Posts with the label momisms
Showing posts with label momisms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label momisms. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Mom-ism Monday #16

wizard of oz scarecrow

My Mom always says I don't have any common sense. I'm beginning to believe her. As I age, I find I do weird things, can't remember nothing and generally complete tasks differently than I used to. I even said mom-ism #16 about myself last week!

I've never known exactly what "If you had a brain, you'd set up with it!" means but I deduct it means, If I had any smarts, I'd be so proud, I would sit up in amazement with my brain? Take it however you like. The old saying is funny! Have you heard it?

Some of the frequent things I do that causes me to wonder if I have a brain:
  • Hunt my glasses when I have them resting on my head
  • Freak out because I've lost my cell phone and I'm talking on it
  • Put something up so I'll know where it is and can't find it
The other day I was cutting out letters to sew my granddaughter's name on a table runner. I threw the letters I had just cut in the trash while cleaning up. This made me wonder if I have a brain anymore!

wizard of oz scarecrow


Leave me a comment and share one absent-brained thing you do!

Setting up,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap


Mom-ism Monday #16

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Monday, September 22, 2014

Mom-ism Monday #17

I'm always asking people in my family for Mom-isms they remember hearing and using. Last weekend, my brother-in-law Phil shared one that my father-in-law had written in his Bible. I think it's very relevant for back then when he wrote it down and now. Very simple and direct. The dad-ism needs no explanation other than to read it.

dad-ism
Phil is not sure where or why the saying originated. The more surprising story lies in how my father-in-law obtained the Bible he wrote it in. My father-in-law affectionately called Pop was at Lake Conasauga in the 1940's probably fishing. He found a tackle box. The box had a name and address in it. Pop mailed the tackle box back to it's owner. In appreciation for returning the box, the man sent him a Bible as a gift. It's the very same Bible this week's Mom-ism Monday #17 saying is written in!

The next time you're feeling flush and think you might be getting a case of word vomit, remember this: Be sure Brain is Engaged before putting Mouth in Gear!

Ode to the 40's,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Mom-ism Monday #17

Monday, September 22, 2014

Monday, September 15, 2014

Mom-ism Monday #16

Do you believe everything you hear or read? If it's on that internet, it's gotta be true, right? That internet being a trusted source is a running joke at our house! My Mom and husband are somewhat skeptical. They take most things with a grain of salt with one eyebrow cocked as if it were some kind of truth-seeking device. Instead of innocent until proven guilty, it's false until proven true!

Neither my mom nor my husband would ever want to say or admit aloud that someone was purposely telling an untruth. That's not nice! So my mom, in her best lady-like southern style would say instead, "Now, that's just.....

too thick
photo credit: dirtylaundrykitchen.com
In other words, what you're saying is just too unbelievable for her to believe! If you've ever made icing too thick, you understand. Thick icing keeps rolling up and won't cover well. It may even tear your cake or pastry enough to need repair. Thick icing can be watered down to make it easy to spread. I suppose stories could be watered down to be more believable too? But, too thick icing is like a too tall story. Hard to swallow!

Have you ever heard Mom-ism #15? Mom has said it all my born days! Leave me a comment about it. It's akin to another mom-ism she uses. That's just too fishy to smell good!

Someone yell for the water girl?
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Mom-ism Monday #16

Monday, September 15, 2014

Monday, August 25, 2014

Mom-ism Monday #15

I've been blogging momisms for almost four months now. I hope someone likes them as much as me. They sure are fun to reminisce.

I thought to myself today, "I'm a mom. Do I have any momisms?" This one came to mind. Not an original. Someone way more important than me said it way before I did! I used it to keep my girls in-line or so I thought. They still remember it though because sometimes they recite it to me. lol
I also love that it is a direct promise from God and one of the ten commandments. Have you ever said this to your kids? Leave me a comment and let me know if you follow this yourself.

Honoring my parents,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Mom-ism Monday #15

Monday, August 25, 2014

Monday, August 18, 2014

Mom-ism Monday #14

My mother-in-law Elizabeth Fronnie Stafford was a ringtail tooter! Oops! Nobody, I mean not one soul was supposed to know her middle name. She hated it! Lizzy left us in 1997 but her mom-isms are alive and thriving in our family.

I never really understood the extremely dire meaning in the mom-ism for today until I read the poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. You can read it here. When Elizabeth didn't shower or she'd had a hard, sweaty day at work or if she was just generally unkempt on a lazy day, she'd always apologize for her looks by saying...


After reading the dreary poem which ends:
Such was the wreck of the Hesperus,
      In the midnight and the snow!
Christ save us all from a death like this,
      On the reef of Norman's Woe!
I'm figuring looking like The Wreck of the Hesperus is as ugly and ghastly as one can get! 

Are you familiar with the poem? I hope you are now and...you have a new way to say "I look terrible!"

Learning new poetry,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Mom-ism Monday #14

Monday, August 18, 2014

Monday, August 11, 2014

Mom-ism Monday #13

Are you a mom or dad that gets annoyed with your child asking "who"? Maybe you have a friend that asks "who?" after everything you say! You've met these people, haven't you? I do it to my family sometimes.  Ever feel like you've fell down the bunny hole and wound up in WHOVILLE?

dr. suess whos

My mother-in-law had a saying she used with her kids when they asked "who?" I had never heard it before my husband shared it with me (after I asked "who?", of course). Leave me a comment and let me know if you've ever heard it before. It's pretty cute. The next time you run into a "Who" you can use it. When someone says "who?", you say "WHO? Your foot don't fit no limb!" I bet you get their attention.

momism

Being a wise guy owl,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Mom-ism Monday #13

Monday, August 11, 2014

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Mom-ism Monday #12: On a Tuesday

Ever heard this? Today, Steve and I went for his pulmonary rehabilitation interview at Memorial Hospital. The exercise physiologist interviewing Steve seemed nice enough. But, the longer the interview went the more I wished she had a zipper on her mouth that I could use to close it. The sad looks on her face when talking to Steve and I didn't help either. Some of the things she said while giving us her best "you poor thing" face:
  • you've had this disease for a long time and just didn't know it
  • how long have your fingers been clubbing? you know that is a sign of oxygen deprivation
  • our lung patients have to take it easy so if you don't feel like coming...don't
  • you should go to Emory. they do good with lung transplants there
  • we had a patient get a lung at Emory. he was doing better than any other patient we'd seen. he got depressed and killed himself

WHAT, REALLY???


It is difficult for me to fight back the fear of pulmonary fibrosis. I can't imagine the fear that grips Steve with overwhelming doom and doubt. I chose to be a positive person. I believe in an Almighty God who wants us to live and not die. I wish I could pray away all the negative words, emotions and vibes for everyone, everywhere.

Psalm 118:16-18 King James Version (KJV)

16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.
18 The Lord hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.

Right now commit to think positive, love abundantly and serve your fellow man. Rid yourself of all those bitter words and feelings before you kill someone with them, seriously. Let your mom's words ring in your ears: IF YOU CAN'T SAY SOMETHING GOOD, SAY NOTHING AT ALL!

Lovingly,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Mom-ism Monday #12: On a Tuesday

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Monday, July 21, 2014

Mom-ism Monday #12: Flattery or not?

Today's "ism" comes from my late father-in-law Claude. He was a looker at 86 years old when he passed away. He still had a head full of thick whitish gray hair and his face was that of a 50-year-old. I'm not sure how he hid the wear and tear of 86 years behind an almost wrinkle-less facade but he mastered it. Here's a picture of my in-laws in their younger years. Beautiful couple.

Claude was a quiet guy who enjoyed fishing. I remember him as friendly with a keen knowledge of life that he didn't readily share. I know I aggravated him asking so many questions. He intrigued me. I tried my best to uncover more about him than he wanted to tell. We lovingly call him "Pop".

His sense of humor was offhandedly funny. He used analogies to get his point across. One such analogy he made served him well. His five sons still use it today. The smart quip is being handed down into the third generation of his family.

When Claude wanted to refer to someone or something as big or large, he said....

"If you were a catfish, you'd be a keeper!"

Anyone who knows how to fish understands what he means. The reason for catching catfish used to be to eat. You needed a pretty big catfish to filet without bones. Some states probably have regulations on the keeper size of a catfish.

A "keeper" catfish is a good thing!

This "ism" may be something you'd like to adopt to reference size instead of some of the less attractive words of today. I like to think of the term as kinda flattering or a positive negative!

Mom-ism Monday #12: Flattery or not?

Monday, July 21, 2014

Monday, July 14, 2014

Mom-ism Monday #11 and a Super Six Flags Deal

My Mom was born in 1940. The year after the official end of The Great Depression. Her parents were farmers raising 10 kids (she was a twin) during hard times. They taught her to be frugal when it came to be economically sound right down to the penny. My lack of a monthly balanced checkbook is hard for her to comprehend.

My husband Steve has a habit of leaving coins laying around. This bad habit makes my mom and dad shake their heads. My Dad was born in 1937 during The Great Depression. He knows and respects the value of money. When I took up Steve's bad habit of leaving coins in my console or neglecting to pick up stray coins in a parking lot, she always says "Tammy, pennies makes dollars!". I didn't agree much at first, but I'm catching on!

See Mom sitting on the hotel balcony during a beach trip in 2008. She looks like she doesn't have a care in the world. But I know, secretly, she's thinking "Pennies makes Dollars!". I repeat this phrase quite frequently to my kids. I'm not sure who coined it. It may have been Juanita!

save your coins
Speaking of pennies making dollars, there is a wise phrase we all know "A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned". I love to save! Don't you? Are you planning a trip to Six Flags Over Any State? Do you have a "My Coke Rewards" account? If you don't you should! Those Coke lids are worth cool savings. I admit they are a little daunting inputting them into the mcr.com website but they do pay off.


At mcr.com, you enter codes from Coke lids for points and redeem the points for rewards. Great thing about the Six Flags discount is you don't need any lids at all. Simply go to mcr.com with a valid email address. Register for an account. Log in. Search the word Six Flags. The first reward that pops up is a 40% ticket discount for 0 points. You will receive an email that explains how to buy your discounted ticket. How awesome is that? That's a savings of $22 per ticket for simply registering. If you already have an account with a points balance, MCR also has an awesome FREE Six Flags ticket for 1000 points.

Pssstt! Keep saving those pennies. I don't know if you've heard but they make dollars!

Pennies are lucky,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Mom-ism Monday #11 and a Super Six Flags Deal

Monday, July 14, 2014

Monday, July 7, 2014

Mom-ism #10: A popular momism debunked!



Did your mom ever talk to you about the birds, the bees and sumpin' about a cow? If so, you've probably heard

"Why buy the cow when you can get the milk free?" 

The old adage seems lost when trying to discourage sex today.  I understand the phrase to mean guys won't marry girls who enjoys promiscuity. This saying was probably powerful back in the day. I'm convinced guys prefer gals who are choosy and a bit selfish with private things. Double standards? Sure is but that's another mom-ism for next Monday.

Let's get this straight before I debunk this very popular mom-ism. I do not condone premarital sex. I simply want to defend our friendly cow population by nailing down some facts. When you look closely at this phrase, it really doesn't make sense. 

According to the Midwest Dairy Association, females, prior to giving birth, are called calves or heifers. After they give birth, female dairy animals are called cows. Additionally, a female dairy animal or cow can only produce milk after they've given birth. About 10 months after giving birth, the amount of milk the cow gives naturally decreases substantially and the cow undergoes a "drying off." About 12 to 14 months after the birth of her previous calf, a cow will calve again, thus providing milk.

So this phrase would only make sense if said to a gal who:
  • has given birth; and
  • is said to a gal within the first 10 months after she gives birth.
Ladies, the next time you hear this phrase, ignore it and ignore the person who said it (unless
you are breastfeeding your newborn). People need to learn their cow and milk facts!

Leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts. I think my self worth just went up knowing I shouldn't have been compared to a cow until sometime around July 1988.

b. t. dubya, Happy Birthday Sydnee!

Got milk?
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Mom-ism #10: A popular momism debunked!

Monday, July 7, 2014

Monday, June 30, 2014

Mom-ism Monday #9

Vacation Time!

We love the Beach. This is our view...
sanibel beach

I usually take my mom and dad on vacation. Do you? And as usual, the Mom-isms abound!  We have LIsette with us also so the first order of business, to insure we enjoy the beach, is shade for the baby. This is mine and Sydnee's attempt at putting up a shelter in 25 mph beach wind!

tent

Don't laugh until you've walked a mile in our sand-filled moccasins! Hey...it did the job. Now if you don't stay in the shade provided, what happens next? You guessed it. 
SUNBURN  

Luckily for us, we have my mom or nanny to my girls and gran nan to Lisette! Gran Nan says "I brought the aloe!" Aloe Vera is our go-to remedy for sunburn. Fast relief! I said "Great!" because I already needed some. I thought she brought a bottle so I start looking for it. I spotted it and cracked up. Here's Gran Nan's aloe she brought:

aloe vera
That's right!  No bottled aloe for us! No, we get ours straight from the plant. PHRASH! I'm considering adding a new product to my ETSY page: ALOE IN A BAG kinda like octopus in a bag only less smelly.

Does your family use aloe for sunburn? Leave me a comment with your best sunburn tips. We may need them.

Aloe Soothed,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap





 

Mom-ism Monday #9

Monday, June 30, 2014

Monday, June 23, 2014

Mom-ism Monday #8

How was your Monday? Mine was busy! 


Mom-ism Monday #8 comes from little 'ol me. I name my cars like they are part of the family, do you? My mother-in-law used to call her car a "Fliver". Steve tells me that was pretty popular in the '50's. Do you remember anyone referring to their car as a Fliver?

Lincoln Sedan
Meet Libby the Lincoln. She came to live with us in 2005, the same year she was born. She was pre-owned but almost new with only 6000 miles. I love how she handles, smooth ride, beautiful drive and just downright nice looking car. She acts up quite a bit. Sometimes I think she likes the auto mechanics shop more than her garage. Her air conditioning works but only when she's moving. We still love her.

How did we pick out her name? After scouring the baby car name books, we decided on Libby. Seriously though, we just ran through a bunch of "L" girl names and Libby stuck!

Pacifica
May I introduce Floyd? My 2004 Chrysler Pacifica. Every time I buy a vehicle they are discontinued. Not sure why? I enjoy Floyd. He is large enough but small enough. Nawh wat I mean? How did I name Floyd? The day I bought him, right in the paperwork, I saw the phrase "The Chrysler Pacifica fills a void between the SUV and van." Fills a void? His name had to be Floyd!

We have one more named vehicle in our family. My dad bought his 1980 Chevrolet Ton Dump truck for $800 about 10 years ago. She gets the job done but nothing to look at or ride in really. She has a double identity. Sometimes she's "Old Nell" and sometimes she's "Leaping Leaner". Why the difference? We call her Leaping Leaner when she's cold and jumpy. Her tires seem to lean to the right as we jump down the road in her. She is precious. Pics coming soon.

Leave me a comment and let me know how you show affection to your car/truck. Nothing weird though please.

Car crazy,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Mom-ism Monday #8

Monday, June 23, 2014

Monday, June 16, 2014

Mom-ism Monday #7



HAPPY MOMISM MONDAY!

Today is Mother-in-law Momism Monday. My MIL Elizabeth or Lizzie was a character. She passed 17 years ago but I can still hear her saying some of the funniest and sometimes PG13 rated momisms. Her sense of humor was blunt yet contagious. You couldn't help but laugh with her. Her laugh started with a yodel and ended with a sigh. This post is in honor of what would have been her 91st birthday.

We placed this picture in memory of my in-laws at my daughters wedding:
She's beautiful and he's so handsome. Just a couple of good looking people. My father-in-law Claude lived to be 86 years young. He gave good advice.  I miss them.

Do you get hungry? Lizzie did! She had a ferocious appetite. When she got hungry, she would say...

I'm SO Hungry...

north end of a mule

 I'm so hungry I could eat the north end of a southbound mule!

That is hilariously hungry! Have you ever been THAT hungry? Leave me a comment and let me know. Have you ever heard this momism?

Feeling full (not hungry at all),
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Mom-ism Monday #7

Monday, June 16, 2014

Monday, June 9, 2014

Mom-ism Monday #6

My Mom, she's a pretty cool cat! She doesn't get upset easily, takes things in stride and prefers to listen more than talk.

Mom rarely jokes
but sometimes....
she can say the perfect thing
at just the right time!

Like the other day. Her great granddaughter was wailing. Yes, wailing! The sounds coming out of her mouth were more than a cry or wimper. Her face was red. She was visibly mad. No tears though. If she had been on the floor kicking her arms and legs up and down, you could have called it a temper tantrum. Finally, a break in the crying when Lisette looked up at my Mom. She stared her square in those baby blue eyes and calmly said....

After Lisette resumed her crying, I laughed at my Mom. Her dry delivery was priceless. "Do you have fever with that?" I thought it was hilarious. Lisette not so much! I guess I think it's so funny because she's asked me a time or two before.

Use it with someone you know, adult or child. They may think it's amusing. Or, maybe not! Think you'll do it? Leave me a comment and let me know. I've said it to my husband before....once.

Where's the thermometer?
Tammy
The Happy Handicap


Mom-ism Monday #6

Monday, June 9, 2014

Monday, May 19, 2014

Mom-ism Monday #5

Happy Monday! And say what? This is another mom-ism I had never heard until my kids coaxed it out of my Mom quite by accident. The saying has something to do with this picture.
My kids were playing a game with their Nanny. She couldn't figure out their game. They asked "Do you give up?" She replied "Calf Rope!" Our heads spun like Chucky's as we said in unison "CALF ROPE?" She looked puzzled. We asked her to explain the meaning of her outburst.

Calf Rope is basically the equivalent of saying "Uncle"! Nanny told us her older brother Hubert would make her and her twin sister say it for no particular reason. He would hem them in the barn until they said it or hold them down just as child's play to make them say it. Boys will be boys, won't they? They mmmeean!

I thought "Calf Rope" was a fluke until I stumbled upon it in the Dictionary of American Regional English. The dictionary says it originated around 1878 in mostly southern but some mid-western states. Calf rope means to surrender, give up or capitulate. Who knew?

Did you and your siblings yell "CALF ROPE"? Leave me a comment with your best story or if you ever heard it at all.

CALF ROPE,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Mom-ism Monday #5

Monday, May 19, 2014

Monday, May 5, 2014

Mom-ism Monday #4

Mom-ism Monday #4 is a Dad-ism. My Dad enjoys the somewhat lost art of trading. He also likes to find items at a bargain, repair them and sell for a profit, especially tractors! He can salvage a tractor that looks like it's ready for the scrap metal pile better than anyone I know. He's always looking for a deal. I'm a lot like him. I love to try to find deals and turn a quick buck. He's much better at it than me. He's got way more experience. He's fine-tuned his art over the last 76 years!  

Last week, we visited an old home place close to where we live. We picked up some antique windows. One of my deals. As he gazed over the property, looking around like he was looking for something he lost, he turned to me and said "I could have bought this place." Knowing who the original owner was, I said "Mr. Lunsford offered to sell it to you?" "Yep" he said, with a tone that I understood. He wished he had bought it. Thinking about the missed opportunity again, he turned to me and said....

my dad, Clyde
"I could have bought it for a song and sung it myself" is a Dad-ism I had never heard. Have you? The philosophy in the phrase astounds me. How much easier could it get to buy something for a song you can sing yourself?  I have put the phrase to work in my vocabulary arsenal already!

Leave me a comment with how the phrase speaks to you and if you've ever heard it.

Wheelin' and dealin',
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Mom-ism Monday #4

Monday, May 5, 2014

Monday, April 21, 2014

Mom-ism Monday #3

Mom-ism Monday #3 is really a grandmother-ism. My maternal grandmother passed away before I was born. My Mom doesn't talk about her a lot. One thing she said though has become a favorite saying at our house.

My Mom tells the story with a girlish grin on her face. She had five sisters. Their mom would want the girls to

Mom-ism Monday #3

Monday, April 21, 2014

Monday, April 14, 2014

Mom-ism Monday

Yep, it's Monday again! Here's a quick chuckle to brighten your day.  Mom-ism #2 because some things are worth writing down...

My Mom, that's her over there, has two granddaughters (my kids). I remember her saying this to them before they could even understand what it meant. I understood it! I pulled it out of the old brain vault and used it today with my granddaughter. She was crying uncontrollably. I was losing my patience. She didn't understand it but the words got her attention and I got a brief moment of sanity. 
 
Photo Credit: Jill Greenberg@ABCnews.go.com

 

                "You can Stay but that Screamin's Gotta Go!"
 
The cute saying shoots straight just like my Mom...point blank! She's hardcore but no one loves us more.

Reminiscing,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap




Mom-ism Monday

Monday, April 14, 2014

Monday, March 31, 2014

Mom-ism Monday


That's my beautiful Mom! We celebrated her 74th birthday on Saturday. She says some funny stuff oozing from her years of experience and wisdom. I think they should be written down starting today. Know what I mean?

Mom-ism Monday

Monday, March 31, 2014