "You're just like a pet coon!" Now, if any of you are still wondering what that means, let me set you straight. Raccoons are notorious for getting into stuff, pilfering, and just making a mess. Therefore, if you're told you're just like a pet coon, you must be getting into stuff and making a mess. JA never had the privilege of meeting my Pa, but he makes me think of him often. There have been several times in the last couple of weeks that I have laughed and told JA he was like a little pet coon. Like when he pilfered through the shelves in the kitchen and scattered baggies, a box of tea, some juice, and a couple of plastic containers all over the floor. I also compared JA to a pet coon when he decided to take the tissues out of the box and scatter them on the living room floor. I wonder if Pa found the humor in the situation like I do. Even though it's just one more mess I have to clean up, I love the fact that JA is curious and likes to explore. Well, that, and I love that it reminds me of a fond memory I have of my Pa.

the mystery of the missing spoons

Our silverware has eight place settings. That said, you would think we would have eight big spoons. I'm pretty sure we started out with eight big spoons. However, their numbers are dwindling. I noticed a lack of big spoons in the drawer earlier this evening. I went to get one out and was surprised that there were only two in their little cubby in the silverware drawer. I checked to ensure that none were mistakenly placed with the smaller spoons (cause that's happened). Nope. I had just loaded the dishwasher, and I'm fairly certain that I hadn't put six big spoons in there. Hmmmm, where, oh where, can my big spoons be???
The somewhat humorous part of this story is that my mom always accused us of throwing away and/or giving away her big spoons when we were growing up because her big spoons also seemed to disappear. Maybe there's some kind of big spoon conspiracy. Aliens from a far away planet need big spoons to fuel their spaceships. Little people 'borrow' the big spoons just to watch mothers think they are losing their minds. Or, of course, there's always my mother's favorite reason: The big spoons just grew legs and walked away. Whatever the reason, I miss my big spoons. I tend to have OCD tendencies, and I really, really need to have eight pieces of each type of silverware. Hopefully, my big spoons will get homesick and come back soon!

it's getting better... really...

As you all probably know, JA started going to daycare twice a week at the end of January/beginning of February. At first, he didn't even seem to notice when I left (which made me a little sad). Then, he realized, 'Hey, this is the place where Mommy brings me and then disappears for a couple of hours... not cool!' - which is when he became very clingy and started crying when I would leave (which made me feel like the worst mother in the world.) Well, it's getting better :) He still cries a little when I leave, but only for a moment. (I stand in the hall until he calms down - looking through a window.) The last two times I have picked him up, they have commented on how happy he had been and what an awesome day he had :) That makes me feel good! I picked him up before nap today, and I could hear him having the best time before I even got in the room :) I was so excited to hear sweet little happy noises coming from my son! He didn't even notice me when I walked in. When the teacher showed him I was there, he continued to make happy noises and crawled over to me - just a grinning and talking! He was telling me one more story :) (just wish I knew what it was, lol!)
So, I'm starting to feel a little better about the daycare thing. I'm a little apprehensive about May, though. I'm taking a Maymester class, which means he'll have to be there 5 days a week for 4 weeks :( but, we'll just cross that bridge when we get to it...