Expression-isms
Having been out far too late last night (and up far too early this morning), and with far too much work to do this weekend, my brain is far too taxed to take on much more than a fluffy, fun post.
When Kyle and I were first dating, he showed me a letter from his mom. It was cute and goofy, kind of like her, and it was peppered with silly expressions. “My family calls those mom-isms,” he told me.
Since having kids ourselves, we’ve become more aware of our own “isms” – those expressions that you rattle off without thinking, and that make kids cock their heads, narrow their eyes, and say, “Huh?”
I brought a ton of “isms” to our family vernacular. Most of them aren’t in Urban Dictionary, but they all should be.
Boom – Also boomer. Polite name for one’s posterior. Sit your boomer down this instant before you fall and bonk your head.
Camp – Go to the bathroom. Always applied to men. Don’t camp too long; we’ve got to leave by eight o’clock.
Campground – The bathroom in which camping occurs. Please clean up the campground – there’s magazines all over the place.
Cha – Diarrhea. God, I just had cha. Yuck. Origin: The diarrhea song (When you’re slidin’ into first and you think you’re gonna burst – diarrhea…cha cha cha!).
Egg boats – Deviled eggs. Egg boats are a pain in the ass to make, but they’re really yummy.
Forty-eleven – A lot of something. Usually used in exasperation. There are forty-eleven pairs of shoes lying around down here. PICK THEM UP!
Forty-eleven-million – Even more of something. Always used in exasperation. You left forty-eleven-million crumbs all over the counter. CLEAN THEM UP!
Fun zone – Genitals. Time to fasten your diaper. Bye bye, fun zone.
Had the biscuit – Tired (You’ve had the biscuit. Let’s get your jammies on.) or finished (You’ve had the biscuit. Let’s wipe off your face.) or ready for the garbage (These shoes have had the biscuit. They’re disgusting.).
Heck-world – More inclusive than What in the heck? or What in the world? alone. Origin: My brother combined expressions used by either parent into a catch-all.
Kittywumpus – Askew (You buttoned your shirt all kittywumpus. Let me help you fix it.) or otherwise messed up (I just folded your clothes, and then you went through them, and now they’re all kittywumpus.) Alternate spellings include kiddywumpus and catawumpus.
Loaded for bear – A diaper that’s about to burst. Usually refers to the condition of the overnight diaper. Go get a clean diaper, please. You’re loaded for bear. Often followed by a roar.
Mommy chow – Breast milk. Said to fussy baby: Do you need some mommy chow? Is that your problem?
Remnants – What’s missed when a toddler wipes her own boomer. Let me help you wipe so that you don’t have any remnants.
You got it, Toyota – Right, affirmative, will do. Child: I have to eat peas before I can have ice cream, right? Parent: You got it, Toyota. Origin: late-70s/early 80s Toyota TV commercials.
What are your family “isms”?
August 29th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Those are great!
A boomer is a thunderstorm around this zoo.
Heathers last blog post..No Thanks, Oh On Second Thought Yes
August 29th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Hilarious! Of course I have a few of my own, but a little too obscene to post here
they generally involve a few swear words mixed together in unusual ways. But now that my ears are becoming mouths I have to find some new words.
Kmommys last blog post..Not Your Mama’s Powdered Milk!
August 29th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Ok…as a new mom and a dog owner, the two that come to mind involve poop…after all, what else would we talk about?
Double Header — When the dog poops and pees on the same trip outside
and the baby equivalent:
Fully Loaded — When the diaper is full of both poop and pee
Apparently hubby and I need a new topic of conversation…
Saras last blog post..CSA Bounty
August 29th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
We say “I love you on the nose” when going to bed or leaving the house. It started when my dd (3) was giving me the I love you sign in sign language and accidentally ran into my nose. She now gets very upset if I leave without my “I love you on the nose”
Jens last blog post..BIRTH STORY: And there was lots of screaming
August 29th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
I love when you say “had the biscuit.” That is my favorite.
I posted about our latest — panther no pants!
mayberrys last blog post..Opinionated
August 29th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
My favorite is “had the biscuit.” Too funny. I’m drawing a blank on our family’s isms. The only one I can think of is “Good night and don’t let the zimperumpazoos bite.” I think it’s from the Little Monsters books.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:52 am
The Boy yells “That’s how we roll” at his toys a lot, and The Girl calls me “homeslice”.
But I don’t those are quite -isms. Have to think on it more.
In the meantime, I’d like to steal “had the biscuit” for my own family vernacular.
August 30th, 2008 at 6:45 am
We call diapers “dippy do’s” around here. Not really sure why. Often shortened to dippy.
I’ll bet there are more, but we’re probably so used to them that I don’t realize they aren’t normal… lol
iMommys last blog post..Weekly Giggle: Oh Sweet Jesus
August 30th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
My nieces use “boomer” too =) So cute!
Peep = pee in the potty. “Remember, we peep before we sleep!”
Yo-yo = snack. Origin: those little yogurts for babies. “Did you pack some yo-yos for the zoo?”
Munchkin-ator = vacuum. Origin: the fear of the vacuum my nephew had when he was little. “It’s just a little spill. I’ll get the munchkin-ator.”
Bang! = kiss goodnight. I don’t know where this came from, but we used it when we were kids.
Duck bread = the heel of a loaf of bread. We feed it to, well, the ducks.
August 30th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Haha. I might have to steal these. I’m not sure if we have any.
We’re so lame.
And appropriate. (hehe).
Motherhood Uncensoreds last blog post..In Which I Prove That I Can Actually Read
August 30th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
I also say “You got it, Toyota!”
My son’s security object, a duck-like thing, “Quackers” was named by me when he was an infant. When he went to sleep every night we needed to find “P and Q” for “paci and Quackers.” Now baby girl has a lovey of the same style, but in pink, so we call it “Pinkers”, which started as “the pink Quackers”. But it’s a giraffe.
RookieMom Whitneys last blog post..The Rookie Mom’s Challenge
August 31st, 2008 at 11:01 am
I love the forty-eleven! I’m totally going to start using that.
We’ve got a million (or should I say forty-eleven million), but here are two words we made up:
Flumfiddy – this is when you are feeling kind of grumpy and not quite right, like you can’t get comfy or can’t figure out what you want to eat combined with an Eeyore-like attitude.
Dumptydoo – this is when you are oblivious to things around you but are kind of bumbling your way through stuff. It is often applied to our dog, who can be very clueless as she goes about her business.
caramamas last blog post..Betchfest Rant
August 31st, 2008 at 12:52 pm
We have multiple uses for the line “There’s no crying in baseball!” from A League of Their Own. It basically means, “Suck it up, kid. There’s no objective reason why you should be crying right now, so knock it off.”
We also have a tendency to yell “SPCA” at our dogs, as in “If you piss in our bed again, we’re taking you to the SPCA.”
August 31st, 2008 at 8:02 pm
I always say, “What’s Up, Chuck!” Combining What’s Up and Up-Chuck into one phrase. Also, whenever Liam says Guess What? I say “turkey lips!” We call the fun zone the “area.” Get your hands out of your “area,” or did you wash your “area?” My big thing is exaggeration. I exaggerate everything (see?). I’ve told you 27 times to wash your hands, etc. Good one!
fruitladys last blog post..Stressed Out
August 31st, 2008 at 8:43 pm
We picked up boomer from you guys.
Aimee Greeblemonkeys last blog post..Remembering the Tao of Pooh
August 31st, 2008 at 9:11 pm
My family is a “You got it Toyota” family as well.
Also
wonky- Something isn’t right, off kilter, not how it should be
Buck Up Charlie-Get it in a gear and lets go.
eleventy-billion-akin to your forty-eleven
eleventy billion and 2-even more than the former
Load em up, move em out RAWHIDE!-We are getting out the door now!
Danis last blog post..CVS gift card give away
August 31st, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Those are so folksy and awesome.
My mom’s favorite word is gestalt. Seriously. And she says it like gesh-talt. In pretty much every conversation too.
Mom101s last blog post..Home Alone
August 31st, 2008 at 10:15 pm
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September 1st, 2008 at 5:52 am
My kids, who are teenagers now, call the aloe vera green gel you put on sunburns, Flubber, since it looks like the stuff from the movie “Flubber”.
Lori aka “is it just me”s last blog post..Day 10 – My First Day of Preschool
September 1st, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Those were so cute..although I’m too tired to even think of any myself..so I really enjoyed reading yours…
Dorothy from grammology
grammology.com
Dorothy Stahlneckers last blog post..Watch what you say in front of children and grandchildren
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