Fun Monday - The Look

Top o' the Mornin' to ye! Tis St. Paddy's day and Nikki is hosting Fun Monday. This week, she asks us to respond to this:

I don't know about you, but my family is great at creating strange words that only we know the meaning. Some were created when the kids were first learning to talk, others came about when our tongues were twisted and the word came out funny. Either way, the words stuck and we still use them in our daily conversations. What created words does your family use?! Please share the story behind the word if you remember. If you don't have a made up word then tell us about the unspoken way you communicate with someone. Do you and your significant other have a look that means "This party is boring, lets split" or do you have a look that your kids know means their butt is in serious trouble? Please share!! And a picture of the look would be very entertaining!

Hmmm..

Interesting "family" words... Actually, I can only think of one - VILLENA. As in "Miss Villena". That was my brother Matt's imaginary friend when he was little. She played the piano and kept him company when the rest of the family was too busy or too noisy or too... something. We all thought he was saying "vanilla", so still, to this day, I still use the word "villena" for "vanilla" on occasion.

Looks, however, are another subject all together. In my gigantic family, sometimes a look was heard much more readily than any words whispered or shouted. Our favorite was the skeptical with quirked eyebrow look, sure to garner a giggle at least.

I remember one exchange between my brother John and my mom. The cat's bowl was hiding around the corner of the refridgerator and John accidently kicked it, spilling water all over the floor. He went over to the sink and picked up something to wipe it up with.

"Don't use that! Use a sponge!" my mother said.

John looked at the rectangular object in his hand and back at Mom. "Well then, what is THIS?" he asked holding it up.

"THAT is a Magic Eraser," replied Mom.

"Really??? How does it work?"

"Well... you run some water over it, squeeze it out, then use it to wipe up stuff," Mom finished matter-of-factly.

The look on John's face was priceless. He has "skeptical with quirked eyebrow" down to a science. Quite deadpan, he said to Mom, "How... unsponge-like."

At that point, I totally lost it. I laughed so hard tears were flowing down my beet-red face and I slid helplessly to the floor. It wasn't the conversation so much as the look that went with the final sentence.

My brothers were always good at cracking me up like that. It was almost too easy.

Me? I've got the "Mother Glare" down pat. In fact, I had that down before I was even a mother. It's one of the benefits of being big sister to so many boys.

We were all sitting around the kitchen table one day and James was just jabbering along, interrupting and talking, seemingly just to hear the sound of his own voice. Frustrated, I turned the Look on at him and he froze, mid-sentence. No moving, no talking. Just quiet. Andy was impressed. "Wow! You're not even a MOM yet!"

See, I inherited that particular ability from MY mom, who used it plenty on all of us. Andy recognized it right away.

I am happy to report that the Mother Glare still works.

To my knowledge, this phenomenon has NEVER been captured on film.

Part two of Nikki's request had something to do with green beer. I'd tell you a story about some kind of alcohol imbibbing, but I can't remember any...

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Don't forget to wear your green (unless you LIKE getting pinched!)