"I Love You Like 100 Donuts"

I was giving the kids baths. Both were out and I was drying my daughter’s hair and Charlie (3) slipped away. It’s never good when things are quiet. And my mom ears can hear problematic silence even over the roar of a hair dryer.

So, we turned it off and went looking for him. We found him naked behind the chair in the living room feasting on a package of Pepperidge Farm cookies. (This whole hiding and eating thing is probably prescriptive of some kind of future fat farm stay, but that’s a problem for another day).

I got him ready for bed and after reading a story to him, he said yet another funny thing to me. “Mommy, I love you like 100 donuts.” This is the ultimate profession of love from a kid like Charlie. I laughed out loud.

This brings me to my next tip. Keep a quotes list. As much as we think we will remember these little funny things forever, odds are — we won’t. I keep a word doc for each kiddo on my desktop and jot them down on paper as they come my way and then I put them on the list when I get time.

I actually got this idea from someone I used to work with. We had a lot of fun with quotes at work, and I have had a ball recording and re-reading the funny things my kids have said. I even send it periodically to the grandparents for their entertainment.  And for yours, here are a few of my favorities:

• One of the mother’s day out teachers was stroking Charlie’s hair at nap time when he said, “My Daddy, he like it.”
• “I like nice Mommy.”
• With a guttural moan, “Ohhh. Look at da beautiful donuts over dere.”
• “Mom, you wanna go for a ride on my space shovel?”
• “My doll wants some M&Ms for a snack.”
• “Once upon a time, at the healthy Mexican restaurant…”
• “Oh Lord, oh Lord…he pooped hisself.” (Said after knocking over Mr Frog – an outdoor metal frog that had collected some rain water and dirt).
• “I would like a snack of mayonnaise.”
• “I’m going to use my excellent muscles to move these pillows.”
• “Mommy, you gotta lotta grass in your nose.”
• When I am sitting on the toilet, I can reach down to my toes and get my panties…that’s my exercise.”

I had a really hard time choosing favorite quotes, but what a problem to have. How do you keep track of the funny things your kids say?

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