Laughing Out Loud

So, we're driving to my Dad's birthday party. I am going through the list of all the people who will be there with my kids, reminding them of their names -- it will be all adults, some they know, some they don't.

From the back seat I hear a certain 8-year old laugh out loud for no apparent reason.

"What's so funny" I ask.
He replies, "I'm just practising my fake laugh incase someone makes a lame joke tonight and everyone else is laughing."

I thought it was hilarious.

But he raises an interesting point. Why do we offer a fake half-laugh when we don't really think someone/something is funny? We do it all the time, don't we? How did he pick up on it? Did he figure out "people are laughing, but that wasn't funny, so they must be faking it" or did he just want to be pretending to "get it" when there is nothing to get?

Moral of the story: if you make a kid laugh, he may just be being polite.

As for me, I probably won't laugh if I dont' think you're funny. Probably. But maybe. You'll never know for sure.

Little Mr. Chip Pits

Question of the day from my 8-year old boy: "Can I eat ketchup chips while I play on the computer?"

(If you don't know my answer to that question, clearly we've never met.)

Which reminds me of the time he proudly proclaimed that his armpits were sweaty. "Hey Adam, come check out my armpits, they're all sweaty!!" Adam touches them, they're wet. "EEEWWWW!" Then he smells them. "They smell like ketchup chips!" Then we knew that he who had just eaten a before bed snack of ketchup chips, had somehow licked his own armpits. That's my boy. Talent AND charm!

Reasonable Facimile

This is me.
You know how there are never any pictures of the mom because she is always taking the pictures, well, there it is, evidence I was on our summer vacation!
And yes, I did photoshop some of the wrinkles out.

Crow Eating Hypocrite

Gulp.
I know, I know, I know. I've had some bad things to say about blogs and the dangers of them... chiefly that blogs are just a venue for you to do all the talking and feel like you're interacting with people but really it's just your chance to get stuff out without having to actually engage in relationships with real, 3D people. So, friends, if you find me slipping out of real life friendships & conversations, if I stop going for coffee and movies, if I withdraw to my computer and don't leave the house.... please post a comment and remind me to get a life. That said, I hope this is a way to keep in touch & updated on me & my life, maybe be encouraged in yours, and hey, now I'm one of the cool kids--I have a blog. Looking forward to sharing life with you --- irregardless.
(p.s. I know irregardless is not a word. It makes me laugh so I like to use it.)