Somewhere in the last few years Chicken number four has developed her own language, one that makes perfect sense to her but takes a highly trained ear to understand. Many times I have found myself in a situation where I have someone giving me a blank stare as chicken number four (here after to be referred to as CN4) is trying to tell them something. This situation has happened many times over where I am left listening to CN4 and translating for a person with, shall we say a not so trained ear. I as a mother of four chickens have been able to navigate through these situations with minimal problems but every once in a while I need to bring in re-enforcements. I find my most reliable re-enforcement to be chicken number two, (here after to be referred to as CN2) he being an author of his own language himself has a better understanding of CN4 than I do at times and so I find myself enlisting his talents often. Today was no exception...
CN4 came to me and asked "Mommy, whats dat ting on da table?"
"What 'ting' CN4?" (yes I do talk to them with their chicken numbers)
"Dat ting dat is on da table, next to dat odder ting."
"OH, 'dat ting'."
"yup."
I than realize I need to enlist the services of CN2 and call him...
"Chicken number 2"
"Yes Mommy?"
"What is CN4 asking me?"
CN4 than says to CN2 "Whats dat ting on da table?"
CN2 turns to me and says "She want to know if the balloon on the table next to your purse is for her to play with."
"You got all that from what she said?" I asked slightly impressed.
"Yup. Can I go now?"
SURE! Go in peace. I then turn to CN4 and tell her "Yes you may play 'wit dat ting'."
Its so very nice to have translators in your home, every family should have them.
May 17, 2010
May 4, 2010
the invension of the middle name
One of my chickens asked a good question today, one which in hind sight I should have had the answer to, but in my lack of answerness I was able to see the creative genius genes that I posses being passed down to my oldest child. Let me explain...
Today, Justin asked me a question. The question was simply:
"Mommy, why do people have middle names?"
I was stumped. Kinda caught off guard. What to say? What to say? Nothing was coming to me. What was happening? I began thinking to myself, "is this the end? have I lost it? where is the wittiness that my children have come to expect? Come to count on. WHERE DID IT GO??? Who am I? Where am I? What is the point of going on???" When I arrived on that last thought my daughter saved me. With a few short sentences she brought me back to reality.
"Mommy, I know" she said
"You do?" I asked tentatively
"Yup. Its cause a LONG time ago there was a Mommy who had a couple children. One day when they got in trouble she called there names. But the kids did not listen to her, so she made up a second name to go with their first name and yelled that. Then her kids came and listened to her."
Oh my purpose has been restored! I almost heard Handles Messiah playing in the back ground. It was like fireworks going off. Mission accomplished. Thank you Brittany for restoring my hope. I can sleep tonight. Life WILL go on.
Today, Justin asked me a question. The question was simply:
"Mommy, why do people have middle names?"
I was stumped. Kinda caught off guard. What to say? What to say? Nothing was coming to me. What was happening? I began thinking to myself, "is this the end? have I lost it? where is the wittiness that my children have come to expect? Come to count on. WHERE DID IT GO??? Who am I? Where am I? What is the point of going on???" When I arrived on that last thought my daughter saved me. With a few short sentences she brought me back to reality.
"Mommy, I know" she said
"You do?" I asked tentatively
"Yup. Its cause a LONG time ago there was a Mommy who had a couple children. One day when they got in trouble she called there names. But the kids did not listen to her, so she made up a second name to go with their first name and yelled that. Then her kids came and listened to her."
Oh my purpose has been restored! I almost heard Handles Messiah playing in the back ground. It was like fireworks going off. Mission accomplished. Thank you Brittany for restoring my hope. I can sleep tonight. Life WILL go on.
April 16, 2010
When I get bigger, k?
I was handed some Birthday cards today from my chickens and as I read them I came upon my youngest chickens card. In it there was a drawing of 2 people, I asked her who they were and she said: "Me and Daddy" Thinking that they were in my card to wish me a happy birthday or just simply tell me they loved me I ventured ahead...
"Oh, how nice. What are you doing?" I asked thinking that I knew the answer already.
"I'm getting married" she replied.
"Oh you are?!" How silly of me, I thought we were past this stage.
"So whats Daddy doing?"
My youngest chicken then looks at me with her 'mommy face' and says, "Mommy. When I get bigger I am going to marry Daddy. When I am bigger. K?" That kinda caught me off guard and left me wondering about poor Michael being cast off like last years purse, but before I could say anything she said: "And when Michael gets older hes gonna marry you." So now that my future has been planned out for me I do not need to worry about a thing. Not one little thing. Rebekah has it ALL under control. Nice.
"Oh, how nice. What are you doing?" I asked thinking that I knew the answer already.
"I'm getting married" she replied.
"Oh you are?!" How silly of me, I thought we were past this stage.
"So whats Daddy doing?"
My youngest chicken then looks at me with her 'mommy face' and says, "Mommy. When I get bigger I am going to marry Daddy. When I am bigger. K?" That kinda caught me off guard and left me wondering about poor Michael being cast off like last years purse, but before I could say anything she said: "And when Michael gets older hes gonna marry you." So now that my future has been planned out for me I do not need to worry about a thing. Not one little thing. Rebekah has it ALL under control. Nice.
March 30, 2010
Chickens in the Carry On
So I am sitting here in DIA. Sitting waiting for my flights "OK" to leave. Waiting. Sitting. Questions keep running through my head. Questions like:
"Why did I leave my power cord in my checked suitcase and not in my carry on?"
"Why did I put my four chickens for my four chickens at home in my carry on?"
"Why am I sitting in an airport and not hanging with the 'Big Deal' that dropped me off?"
"Why am I blogging about my chickens chickens being in my carry on and not my power cord?"
Things that make you go hmmmmmm...
"Why did I leave my power cord in my checked suitcase and not in my carry on?"
"Why did I put my four chickens for my four chickens at home in my carry on?"
"Why am I sitting in an airport and not hanging with the 'Big Deal' that dropped me off?"
"Why am I blogging about my chickens chickens being in my carry on and not my power cord?"
Things that make you go hmmmmmm...
March 20, 2010
Hunting for Treasure
We went for a treasure hunt the other day and some interesting things happened. It is very interesting to me just how my chickens different personality's come out and 'the great treasure hunt' was no exception.
We set out with a super great map, a camera to document our findings and hopes of treasure at the end.
As we set off our first task was to jump over the canyon of craziness and once on the other side the personalities started to come out.
Michael was super excited for well, pretty much EVERYTHING.
Rebekah was excited because she was outside with Justin and her Michael.
Justin was happy to be exploring.
Brittany was skeptical.
The next task was to find the abandoned tower of the princess. On our way to the princesses tower we saw a ferocious lion, we had to walk slowly and try to avoid him seeing us.
And then oh how the skepticism grew.
"Mommy, that's not a lion."
"Mommy, he is NOT ferocious."
"Mommy, there is no treasure is there?"
I almost gave up right there, but there was treasure to be had and the other chickens wanted to find it. So we set off again, around the tower past the dragons, and at last we found the treasure. HA I showed my little skeptical chicken what was what. And oh my how her tune changed...
"Mommy, that was SO cool"
"How long did you plan that?"
"Mommy can we do that again?"
Yup, worlds best 'Mom O Chickens' here.
WHERE IS MY AWARD?!?!?!?
We set out with a super great map, a camera to document our findings and hopes of treasure at the end.
As we set off our first task was to jump over the canyon of craziness and once on the other side the personalities started to come out.
Michael was super excited for well, pretty much EVERYTHING.
Rebekah was excited because she was outside with Justin and her Michael.
Justin was happy to be exploring.
Brittany was skeptical.
The next task was to find the abandoned tower of the princess. On our way to the princesses tower we saw a ferocious lion, we had to walk slowly and try to avoid him seeing us.
And then oh how the skepticism grew.
"Mommy, that's not a lion."
"Mommy, he is NOT ferocious."
"Mommy, there is no treasure is there?"
I almost gave up right there, but there was treasure to be had and the other chickens wanted to find it. So we set off again, around the tower past the dragons, and at last we found the treasure. HA I showed my little skeptical chicken what was what. And oh my how her tune changed...
"Mommy, that was SO cool"
"How long did you plan that?"
"Mommy can we do that again?"
Yup, worlds best 'Mom O Chickens' here.
WHERE IS MY AWARD?!?!?!?
March 19, 2010
They Are After Me!!!!
Wednesday as you all know was St. Patrick's Day. We have been studying the origin of holidays in school but somehow this one got lost in translation. I was meeting my wonderful husband of 9 years (yes we got married on St. Patty's day, no we aren't Irish) for lunch so I had dropped Brittany and Justin off at Grandmas and was heading to drop the youngest two chickens off at their posts. While in the car driving to drop off Michael he randomly says to me...
"Mommy, I am not wearing green."
"That's OK Michael, you don't have to wear green its just something some people like to do."
"But Brittany and Justin are."
"Yup, they wanted to wear green today."
"So, they wont get me?"
"Who?"
"The tiny little people."
"Do you mean leprechauns?"
"Yes, Brittany told me if I wasn't wearing green they would come get me."
Oh my. We need to have a little talk with the eldest chicken.
"No Michael, the leprechauns will not get you, they are not real."
"Oh, good, I was gonna hide in my closet if they were."
"Mommy, I am not wearing green."
"That's OK Michael, you don't have to wear green its just something some people like to do."
"But Brittany and Justin are."
"Yup, they wanted to wear green today."
"So, they wont get me?"
"Who?"
"The tiny little people."
"Do you mean leprechauns?"
"Yes, Brittany told me if I wasn't wearing green they would come get me."
Oh my. We need to have a little talk with the eldest chicken.
"No Michael, the leprechauns will not get you, they are not real."
"Oh, good, I was gonna hide in my closet if they were."
March 15, 2010
Mommy-Block
Oh life has been crazy, mud caking, stick impaling, toothless smiles, Frisbee diving, lake swimming craziness, but at the same time I find myself strangely without 'blog worthy' stories. I have been racking my brain as to which subject or chicken to blog about. I could blog about Brittany asking every other day to read our latest blog and the look of utter dismay when I have to tell her there have been no posts of late. I could then blog on the finer points of Justin, but I am not writing a book here and most certainly not a trilogy. I then find myself thinking on Michael and his 'blog worthiness' and am coming up short, I guess I could write about how he lost his second tooth. Then comes Rebekah, and we all know how her post would start...her royal highness has bestowed upon her subjects...Yup I am just coming up short. I think you may even call it "mommy block". I just don't know what to do. So I am left asking some very hard questions...
What do the great writers do when they experience such a block?
Could it be that my chickens have stopped producing...blog stories?
Do I need more chickens?
What do farmers do when their chickens stop producing?
(I think I may not get any more chickens from my supplier if I follow the farmers route.)
Do I need to introduce a new item into my chickens environment to stimulate 'blog worthiness'?
What to do? What to do?
I guess I will just leave you with a lovely chicken picture and come back when the 'blogger-rific' stories return.
What do the great writers do when they experience such a block?
Could it be that my chickens have stopped producing...blog stories?
Do I need more chickens?
What do farmers do when their chickens stop producing?
(I think I may not get any more chickens from my supplier if I follow the farmers route.)
Do I need to introduce a new item into my chickens environment to stimulate 'blog worthiness'?
What to do? What to do?
I guess I will just leave you with a lovely chicken picture and come back when the 'blogger-rific' stories return.
