What I Learn At Dinner Time

Dinner times are always interesting.  Even when they are boring dinners, I can usually walk away with something new I've learned about the boys.

Okay, I guess we don't have boring dinner times.

Tonight we were talking about mail and mail delivery and S3 asked us what days WE get mail.  "Every day. Except Sundays." Jake and I said in unison.

S2 began to snicker.

S3 nearly spit out his food - and that is saying something because he literally took half the pan of fried potatoes for himself at dinner tonight.  I think he has hit a growth spurt. 

S1, being the eldest and wisest and most knowledgable, felt he should explain.  "If you had been S3 and S4, they would be saying 'jinx' to each other.  And they have their own jinx saying."

S3 began laughing hysterically, hardly able to speak as he rattled off so quickly I am not even sure if I am typing it correctly..."Jinx, double jinx, triple jinx, rainbow jinx, you can't go pee or talk for the rest of the day until someone says your name five times."

"What?' Jake asked.

"It's just something we made up.  I learned it at school," S3 explained.  "I learned to be real good at jinxing people."

"Well," Jake said, "I'm glad you are learning something good at school."

"Yah!" S3 agreed emphatically, happy someone understood the importance of what he has learned, "I mean, otherwise I would have to learn something not important like, like, like multiplication.  Yuck!  This is better."

And that's when my husband broke out into song, "There is no good in an evil hearted woman..." and S1 joined in, Word. For. Word.

The conversation went back to what they thought was important to learn at school versus what they actually have to learn at school.  That was interesting...

Dinner was ending and so I said, "Boys, you all need a shower tonight."  They are on mid-winter break and they feel that means a break in bathing, I have noticed.

Groans all around from all the boys and then my very supportive husband said, "I've heard it said and it's probably true...."

"Husband!" I warned him, to no avail, as it never is every time he does this.  The boys were all snickering.  They know the drill.

He continued. "That too much bathing..." he paused and the boys joined in, "It will weaken you."

I rolled my eyes, as I always do, and the boys all began to laugh.  "You don't want us to be weak, Mama!" they declared.

I gave up.  Seriously, when I am going against five of them I have to pick my battles.  And they were arguing they bathed two days ago and that should be good enough.

But after they were done clearing the table (which involves numerous wrestling matches, who knew?) they marched off to the shower to "get weak."

In case you don't know why they would begin singing "There is no good in an evil hearted woman", here is the song....or you can just ask my boys to sing it word for word.  Not anything they learned in school but feel they should have.