Words, Words, Words

I love words. I'm not even going to tell you how much I love words, because then you'll think I'm a complete geek (you don't already, do you? Oh, well. I don't mind :) I love finding just the right word. I love big words and little words.

That's why I love these books. They're all about words.

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester

The Meaning of Tingo: and Other Extraordinary Words From Around the World by Adam Jacot de Boinod

Grammar Snobs are Great Big Meanies: A Guide to Language For Fun and Spite by Jane Casagrande

Ella Minnow Pea: A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable (A Novel In Letters) by Mark Dunn

I love it when my daughter asks me what a word means, and even better when we both have to look it up in the dictionary. I love how my son plays with words - oh, that kid is hilarious, I can only imagine what he'll come up with as his vocabulary expands.

I love this quote from the liner notes of Natalie Merchant's newest album "Leave Your Sleep" about why she started putting poetry to music for her daughter:

"I tried to show her that speech could be the most delightful toy in her possession and that her mother tongue is rich with musical rhythms and rhymes."

I love how words can be so powerful - they can heal as well as hurt. Words can give life to our experience. Think about the best (or worst ... no, no, actually, just think about the best) thing anyone ever said to you, and how it still makes you feel. It's like this poem for me. It's a blessing every time I read it.

Lost in Translation

My husband comes home from work only to be bombarded by the 2yr old boy and 4yr old girl. He gets into the house everyone calms down, and the 2yr old follows him around saying the same thing. Does he realize it, no. Why, because he can't understand it. Then I say, "hey James, he is trying to talk to you." He says, "really." Then he actually listens, and pretends to know what he said, responds with and "that's awesome" or "great" or an "okay" then proceeds to take his shoes off, and relax from work. The boy could have said, "I licked the floor," "I bit my sister," "I ate a slug," etc... The possibilities are endless.

I think as a mother, we are official translators to the family. That is our job. I know some who don't want to leave there kids with there husbands for fear they can not understand them. Luckily my daughter translates for him too. Now, both my kids are typical kids. There are no speech delays or developmental issues. The 2yr old is just in the language explosion phase of development. Some things come out garbled and mumbled. It happens to the best of us. But translation issues can happen at any age. Have you heard teenage boys talk on the phone! Seriously! I can barely understand them. But someone can. I think kids have there own language for a while. And even when they do learn "English" I think they are bilingual. It starts with English, then Pig-Latin, now we are seeing the language of texting. I don't even know what half those acronyms mean anyways.

As a mother, I am beginning to think that I will always be lost in translation with my kids. Between my husband and I we can decipher a fair amount of what the 2yr old says, but there is still a lot that gets lost. That goes for the 4yr old too. So I will accept it now, before they are teenagers and do not want to talk to me. Kids and parents have different languages. We share English, and the rest is a great big guess. I will probably always be lost in translation.

Teaching an old baby new tricks

When my first child was born, I wanted to teach him sign language as an infant, and it went pretty well considering that I ended up being less consistent with it as I should have been. Now with my second baby just turning 18 months old, I've been even less consistent with her and I wondered if it was too late to start. On the way out of the library the other day, I just happened to see this book on the "new and interesting" display shelf.

This is a good one for older babies and toddlers because there are more commands and emotions that they can relate to. And, as they're beginning to form actual words and short sentences, this helps them understand their meaning and can express themselves with a little less frustration. When teaching an infant sign language, there isn't a whole lot beyond "milk", "more", and "sleep". This book is divided into three sections: Mealtime, Playtime, and Bedtime.



So far so good. Little Miss Polka-dot is catching on quickly, and Mr. Jellybean is even getting in on it, even at the ripe old age of 4.



Have you taught sign language to little ones? I'd love to hear your tips.







P.S. Speaking of communicating with little ones, if you or someone you know has a BRAND new baby, I would highly recommend checking out Dunstan Baby Language. Most libraries should have the DVD. I was skeptical at first when I had newborns, but it's amazingly accurate!

Speaking Beauties

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Have you ever wondered what your favorite flowers might mean and what you could be saying when you send somebody a special something from your local florist or your own garden?  I have and after doing a little bit of digging I came across some of the meanings behind the beauties I love the most and the ones I like to have in my home.  It was fun to see how perfectly they fit into that part of my life. For example:

 The Gerber Daisy (my wedding flowers): Innocence, Purity and Cheerfulness

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The Pink Peony (ones I love to gush over and admire): Bashful

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Ranunculus (my favorite to have on my window sill and if I can ever get the knack at growing some I would love to give them away just to say): "I am dazzled by your charms"

Dahlia (the confusing flowers in my garden): Dignity, Instability

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Scarlet Poppy (the wild flower I can't seem to grow): Fantastic Extravagance

and...

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Lily of the Valley ( These sweet little bells remind me of my Gammie and my Mother): Sweetness, Return to Happiness, Humility, "You've Made My Life Complete."

What do some of your favorite flowers mean?