Sharing some chuckles

When it was E's birthday, he had a friend stay the night with him after his party. M-G was very excited for E and just couldn't keep out of the boys' room. At one point, in her happiness for him, she went in his room and joyously exclaimed, "E!!!! You're having a slumber party!!!!" After looking at their faces, she said, "Do you know what SLUMBER means?"

"Yes!" he replied with scorn. "It means GIRL stuff!!!"

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E's little friend (the one who stayed the night) also said a few things that made me chuckle. This friend is really into sharks. He brought a book about sharks (included in the book were a few pictures of people after they were attacked by some sharks---eeewww) and even had shark pj's. The next morning at breakfast, M-G asked him if he would be afraid if a shark attacked him.
"No," said the little guy, "It wouldn't be a big deal. Besides...there are ONLY 50 species of sharks that attack humans!"
* * * *
Even earlier that morning, before breakfast, the kids were outside enjoying the fall-like temperatures. The boys were taking turns on the big swing tied to the pine tree. E's friend later told me that he thought the swing was really great..."It's like surfing!!!" he said, "Except without the water...aaaaannnnnnndddd you don't stand up..."

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This morning I was waving goodbye to the children as they headed off to school. While I was waving, D-D came outside. This is a new development for her---the doorknobs going outside are a bit difficult to turn, so it is a BIG DEAL that she can open them by herself. She had just finished her healthy, well-balanced breakfast of a Cookies and Cream Poptart when she joined me in the vigorous exercise of waving first to M-G and E going to school and then to our other neighbors as they took their kids to school. After the last car pulled away, D-D reached up for me with her little hands. They were covered (as was her face) with chocolate and cream from the poptarts. "You're a mess!!!" I exclaimed, laughing.

D-D looked at her hands and then held them back up to me. "Yeth," she said. "Ah aye-yum. Cay-yun ewe leak eet off pleess?"

!!!! :o)

She did get cleaned, but in the bathroom, under the running water of the sink!

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E now has math homework nearly every night. When MG had this same homework, it took her ten minutes or less. E is so busy trying to be funny and looking around and jumping out of his chair to make faces at me, that it takes 30 minutes or longer to finish. Here is an example of what happened the other day:

E wrote his name at the top of the paper. We read the instructions and then got to the first question. It was something LIKE this:

1. Rico has 12 cookies.
Anna has fewer cookies.
Which number is less than 12?
Circle the answer.
10 12 17

_____ is less than 12.

E and I read the question together. We read the numbers, we looked at the number line. I read the question to him again. He sat there scratching his head and finally circled the number at the beginning of the problem: 1.

After explaining to him that the number he just circled told which problem he was on and was not part of the answer, we refocused on the answers he could choose from. He studied the numbers very carefully and then circled the number 7 in 17! After about 5 to 10 minutes of working and erasing and circling and erasing and re explaining, he FINALLY circled the correct answer.

Now we had 7 more problems to go!

"Choose two numbers from 10 to 20" I read this first part of the problem silently to myself. "I'll break it down for E," I'm thinking...
Choose ONE number from 10 to 20, I tell him.
7!
No, that is too small. It is not from 10 to 20
45!
No, that is higher than 20.
91?
No. Still higher. Look at these numbers...from 10 to 20. Choose one of those.
9!
No! (small growl) (clear my throat) that is too small.
51!
Aack! No!! Too high!!!
137 (giggle, giggle)
mmmmmmmmmmrrrggggg!! E! Is that right?
Giggle giggle...10!
Good (sighing in relief)You've got it!...now...choose another number from 10 to 20.
21?
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarg!!!!


...and so it continues. Anyone wanna come help?