Ada (5) was sitting in a shopping cart and started scratching the back of her knee vigorously. I asked her what the matter was and she answered, "My legpit itches me."

Yesterday, I had this conversation with my 7-year-old.

Sari: Mommy, do I go to a private school?

Me: Yes, you do.

Sari (after a moment's pause): Then how come it's out in middle of the street?

Almost five!

Someone asked Ada the other day how old she was. Her response:

"Four and a half and three-quarters."

A whole new world

During the "Whole New World" number of the Aladdin Musical at Disney's California Adventure, various world landmarks are displayed on stage. Here was the exchange when the Parthenon appeared:

Rivka (7): Look - the Reagan Library.

Chana (9): No, that's the Beit HaMikdash.

Worthy of a Smile

I received a comment today on a blog post of mine, and the person also told me this wonderful little tidbit, that is worthy of being shared.

When my niece Sarah was 2 (she is now 20), and was put on the phone to talk to her Nana (my Mom) and give her a Sabbath greeting, little Sarah says, in a sweet and earnest voice: "Good Shopping Nana".

Plea

Shlomit (2.5) is in the bath. She wants me to rinse her off one more time, but I say she's done. She persists:

Shlomit: I beggy you.

Me: What?

Shlomit: I'm begging you.

Crayons

From my sister-in-law SIL:

Shen (almost 2) worked very hard to clean up a lot of crayons from the floor. A few minutes later, she was dancing to some music and she stepped into the still open box of crayons spilling most of them back onto the floor. She took a deep breath and let it out, stared at the mess for a few moments, then turned to me and said "I sad."

Letter from the Squirt

The following is the email Squirt (5) sent me (I'm away at school), typed of course by an older sibling:

Dear [Tzipster],
I'm having a good time. i got $20 from bubby to buy a chanuka present and i am going to decide it to be a Bionicle.i like to have fun with bionicles because lego is also fun. and bionicles are made in the same company as Lego. 7 days i spent writing on a notebook. i learned how to write better and i know how to spell "hat"
HAT (PEAnut gallery:that took a few tries)
Love
Eli
have a good time
is it snowing?
what time is it?

i think he confused me with older brother in Israel, because every time he "writes" he asks me what time it is. I keep trying to explain to him that we're in the same time zone, but he doesn't quite get it...

Beating Eggs

On Friday, Ada and I were preparing challah dough. I was narrating the process and after we had checked the eggs to make sure they were kosher, I announced that I was going to beat the eggs. After I had whisked them for a few moments, Ada called out in glee:

"You won!"

What holiday is this, anyway?

We always go to church on Christmas Eve for the candlelight service. Monday, Sweetie (9) and I had this conversation:

- Can we go to Hanukkah?
- Hanukkah isn't a place, it's a holiday. Are you saying you want to celebrate Hanukkah? <all ready to explain about the menorah>
- I wanna go to church.
- We don't celebrate Hannukah at church, that would be at a synagogue. <all ready to explain what a synagogue is>
- No, the candles at church.
- <finally getting it> You mean you want to go to the candlelight service on Christmas eve?
- Yeah!

She must have learned about Hanukkah at school, and connected the candles in the menorah with the candles on Christmas Eve.

SIL, Fashionista

From my sister-in-law: Last night I was getting ready to go to the Chofetz Chaim Annual Dinner and I was wearing a fancy outfit. Shira (almost 2) patted my skirt and said "I-like-it dress". I had yet to put on my make-up and wig, but Ben (6) thought that was fine. He commented, "It's good that you look beautiful, but not so beautiful because then you'd be showing off."

On Shabbos, Ben and Hen (4) were finding commonalities in everyone's clothing color, but Hen announced that since she was wearing black, she went with everyone because "black matches everything."

Voting

From SIL: When we were on line to vote on Tuesday, Henna Bayla (5) pointed to an African American man behind us and said very loudly, "He has the same color hair as Obama!"

Pigs

While walking into the house from the car:

SD: Abba's a pig
ME: [about to reprimand him that we don't call people pigs, especially Abba]
SD: You're a pig, and ZB is a pig. I'm the big bad wolf. If you don't build your house strong enough, I'll blow it down.
ME: [glad I hadn't said anything]

pearls of wisdom from the pt

here are your yuntif tidbits: 

1. "looks like second grade turned into yuntif grade." 

2. "yonina, let's play a game. i see one tree that's more colorful than any other tree on our block. which one am i looking at?" 

"er...the brown one?"

"no." 

"uh...the light silver one?" 

"um...no." 

"okay, i give up."

"it's the red one." 

"there aren't any red trees on our block!" 

"that one right there, yonina. it's very bright." 

"OH! you meant the LEAVES?"

homework

one of yonina's homework assignments i found lying around:

"Make a 'To Do List' for a Secret Person! Fill in the steps:

1. wake up
2. get jrest
3. brush teeth
4. go to the ofinige
5. get chiltrin brecfist

Who Am I: Quintes Lincin (teacher's comment: Lincoln?) "

Home of the rich and famous

Yesterday, Mordechai (8) was complaining about the lack of scheduled activites for Erev Yom Kippur.

“I’m gonna be so bored!” he said.

I pointed out that we could play, read, and eat. I also mentioned that we still had to do tashlich. Then I added, "Oh, and we have to do kapparos tomorrow!"

His response: "Yeah, but what's the point of doing kapparos…there’s no poor people in Palm Beach!"

A g'mar chatimah tovah to all!

Kids in the Kitchen

Situation: Serach was baking cookies with Elianna

Serach: Elianna, let's add some baking soda now.

Elianna: Ooh, baking Coke!

Deleted

Sorry, I posted in wrong room. Couldnt' find how to delete the whole post.

Well, I should add something, lets see. My five year old boy told me he wants to be a Narrow-surgeon. I couldn't figure out what he meant until he said, "you know, your brain?"

Mixed Up Relationships

SD (3 1/2) asked Abba last night if I was Abba's daughter.

When I Grow Up...

From SIL about my nephew, Ben.

Ben likes the animal-theme bathroom cups at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Cleveland.
Ben: When I'm an adult I'm going to get those animal cups -- if they're cheap.
SIL: Well, if they're so important to you, maybe you'll get them even if they're not cheap.
Ben: When I'm an adult, they're not going to be important to me.