My other car is a batmobile
On a recent walk home from school, The Eight-Year-Old asked, curiously, “Mommyo, are you ever a masked super hero?” Mommyo, evasively: “Only on days that end…
“Is a group of kittens really called a kindle?”
The other day, while cleaning out The Nine-Year-Old’s room, I came across her Top Secret Cat File. In it was a supply list with two items: “1 kindle of…
“What’s a yurt?”
A week or two ago, I finally got around to telling The (now) 9YO the answer to the question her 4YO self had asked about the rules for when Y was used as a consonant, not a vowel. She listened politely until I got to my list of examples. “Mommyo, there’s no such thing as a yurt. You made that up.”
“When is Y not a vowel?”
I still remember the stormy March day almost five years ago when my daughter learned that not all vowels were constants. A, E, I, O, and U are always vowels, but that Y is a trickster. Sometimes he’s a vowel, sometimes he’s not. This news was extremely distressing for The (then) Four-Year-Old. “Mommyo, when is y not a vowel?”
Applied Vocabulary, Episode 3: “What is bliss?”
My cat has an extraordinary super power. He is able to demonstrate the meaning of words. (To be fair, he reads a lot.) In today’s lesson, Canelo teaches The EIght-Year-Old the meaning of bliss.
“Is Chicago really the windiest city?”
Shortly after being carried off by a wind gust on Michigan Avenue, The Eight-Year-Old naturally wanted to know whether Chicago really was the windiest city in America.
Bacon vs. prosciutto
Mommyo, passing the plate of appetizers around the table: “The Seven-Year-Old, would you like some prosciutto? It’s like bacon, but doesn’t need to be cooked.” Daddyo,…
“What’s flotsam?”
On a road trip somewhere in the Midwest, The Eight-Year-Old asked, “What’s flotsam?” My husband promptly answered, “Jetsam’s brother.” I was all set to file this under Funny Stuff My Husband Says and use it as a quick and easy blog post, but then my husband had to ruin it. “But I bet they have technically different meanings. Mommyo, why don’t you look it up?” So, what is the difference between flotsam and jetsam anyway?
“Why do some people call Santa Kris Kringle?”
While we were driving through Orland Park a few weeks ago, we passed the Kris Kringle Haus, a holiday pop-up store specializing in European and American-made Christmas goods. It was obvious to The Seven-Year-Old that this merry little store was just the place to do a bit of Christmas shopping, but one thing was a little confusing.
The Seven-Year-Old, curiously: “Who’s Kris Kringle?”
Dinnertime at Caterpickles Central
Mommyo, curiously: “The Seven-Year-Old, will you tell us about your day?” The Seven-Year-Old, plaintively: “Do I have to? I’m kind of out of words and then…
CATERPICKLES 