Funny Friday - Feed the Kitty

Me -

I was feeding my cat and my Mom and I were talking about shoes. I had to get the cat a can of food, but accidentally I said "Okay, I just have to get the cat some heels.

Mom -

When Melia was little she was eating a piece of the cat's food. "Melia!" I said "That is the cat's food!" so she spit it out and put it into the cat's bowl.

We welcome you to share your funny stories with us. Tune in Monday for another  Says Me Says Mom discussion topic.

Aquariums

Me - Aquariums, wow! I love aquariums. I recently went to the Jenkinson's aquarium at at Point Pleasant on the Boardwalk. It was so awesome, but my little sister, Aurella was terrified of almost everything. She only liked like about one exhibit.For example, I remember she liked the seals. She also liked the turtles and the frogs, but not the poison frogs. However, I liked just about all the exhibits except for the turtles because of my finger's recent encounter with a snapping turtle. Now, I despise turtles. I really liked getting to pet a stingray. I have touched one before at another aquarium. However, then I was younger and I was a bit afraid so I touched it and quickly pulled my hand out of the tank. Near the stingrays, they had a beautiful macaw in a cage. They also had another cage with some of the most adorable things I had ever seen in my life -  pygmy marmosets. They were so cute! They were climbing all over the place and being all active. They were much cuter than your average monkey. However,  I didn't understand why they were in an aquarium. An aquarium is for sea animals. They belong in a zoo. I also loved the seals. I love seals in general. I think seals, sea lions, and sea otters are cute in general. In fact, they are the cutest animals in all of aquariums. However, this aquarium only had seals including a blind seal. I wanted to see them feed the seals but we weren't there long enough. I was also disappointed that we didn't get to see the penguins which Jenkinsons is known for. However, they were redoing the penguin and the alligator exhibits so we couldn't see them I would have liked to see the alligators too but not as much as the penguins. Some day we'll have go back when the penguins and alligators are on exhibit again and see them. I also really liked a group of frogs all in the same tank. One was in a little fake tree. It was easy for a person to spot that frog. Then, right as we were leaving the tank I spotted another one hanging from the upper left corner. Then, Aurella spotted one in the down right corner. I spotted one in the upper right corner just sitting on a branch and blending in. Then, I realized that there was another frog standing on it leaning against the wall. They also had sea horses. They were much smaller than I thought. In fact, they had some that were so tiny they looked like specks of dust. I wondered how small their babies could be.When I was younger, we went to the Camden Aquarium. I got to hold a shark, touch a stingray as I mentioned earlier, and I also touched a starfish. They had swimming with dolphins, but you had to make an appointment, and we didn't. I didn't even notice any dolphins in the tank anyway. One of my favorite parts and one of the only parts I remember about the Camden Aquarium, there was a pool of sharks and there was a tunnel you could walk through so the sharks were swimming on the sides and above you, but they were in tanks and there was glass so they couldn't get to you. Aurella was so scared. She was practically crying, but she was really young then. Now, as I look back at that I realize that if had any kind of sharp object even if it was something with a thick sharp corner and it fell from my hands or my pockets, it could have cracked the glass and the sharks would be free. I don't remember much of that aquarium, but I do know I had fun, and I remember having fun at Jenkinson'sAquarium. I hope to have fun at some other aquariums some day too.

Mom - This past week we went to Jenkinson's Aquarium by the Jersey shore. While I enjoy Aquariums, I do not like them as much as zoos. Maybe, that is because I am not that into fish. I had fish when I was younger and both of my girls have fish. Still, I find them kind of boring. I mean all they really do is swim, eat and eventually die. You can't really interact with them like you can with a dog or a cat, or even a guinea pig or a gerbil or something. The Aquarium was fun though.At aquariums, I usually like the dolphins or seals or the little furry sea creatures like sea otters. Seals are not actually that small. They are a lot bigger than I ever realized they were. I also like  penguins. At Jenkinson's, I  was disappointed that they were renovating the penguins exhibit, and we were unable to see the penguins. Penguins are what Jenkinson's is known for. We really enjoyed the seals though. Someone told me they even have a blind seal. They also had really cute pygmy marmosets and beautiful macaws although what they have to do with the sea and why either of them would be in an aquarium I have no idea. A few years ago, we went to Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ. It is much bigger than Jenkinson's and has many more different types of animals. I especially enjoyed the hippos, seals, and penguins there. My girls really liked getting to touch various sea creatures, such as, sea urchins and stingrays, and even a shark. At Jenkinson's, they were able to touch some sea creatures too, but not a shark. I think my favorite sea creature is the sea otter. Years ago, I went to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago where I fell in love with the adorable sea otters. Maybe, next we'll go to the Baltimore Aquarium. Despite, many trips to Baltimore over the years to visit family surprisingly, we have never been there or at least the girls and I have never been there.

And that's our view. What is your favorite sea creature?

Tune in tomorrow for funny friday.

Game Shows

Me -Game shows, wow! I watch Family Feud, Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader, Wheel of Fortune and some other game shows too. I hardly ever watch Jeopardy because most of the questions are too hard. Sometimes there are questions I can answer, and  I would like to go on when they have a kids week. I didn't understand why there were so many different hosts on Family Feud until my Mom explained to me that have had several different versions of the show over time with several different hosts. My favorite is John O'Hurley. He's got a good personality, and he seems to know what he is doing the best. I like Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader because I like a show where kids get a chance to compete and can show they can be smarter than adults. Wheel of Fortune is a show that I would really like to be on, but I am too young. It's really easy to play along though and figure out the puzzles. I really like game shows, and I would like to try watching even more. When I am older and know more maybe I will even like Jeopardy as much as my Mom and Dad do if it's still around.

Mom - I have always liked game shows. I especially like the ones where you actually have to know things to win. That is why Jeopardy is my favorite. You really have to know a lot of things to win at Jeopardy. There are no lifelines. There are is no phoning a friend. There is no asking a celebrity and then deciding whether you agree with them or not. There is just you and that little buzzer against two other people. Some people have said that I should go on Jeopardy because I have a really good memory. I had a jeopardy book and there were sample contestant tests in it, and they were really hard. Besides, it is more fun to be at home where you can just yell out the answer and don't have the pressure of the buzzer and  the other contestants. The other game show I usually watch right now is Wheel of Fortune. Wheel of Fortune is much easier than jeopardy. You don't have to be as smart to go on Wheel of Fortune. I sometimes watch Wheel of Fortune in fast forward mode, and I can still keep track of what is going on and play along. In fact, I prefer it that way, the normal way is too slow. I didn't use to like Alex Trebek, the host of Jeopardy. I thought he was kind of full of himself. However, a number of years ago I attended a taping of Jeopardy, and he was really nice to the audience members during commercial breaks talking to them and answering questions and stuff. Ever since then, I have liked him. I know there was at least one other host before him, but I can't imagine Jeopardy without him. Pat Sajak of Wheel of Fortune always seem liked a nice guy with a good personality, but I have never seen him in person so I don't know. As for Vanna White, her job doesn't seem that difficult but she gets paid a lot to do it, and she gets to wear a lot of nice clothes. The coolest thing about Wheel of Fortune is that you can sign up for the Wheel Watchers club and if your number is picked you will win a trip. Even better than that is if you go to the web-site and answer the bonus puzzle every day, you can earn points that can be traded in for real prizes so you can win without even being on the show. Jeopardy doesn't have anything like that.

And that's our view. What game shows do you watch?

Tune in Thursday for another topic.

Funny Friday - Little Ears Are Always Open

Me-

When I was little one day, I was being really bad so my mother picked me up and told me to "get in my damn crib."

Later, when she took me out of my crib I said "When I was in my damn crib ...

Mom -

When my stepson was little he went through a phase were he was always saying  "so you want a piece of me". We went through everyone we knew trying to figure out where he would have picked up this expression. Finally, we realized he had heard it in a commercial.


We welcome you to share your funny  stories with us. Tune in Monday for another regular Says Me Says Mom discussion topic .

Godspell

Me - Godspell, wow! I recently saw Godspell with my parents and my sister. It was so terrific! I wish it wasn't closing. I didn't really understand that when shows closed they were just gone unless a revival of the show opened and that revivals were not necessarily exactly the same. I thought that shows were always stopping and starting. I loved everything about the show, and it was really funny. My favorite people in the cast were Corbin Bleu and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle. The whole cast, however, was terrific. The show itself was terrific. I thought it was amazing how they opened up certain areas of the stage and there was water or trampolines or stage props. I thought it was even more amazing that the cast was actually able to memorize where all of these were. I thought the songs were all really great, and all of the casts voices were great. We even bought a copy of the CD even though we already had a copy from an older version of the show. This CD had more songs though.The only thing I didn't like about the show was I just didn't really understand the ending. It's a shame the show is closing so soon and more people aren't going to get to see it. I wish I could see it every day until closes because I loved it so much. It inspired me to want to be in a production of the show one day because it seems like so much fun.

Mom - The other day, my husband and I took our girls to New York to see the show Godspell. I had seen it before as well as having seen the movie but never saw it on Broadway before. My six year old had never even been to a Broadway show before. She loved it. My older daughter, a veteran Broadway theatergoer  who had already seen about six or seven shows, loved it as well as did my husband and I. It was incredibly entertaining. The acting and  singing  were top notch. My daughters were thrilled that the cast included Corbin Bleu of High School Musical fame and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle of Camp Rock and Hannah Montana or as they are known affectionately in our house Chicken Cordon Blue and Anna Maria Dedada Dedada.  Corbin is a way better actor and singer than I ever would have give him credit for. Anna Maria is adorable and has a beautiful voice. I never realized she was so tiny though. The rest of the cast was equally talented with George Salazar a  particular standout  The set was one of the most interesting I have seen with panels in the floor that could be opened to reveal a baptismal pool, trampolines etc. The costumes reminded me very much of the costumes from the movie. Although the main character's costume was different than in previous versions of the show, they did pay homage to his costume from the original show and the movie. The script was updated enough to keep things fun and interesting for the audience with some references that went right over the heads of the children in attendence and others that didn't. All in all, the audience was kept involved throughout the show clapping and singing along, and at times members of the audience were invited on stage to actually become a part of the production. My girls were especially excited by the newspapers, beads, confetti etc. flying into the audience at various times throughout the show. They each managed to come home with a gold beaded necklace and a pocketful of confetti. The cast seemed to be having as a good a time as the audience which is one of the special things about Godspell. Other shows I would include in that category where the cast seems to be having as a good a time as the audience are Xanadu and Pippin. I would highly recommend all three of them if you ever have the opportunity to see one of them. I would also highly recommend this particular production of Godspell. Unfortunately, it is closing this Sunday. However, if you live in or around the New York area or you intend to be here this weekend, run don't walk and get yourself some tickets to this wonderful show!

And that's our view. What Broadway show would you like to see before it closes?

Tune in tomorrow for another edition of funny Friday.

Super Powers It Would Be Nice to Have

Me - Super powers, wow! I watch a show called Lab Rats where people have bionic superpowers. Bree has super speed. Adam has super strength. Chase has super smarts. If I had a super power, I would want one of those three or I would like to be able to fly. If I had super speed, I would be able to sneak up on someone and do something to them before they even noticed. If I had super strength and someone bothered me I could attack them. If I had super smarts, I could ace every test and get straight A's in school. If I could fly, I could travel to far away places. I would like to have super hearing because if people were talking behind my back I would know. I would always be able to over hear secrets. I would know if somebody was throwing me a surprise party not that anyone does that. I would like to have a button on my arm and when I press it and say a number that would be how many arms I have. Then,  I could get a lot of things done at once. I would like to be able to be in more than one place at a time also so I could get many things done at once. I would like to be able to transport myself from one place to another instantly. Then, if someone was trying to attack me, I could instantly be some place else. I would like to be able to transport myself  through time. Then, I would be able to play with my sister and myself as babies. Also, I could travel to the future and see who I marry, how many kids I have and where we live.I would like to have the ability to read people's minds so I would know what they are really thinking. I would like to be able to become invisible or disappear so if I became embarrassed or got in trouble I could either become inviisble so no one could see me anymore or I could disappear so that I wouldn't even be there. That way I could stop any humiliation from happening. I would like to have the power to make any wish and every time it would become true. I would like to be able to get dressed and go to school without even getting out of bed. I would like to have a freckle next to my eye so that if I touched it a fake eye would grow so I could sleep during school and not get in trouble for it.  I would like to be able to stop time so if I really enjoy something I won't have stop to go to sleep. I would also be able to get a lot of things done, and I could go to sleep for as long as I want without having to get up. I would like to be able do things over when they don't go as planned and start my life over if I don't think that it is going well. I would like to be able to control everything that I do by mind. I wouldn't have to get up and get dressed. It would just automatically be done. I would be able to take tests without even picking up a pencil and take showers without even taking my clothes off. Even better than having one of these super powers would be to have all of them at once. That would really be cool!

Mom - Of course, it would be nice to have the power to magically transport one self from one place to another. It sure would cut down on the necessity to rush from one place to another. Nobody would have to speed on the highway anymore which cut down on accidents. It would nice to be invisible if you needed to find out what your kids are really up to or to find out what somebody really thinks or says about something. . I would like the ability to clean my house without ever actually have to lift a finger or having to pay somebody else to do it. I would like to be able to literally make money grow on trees so I would always have enough for whatever I wanted or needed to do. I would like to be able to read a book, watch TV and go on-line at the same time so I could get a lot more done at a time. I would like to be able to stop time so that I could get more done in a day. I would like the ability to go back and do things over when they don't go exactly as planned or when I do or say something I regret. I would like to be able to move objects with mind so I could drive my car without actually having to drive it. However, what I would really like to have are Mom superpowers. I would like to have the ability to know what if anything my kids are trying to keep from me. I would like to be able to know where my kids are at all times even when they neglect to tell me themselves. I would like the ability to make my child respond to the sound of my voice without having to repeat myself a millions times. I would like the ability to protect my children from ever being hurt mentally or physically. All of these are abilities it would be nice to have and I am sure there are many others, but I guess life isn't meant to be that easy. If we never had to work at anything or figure out anything or do anything for ourselves life would be boring. However, I wouldn't mind for some things to be a little bit easier. like maybe if I could just read my children's minds or something that would be enough or maybe not.

And that's our view. What super power what you like to have?

Tune in Thursday for another topic.

Funny Friday - I'll Call You What I Want

Me -

When I was young, I couldn't say Grandma so I called her by her first name, Ann (although I pronounced it like On)

Mom  -

When Melia was little she called her brother Dada. We couldn't figure out why she was saying everybody's name but his until we realized she was calling  her Dad "Daddy" and her  brother
"Dada.

When Aurella was little, she called her brother "That" and later she started calling him "Tush"
We have no idea why she called him THAT, but it was Melia who got her calling him tush. I am not sure why.

We welcome you to share your funny  stories with us. Tune in Monday for another regular Says Me Says Mom discussion topic .

Summer

Me -  Summer, wow! I would be really excited for summer except for the fact that my Mom is going to put me to work. I just want to sleep and rest all summer long. My Mom wants me to work and get everything done like cleaning out my closets and drawers and stuff. I am looking forward to going swimming and taking a bunch of day trips. I am planning on reading a lot of books. I always read a lot of books anyway. During the summer, I can earn things by reading by doing summer reading programs. In previous years, I have earned books, shirts, water bottles, and free ice cream  among other things. I have even earned ten dollars each of the past three years from TD bank. I will also spend a lot of time playing with my sister, Aurella, and we will try to get plenty of fresh air and maybe go to the park at my school sometimes. I am really looking forward to the summer which for me starts tomorrow.  I can't wait for school to be over!

Mom - Tomorrow is the last day of school for my girls. I am really looking forward to summer break. I am hoping to get a lot of things done this summer. I always say that but I never get as much done as I plan. I am also looking forward to not having to stick to a routine as much as we do during the school year. I am looking forward to not having to get up at a certain time. I am looking forward to taking many day trips with my family, trips to places like baseball stadiums and museums and amusement parks. I am looking to forward starting a new feature on our blog called Where To Go Wednesdays where will talk about the placer we go to. I am looking forward to go swimming in our neighborhood pool (we haven't been there in around 3 years even though it's right up the street) and in the pool in my mother's neighborhood. Maybe, we will even get to the beach this year, we haven't been there in a few years either. I am not a big fan of sand. I am looking forward to warmer weather. Well, maybe not so much that, it is warm already, and it gets much too warm much too fast. I don't really like the heat. That is the worst part of the summer. Thank goodness, for air conditioning, and I am so grateful that ours is now fixed before it gets really really hot.

And, that's our view. What are you looking forward to this summer?

Tune in tomorrow for Funny Friday.

Camping

Me - Camping, wow! Over the past weekend, I went camping with my Dad and my sister. My Mom doesn't go camping so she can try to get caught up and get everything done. I call it her "I am gonna get caught up on-line and get everything done weekend/Bummer I didn't do anything weekend" We went camping with our Sunday school. I played with a bunch of friends that I knew there and with my sister, Aurella. On Friday, I ran around a lot with Aurella,. We ran from the cabin to the dining hall and back numerous times. We were so tired that we went to sleep early. Then, Saturday, I played with my friend, Mya and my sister. Then, I also played with my friends, Raquel, Nella, DJ, and Mya, and of course, with my sister. We played gaga and went by the lake. We ran around. We played board games. Sunday, we played with Raquel, Nella and DJ. Mya had already left. We played some more gaga. I caught a frog, but I had to let it go. When I put my hand in the lake to let go of the frog, something bite me. I screamed. I thought that it was a shark even though there are no sharks in a lake. The big kids said it was probably a snapping turtle. Dad said it was probably one of those big fish that eat turtles. Over all, I had a great time camping, and I hope to go again soon.

Mom - This past weekend my husband took the kids camping. They go twice a year with the  Sunday school. I never go. Partly because I have no desire to go camping, partly because I like having a weekend to myself every once in a while. I always think that while they are away, I will get caught up on everything that I haven't been able to get too. I never do. I usually get a lot done, but I never get completely caught up. I wonder if there really is such a thing as being completely caught up. I don't think so. There is always so much to do, and it seems like there is more and more all the time. Of course, having a husband and kids has made my life busier and more complicated than before I was married, but it is not only them. The computer makes my life more complicated too. It makes my life simpler but also more complicated. There are always so many things to do on-line. Things like blogging , and surveys and e-mail. Things that it takes more than a weekend to get caught up on. Then, they are non-computer things to be done like cleaning out drawers and organizing closets and filing. Well, there is a whole summer to get caught up on these things, but I am sure that at the end of the summer I will feel like I hardly got anything done either. Oh well, maybe when both the girls are in school full time next year, I will feel like I am actually getting things done during the day, but probably not. Maybe, when they are both in school full time and I have all that time to myself, I will not miss my weekends alone when they are not in the same Sunday school next year and not going camping anymore. I doubt that though. I love my family, but every once in a while it is nice to have a weekend alone.

And that's our view. What would you do if you had a weekend to yourself?

Tune in Thursday for another topic.

Children's Books We Love

Me - Children's books, wow! When I was little I read Clifford. I called him Coochie. Before I could actually read it, I memorized it. I could recite it so well that people thought I was actually reading. I also loved Barney books. I even made up a Barney joke. What follows a purple dinosaur around everywhere it goes? Baby Bop! I also loved Sandra Boynton books. Her books were really funny. My favorites included Moo Baa La La La and Pajama Time. We also read a lot of Amelia Bedelia books. She was hilarious. I liked the Froggy books by Jonathan London. I liked the Frances the Badger books. I liked Sesame Street books.  I loved Dr. Seuss books. My favorite Dr. Seuss book is Green Eggs and Ham. I enjoyed the Berenstain Bears. I had a big book of Berenstain Bear stories. My favorite Berenstain Bears book was one about them having a new baby. I got it when my sister was going to be born, and I still loved it and read it even years later. Now my sister has my old books or at least the ones she still hasn't given away yet. When I see them it makes me think back to when I was a kid, and enjoyed reading and hearing them too.

Mom - I  started loving books when I was young because there were so many great children's books including many books that have stood the test of time and that my children have loved as much as I did.  Books we have loved include Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Amelia Bedelia and Madeline. I also love the Frances the Badger series. The way she would make up the way words were spelled reminded me of the way my stepson and my youngest daughter each thought you could put any combination of letters together, and it would make a word like Z  X R Q or  K J Y N or something. We also like Harry the Dirty Dog and Harold and the Purple Crayon. While I enjoy reading these classic books as a child and again with my children,  I also have enjoyed reading other children's books with my children, books that were not yet published when I was a child. I love  Fancy Nancy. My daughter, Aurella, has always loved big words too. "Boots absolutely threw Nemo down the stairs.", she told me once when she was about 2 or 3. I like the Marley books and the Pinkalicious books. We even saw a musical based on the original Pinkalicious. My favorite though is Silverlicious where she loses a tooth. I like The Kissing Hand and the other books about Chester the raccoon. Quite a few times, we used the kissing hand with Aurella who had separation issues even when she just had to go into another room in our own house. I love Kevin Henkes books especially Chrysanthemum which is just so much fun to say and Jessica which is about a girl with invisible friends. Both of my daughters had invisible friends when they were little. Aurella still does although she recently changed from an invisible best friend named Dora to an invisible best friend named Doc after the new Disney show, Doc McStuffins. I didn't think Dora would ever leave us. Those are just a few of the many great children's books out there. I have so enjoyed reading them with my children. Melia, of course, has been reading on her own for many years and is now into teen and tween books. Aurella is just learning to read now, and we still read to her a lot. When she gets too old for all of these wonderful children's books too, I am really going to miss them.

Funny Friday - You're Here Even When You're Not

Me -

When I was little and my Mom asked me if I did something I would blame it on my brother. When my Mom reminded me that he was in school, I would say that he did it anyway.

Mom -

When Aurella was little, she would always want me to play with her and she would insist that Melia was playing too. When I reminded her that Melia was in school, she would insist that Melia was playing anyway.

We welcome you to share your funny  stories with us. Tune in Monday for another regular Says Me Says Mom discussion topic .