What the Kids Are Saying and Unknown Territory

I walked into the room to find every single bin dumped out in a big pile.
Me: Daniel, what were you thinking?
Daniel: Mom, I just wanted to make a big mess.
Me: silence
Daniel: Sometimes . . . I don't make good choices.
Me: laughter


I'm in the family room, and I can hear Jill and Daniel doing something in the guest room.
Me: Hey kids! What are you up to?
Daniel: Oh, we're just building—
Jill, interrupting: Nothing!
Daniel: "But we're—
Jill, interrupting: Danny, you're supposed to say "nothing."
Me: So what are you doing?
Daniel, really fast: We're building a fort!
Jill: Nothing! We're doing nothing, Mom.
Fort building is somewhat banned because of all the fights it causes. They can never agree on how the fort should be built, even when I help, and inevitably one of them will knock it down to the great distress of the other. I've decided they aren't mature enough yet for fort building, thus Jill's determination to keep it secret from me. Ha.

I had been upstairs, putting Alice down for a nap, and the kids were playing together, and I came down, entered the room they were in, and their backs were to me.

Me: Hey, kids, please remember to not yell or be too loud while Alice is sleeping.

Jill, while jumping in surprise: Mom! You scared me!

Daniel: Yeah, you scared me!

Me: Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on you.

Jill: Well, you really gave me the freaks!


Jill was coloring a picture of Mike Wazowski.
Jill: Mommy, do you like my picture?
Me: Yes, I think you did a great job. Although you did color his eyeball green.
Jill: Yeah, well, I wanted his eye to be green. That's just how I groove.
Me, laughing: Well then I think his green eyeball is great.


Daniel walked up to Alice and shoved her out of his way.
Me: Daniel! We don't push! Do you like it when you get pushed?
Daniel: Well, I like to push people.
Me: You do? pause But do you like it when someone pushes you?
Daniel: Sometimes I push myself.
Me: Okay, I'm not sure how, but would you like it if someone else pushed you?
Daniel: silence
Me: Danny, please just go kiss Alice and tell her sorry. It isn't nice to push. Please don't push people.
Daniel told her sorry and kissed her and hugged her tighter than she appreciated.


Jeff is getting the kids breakfast.
Jeff: Danny, would you like some cereal?
Daniel, very fiercely: BRING IT!!


We were eating dinner, and there was a moment of silence. Then Jill broke the silence with this.
Jill: Mom, my hopes and dreams for kindergarten is to learn tae kwon do.
Me: Oh. Okay. That sounds great, Jill. Maybe we could find a class in Mexico.
She attended a birthday party last week that was held at a tae kwon do studio. The masters were there running drills and playing games with the kids. Then the birthday girl and the masters did a demonstration at the end. Jill was very impressed, but I still felt like that comment came out of the blue. We do hope to enroll her once we move if she is still interested.


Her statement during dinner made more sense after I saw this on display at Back-to-School night.

And finally, here is a video for your viewing pleasure. (If you can't see the video below, the click this link to watch it on youtube.)